👋 Everything you need to know about GRIP PRESSURE
We’ve all heard it before: “Grip the club like a bird—tight enough to hold on but gentle enough not to crush it.” It’s one of those pieces of golf advice that sounds wise and poetic, like something passed down from a legend of the game.
But is that actually good advice?
That’s why it’s time to clear up the confusion, debunk the myths, and rethink how we grip the club. Forget the bird analogy—let’s get into what really works.
Liam Mucklow, a renowned coach and biomechanics expert, recently led a study that dives deep into the role of grip strength and pressure in the golf swing. He hopped on a call with me to explain the entire process and help write up this in depth guide. THANKS LIAM!!!!
What Is Grip Strength?
Grip strength is how much force your hands can squeeze or hold onto something.
Grip strength is measured using a tool called a dynamometer. It’s a small device you hold in your hand and squeeze as hard as you can.
The device measures the force you apply and gives you a number in pounds. You test each hand separately, and add both hands together, to find your total grip strength.
It’s quick, simple, and can give you a lot of insight into your hand strength compared to others.
For men in their 30s, the average grip strength varies depending on fitness level, but here’s a general guide:
- Dominant Hand: Around 105-125 pounds.
- Non-Dominant Hand: Slightly lower, usually around 95-115 pounds.
- Combined Strength (both hands): About 200-250 pounds.
If your grip strength is over 130 pounds per hand, you’re in the strong-to-elite range.
The pros in Liam’s study averaged 276 pounds total grip strength between both hands—roughly 138 pounds per hand.
So we start out with the understanding that these guys have ELITE level grip strength. Maybe it’s from strength training in the gym or the decades of hitting golf balls at high level of speeds.
What Did the Study Reveal About Grip Strength in Golf?
After they measured the initial grip strength using a dynamometer they had each golfer hit shots with a club that had a sensor grip installed.
The study utilized the SensorEdge Sensor Grip, a specialized golf club grip embedded with pressure sensors.
This technology captures real-time data on the pressure exerted by each hand throughout the swing, providing detailed insights into grip dynamics.
Who Was in the Study?
The study divided golfers into four groups:
- Tour Professionals – The best of the best.
- Hookers – Golfers who tend to hit the ball left (for right-handed players).
- Slicers – Golfers who send the ball curving far to the right.
- High Handicappers – Players who struggle to make solid, consistent contact.
👨🔬 Let's get into the data!
- Setup: Grip pressure starts firm (around 40-50% of max strength). Based on their elite level grip strength to begin with this is a pretty strong grip.
- Backswing: Pressure remains steady throughout the backswing.
- Transition: There’s a slight dip in grip pressure during the transition from backswing to downswing. Liam explained that this small release allows the club to naturally "fall behind" and sync with the rotation of the body—a key move for creating lag and setting up an efficient downswing.
- Impact: Grip pressure ramps up naturally as the club accelerates, ensuring stability at the moment of contact. This even increase in pressure likely, minimizes clubface rotation and maximizes energy transfer to the ball.
What’s Happening:
- Setup: Slicers typically start with a grip pressure that’s too light, often below 20% of max strength.
- Backswing: Grip pressure builds unevenly, with the trail hand applying too much pressure compared to the lead hand.
- Transition: The trail hand pressure spikes early in the downswing. This push from the trail hand throws the club onto an out-to-in path, creating the classic over-the-top move.
- Impact: The trail hand dominates at impact, and the lead hand isn’t able to stabilize the clubface. This lack of balance leaves the clubface open, causing the ball to slice to the right.
What’s Happening:
- Setup: Hookers generally have a better grip pressure than slicers, but it’s still not perfect. They tend to favor their lead hand too much at the start, which sets up an imbalance.
- Backswing: The lead hand gradually increases pressure, while the trail hand stays under engaged. Liam pointed out that this can cause the club to lag too far behind the body, especially when combined with a lack of rotation.
