The grip is part of a golf swing fundamental – holding on to the club. It expresses a golfer’s individuality and intention (if any) with their golf ball. Done well, the grip can facilitate a repeatable, powerful golf swing. At it’s worst, it can facilitate a real love of Chess. Some think the set up trumps all, and some think the grip trumps all. It is probably clear where I stand on the side of set up when causality is discussed within the golf swing. But what, then of the grip?…Who should we listen to?

Ladies and gentlemen, no one knows more about how a grip affects a golf swing than Carl Lohren. Carl is a Ben Hogan disciple who expresses his respect for The Hawk by placing his hands on a golf club in an optimal way. He is the man. He was a great sounding board for me to learn more about the grip in our time at BallenIsles CC (the old ‘JDM CC’). I suggest you watch ALL his YouTube videos. Just understand, his perspective about the grip is causal, in nature. The aperture through which he sees the golf swing orbits around what happens with the hands on the handle.

Mr. Lohren and I agree on 90% of the golf swing. We both acknowledge that set-up is the most important part of swinging a golf club. If we we don’t agree on 100% it may be because I see the grip as an incidental part of the set-up philosophy a golfer may employ. I believe the set up philosophy will create a cooperative grip. The desire to create a specific result with a golf ball will facilitate a refining of the grip within a set up philosophy.

Carl states that the grip is 90% of the 90% of why the set up is so important. Carl believes the grip is independent of movement or, at least, that movement can change to adapt to the proper grip. He teaches objective movement under the assumption of an subjectively ‘neutral’ grip. His is an interesting study of the kinematic sequence.

He demonstrates the physiological differences of arm-hang and grip tweaks. But, my opinion is that Carl essentially nullifies his set-up axiom with these subjectives. His discussion covers the orientation of the hands in relation to the golfer, but not the club face, target line, or toe line. I question how a grip can be optimal per golfer without discussing their set up orientation to the target, at least.

What I would like Carl to discuss is the relationship of the grip to the target line. I’d want to hear how it changes with a stance that is closed versus open. I’d like to hear a discussion of trajectory and grip orientation to the depth of a divot, shaft lean, ball speed, etc. Maybe Carl could cover the grip in relation to the rotation of the body to square impact. I’d like to hear about the relationship between the grip orientation and the swing plane…. stuff like that.

Finally, if anyone thinks my research of his work and conclusions don’t differ from my philosophy, then I would like Carl or anyone else to disprove my theory that the grip is a choice made to cooperate or compensate for a set-up Philosophy and that it is not the foundation of the set-up. So, if someone knows more about this dynamic, please speak up. You’ll save me lots of wasted motion.

In the meantime, learn more about how the choices we make about putting your hands on the handle affect what we do to compensate. Mr. Lohren talks about the thirteen different parts of the swing the grip ‘affects’. Once you know the loop he discusses, come on back for the explanation about how set-up philosophy affects our choice of grip.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

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