Part I: Before You Swing
Lesson #1: Clap Hands For The Grip

I'm not an advocate of any one style of grip. Basically, I think you should hold the club in a way that's comfortable for you. However, I do believe in one rule, and the best way to test it is by clapping your hands.

Take your stance without a club, allowing your arms to hang naturally. Then bring your hands together, palms flat. In this position, note that your palms are parallel. This is the one 'must' of a sound grip -- a palms-parallel position -- as it allows the hands to work as one unit instead of fighting each other.

Now assume your usual grip on the club, and then open your hands, straightening out your fingers while continuing to hold the club between your palms. Are your palms parallel? If not, you should work them back into the clap-hands position and reassume your grip.

In an ideal neutral grip, the back of your left hand and the palm of your right will be facing your target. With a slightly weak grip the alignment will be a bit toward the ground, and with a slightly strong grip the hands will tilt a bit toward the sky. Neither of these is necessarily bad, as long as the palms are parallel.

Illustration by Jim McQueen

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