If you’re fairly new to golf, you’ve probably been trying to find a good grip (the position you place your hands on the club) that feels comfortable and produces straight shots. By far, the most common amateur mistakes are an out-to-in swing path and the resulting slice ball flight (left to right for right-handed players). Without changing anything else, many amateurs can straighten their ball flight simply by gripping the club in a stronger position.

Terms like strong, neutral, and weak may be confusing. The easiest way to keep them straight is to grip a club, take a normal stance addressing the ball, and look down at your hands. How many knuckles can you see on the top hand (left hand for right-handers)? If you see none or barely see one, your grip is weak. If you see one and the beginning of the second, your grip is neutral (Tiger often uses this position). And, if you can see two-and-a-half or more knuckles, your grip is strong.

The idea is for your grip to help you square the face of the club at the moment of impact. Weak and neutral grips require better timing and more strength in order to get the face squared up. Strong grips make it much easier. Experiment with a club and you’ll see as you swing down. Look at it this way: you’ve got so many things to work on as a newer player, why not remove one of the potential obstacles and use a strong grip?

One note of caution, however. If you’ve been using a weaker grip, you’ve probably ingrained a certain move at impact called flipping. You are probably straightening your right hand (for right-handers) coming into impact in an effort to square the club face. You may not even be aware of the action. Often, our bodies do things without our conscious mind being aware, especially in such a fast movement. So, practice by swinging a lot at home or on the range so you can teach your body to forget that old move. Don’t be surprised if you’re pulling or hooking a lot of shots as you’re getting used to the new grip position. It will seem like your fix has created the opposite problem, but this is just your body ingraining a different movement. Practice, practice, practice! Soon you’ll get the hang of it, and you’ll probably enjoy better golf scores and more fun as a result.