Your grip is your only connection to the club, yet many golfers overlook it. People often spend hours working on their swing without checking if their grip is helping or hurting them. Fixing grip mistakes is usually the fastest way to improve your ball striking and consistency.
Many times, the swing isn’t the real issue. If your grip is unstable or incorrect, the clubface can twist during your swing, leading to inconsistent contact, less control, and unpredictable ball flight.
Let’s look at three common golf grip mistakes and how you can fix them.
Mistake #1: Interlocking the Fingers Too Tightly
The interlock grip is a popular way to hold a golf club. Golfers like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Rory McIlroy use it because it helps your hands work together and gives you more control when done correctly.
However, many golfers make the mistake of interlocking their fingers too tightly.
If you squeeze your pinky and index finger together without any space, your grip can shift into the palm of your trail hand. This limits your wrist movement and makes it harder to release the club naturally when you hit the ball.
Here’s what you should aim for instead:
- Light interlock pressure
- Grip felt more in the fingers than the palm
- Hands connected, but not locked together
A helpful drill is to practice holding the club with just your trail hand. This teaches you the right finger placement and grip pressure, an idea made popular in Hogan’s Five Fundamentals.
Mistake #2: A Dominant Hand That’s Too Strong
Another common problem is having your dominant, or trail, hand too strong. This means it’s rotated too far under the club.
Many golfers use this grip to avoid slicing, but it often causes other issues. A strong trail-hand grip can force you to make extra adjustments in your swing, making it harder to stay consistent over time.
Some professionals use a strong lead-hand grip, but there’s almost never a good reason to have your trail hand too strong.
A neutral trail-hand grip:
- Promotes a square clubface at impact
- Reduces excessive hand manipulation
- Supports a more repeatable swing
The goal is to find balance, not to force your hands into extreme positions just to fix ball flight issues.
Mistake #3: Never Training the Grip
Most golfers assume they know how to grip the club—but rarely practice it.
Grip trainers aren’t magic fixes, but they are very useful for reinforcing a neutral grip, especially for amateur golfers. Even experienced players use grip trainers to stay consistent.
Grip trainers help:
- Build correct muscle memory
- Prevent gradual grip changes over time
- Reduce swing compensations caused by poor hand placement
It’s important to know that grip trainers usually promote a neutral grip. Golfers who choose to play with strong or weak grips may not benefit as much, but for most players, neutral is the safest and most reliable choice.
Final Thoughts
Before you make any swing changes, take a close look at your grip. A secure, neutral grip helps you control the clubface, reduces unnecessary swing adjustments, and leads to more consistent ball striking. Avoiding these common grip mistakes not only improves your fundamentals, but can also make your swing feel more stable and predictable right away. If you’re having trouble with consistency, start by fixing your grip before moving on to more complex swing changes.