A post was made back in mid November 2005 about Tiger’s favorite golf book. In that post, I mentioned that both Tiger Woods and Michael Campbell chose a book on the fundamentals of golfing as their favorite. In this post, I have decided to take a closer look at that book, and touch on the basic golfing fundamentals outlined within.

Fundamental 1: The Grip

Good golf begins with a good grip…The players only contact with the ball is through the club head, and his only direct physical contact with the club is through his [grip].

The first golfing fundamental, the grip, is fairly easy to master. Most golfers share the same grip… fingers around the shaft, thumbs pointing down the shaft, and hands interlocked as one unit. As for the placement of the shaft in your hand:

Place the club in the left hand so that the shaft is pressed up under the muscular pad at the inside heel of the palm, and the shaft also lies directly across the top joint of the forefinger.

I was taught to achieve this position by simply letting the club rest with my palms open, then closing my hands around it. Ben Hogan, the author of the book, also suggests that a new golfer should practice the grip for five to ten minutes a day until the feel of it becomes second nature.

eHow.com has a nice article titled “How to Grip a Golf Club” which includes a ten-step (actually eight-step) process, pictures, and tips. You should take a look at it for more insight to the correct golfing fundamental grip.

If his grip is faulty, the golfer won’t have control of the club when he reaches the top of his backswing.

If the grip is correct, the club will be held perfectly under control at the top of the player’s backswing.

Golfing fundamentals two through five (as mentioned in “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf“) will follow in future posts.