Low in the fingers of the
left hand promotes the
vital wrist hinge
One of the biggest power sources in the
golf swing is a good wrist action.
Take a look at Ernie Els. The Big Easy
generates tremendous clubhead speed
with seemingly little effort. How does he do
that? He combines a full shoulder turn with
a full ‘loading’ of the wrists – energy that is
then stored deep into the downswing before finally being
unleashed as the wrists ‘snap’ the clubhead on the ball. If you want
to copy Ernie’s example, you first need to have a grip that allows you to fully cock and uncock your wrists in the course of making your swing. The way you place your left hand on the grip is critical to this – and here’s a useful tip that can help you get it right every time. Stand up tall and let your arms hang naturally, as I am doing opposite. Notice the way the fingers want to curl inwards - a huge plus when it comes to placing the left hand on the grip. All you have to do is let the club fall into the fingers at a slight diagonal angle before then closing your hand around the grip. You should then find that you have a left-hand grip that looks like this (above and right).

Placing the club too high in the palm of the left hand is a problem that many golfers suffer, one that stifles hand and wrist action and ultimately inhibits your ability to generate clubhead speed. So use this routine to get the club fitted low and diagonally across the fingers of the left hand. Oh, and one more thing: don’t extend a ‘long’ left thumb down the grip, but instead ‘pinch’ it short – that further enhances the mobility of the left wrist. And check that the left thumb lies at a slight angle, across to the right.

Make sure the butt-end of the grip protrudes by half an inch or so – that gives you absolute control

Assume a natural standing position and you will notice that the left hand wants to curl inwards - and laying the club diagonally across the fingers gives you the basis of a sound left hand grip

With the left hand closed, the last three fingers squeeze the butt-end of the grip, and these provide the security. The fingertips should just touch the pad at the base of the thumb – that’s a sign your grips are the correct size