Learning how to hold onto the club can be a difficult thing to master. There are many pieces of advice to choose from and deciding on the right one is not always easy. The scientific team identified two key areas that are most important.

Get these two concepts correct and you can forget about the rest;

Find a method of holding the club that satisfies the above principles and you’ll do just fine. It could be the Vardon grip, the interlocking grip or some variation. But choose one that suits you.

The best way to swing the club quickly is to place the club across the palm of your right hand and at the base of the fingers. This is the biomechanically ideal position for you to get the most speed. How to achieve this specifically is up to you - the best coaching will lead you in the correct direction, but will not stifle you with extremely specific set of instructions.

From here, if you place your hands as close together as possible you’ll be well on your way. The Vardon grip is popular because it naturally gets the hands close together. But the interlocking, and even baseball grip, are perfectly viable options. Choose the grip style that best suits you and you won’t have any issue. Best results are achieved when you don’t spend lots of time worrying about the grip but follow your gut and choose something that feels good to you. Comfort is often overlooked in the golf learning sphere.

Why this works: Because you are forcing your learning system to get to work. You are not being told precisely how to hold the club, you are exploring the best best way. A way that is ideal to you.

Too many golfers get told to grip a club in a way that doesn’t suit them.

They get told to interlock the fingers or adopt a strong (or weak) grip or focus on how many knuckles they can see. These theories are well meaning, but oftentimes leaves the golfer with a grip that is awfully uncomfortable.

A bonus grip idea

If your grip style or the actual makeup of your grip doesn’t feel quite right, then consider thickening the width of your golf grips. “Chunky” grips may just give you the advantage you’re looking for. There is no definitive reason why thicker grips “feel” better for golfers but I suspect that the larger grips are in line with other implements that we move quickly (and powerfully); hammers, tennis rackets and even baseball bats all use thicker handles than golf clubs. But beware, once you choose a thicker handle you can never go back.

I like to give clients a go of my sample club. This club has a nice chunky grip and they all seem to love it! They tend to race out and get their golf clubs refitted with larger grips.

Research and experience tells me that the thicker grip feels great if you’re using a thin grip but the thin grip feels terrible if you’re using a thicker grip. I think there’s something in this.

What's the ideal grip thickness to use? I like mid-size grips but you are best to get a sample or two made up and do some testing. Like most things, personal preference will come into play.