- Transition: Lead hand pressure spikes during the transition as hookers try to “pull” the club through the swing. Without proper hip rotation, this extra lead hand pressure causes the club to drop behind them and swing too far from the inside.
- Impact: The trail hand tries to correct by closing the clubface aggressively, resulting in a big hook. This overcorrection is common for players who rely too much on their hands to fix their swing path.
What’s Happening:
- Setup: High handicappers grip the club extremely lightly at setup, often under 10% of max grip strength. It creates instability and a lack of control before the swing even starts.
- Backswing: Grip pressure remains low throughout the backswing, showing a lack of engagement and control. Liam described this as amateurs “letting the club swing them,” rather than taking control of the swing themselves.
- Transition: During the downswing, there’s a sudden spike in grip pressure, especially in the trail hand as they start to “hang on for dear life,” as the club moves out of sync with the body, forcing the player to react instead of staying in control.
- Impact: Both hands max out their grip pressure just before impact, but it’s uncoordinated.This kind of reactive pressure spike leads to inconsistent contact and energy leaks, as the clubface twists instead of staying stable.
So what’s happening and why?:
- Pro Players: Start with firm grip pressure, maintain consistency, and lighten during transition to shallow and sync the club with body rotation.
- Slicers: Grip too lightly at setup, overuse the trail hand in transition, and push the club into an out-to-in path, leaving the face open.
- Hookers: Over-rely on the lead hand, spike pressure in transition, and lack rotation, causing the club to lag too far behind and close too aggressively.
- High Handicappers: Grip too lightly at setup, lose control during the swing, and reactively spike pressure with the trail hand, leading to inconsistency.
Ready for the full workshop? Join Liam and I as we discuss this study in DETAIL.
🎥 Watch the video here
Thank you to Liam for sharing all this! Make sure to follow him on Instagram and check out his work at The Golf Lab.
Unique Drills to Dial in your Grip Pressure
Grip Ladder Drill
- Purpose: Find your ideal grip pressure at setup and throughout the swing.
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How to Do It:
- Grab 10 golf balls to hit.
- Start by gripping the club as lightly as possible (1 out of 10).
- Hit a shot, gradually increasing pressure with each ball until you reach 10 out of 10.
- Why It Works: This drill teaches you to recognize and control your grip pressure, so you can avoid gripping too lightly or too tightly.
Left-Hand-Only Swings (for High Handicappers)
Purpose: Strengthen the lead hand and improve balance between the hands.
How to Do It:
- Grab a wedge and grip it with your lead hand only.
- Take slow, controlled swings, focusing on maintaining a steady grip pressure throughout.
- Gradually increase speed as you get comfortable.
- Repeat 10-15 swings, then return to your normal grip and notice the improved balance.
Why It Works: High handicappers often have weaker lead hands, which leads to trail-hand dominance and poor club control. This drill strengthens your lead hand, promotes better rotation, and ensures a more balanced grip between both hands.
Three-Finger Drill (for Slicers)
Purpose: Reduce trail hand dominance to fix slices and encourage a smoother swing path.
How to Do It:
- Set up as usual, but remove the ring and pinky fingers from your trail hand (right hand for right-handed players).
- Take practice swings, focusing on keeping your trail hand relaxed and your lead hand in control.
- Repeat this drill with a few slow swings, gradually increasing speed.
- Once it feels natural, return to your full grip, focusing on keeping your trail hand from taking over.
Why It Works: Slicers often push too hard with their trail hand, disrupting the swing path and leaving the clubface open. By removing two fingers, this drill reduces the trail hand’s influence and helps the club fall into a better plane during transition.
Wrapping It All Up
For years, the “baby bird” analogy has been the go-to advice for grip pressure. But this study shows it’s time to let that myth go.
The Tour Pro Formula
- Setup: Grip firmly—about a 4/10, like a strong handshake.
- Backswing: Maintain consistent pressure to keep the club stable.
- Transition: Slightly reduce pressure to allow the club to fall naturally into place.
- Impact: Pressure naturally increases as you deliver energy to the ball.
