How Grip Pressure Affects Your Wrist Mechanics and Swing

Britt Olizarowicz

Jul 15, 2024 . 6 mins read

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You’ve heard the advice to ease grip pressure and let the club swing naturally.

However, very few people talk about the true benefits of doing this and why having the proper grip pressure can make all the difference in the movements you try to make in your swing.

We will show you how to get the right grip pressure, why it matters for your wrist action, and how you can reduce strokes by improving something as simple as grip pressure.

Key Takeaways

If you don’t have time to dive into the guide on grip pressure in the golf swing, here are a few of the most important points to take.

• The proper grip pressure allows you to control the golf club without restricting motion.
• Too much grip pressure restricts the movement of the wrists, especially when related to the release of the golf club. Golfers who struggle with late release are often gripping the club too tightly.
• Loose grip pressure is not the solution; if you grip the club too loosely, it can move around in your hands and create inconsistent clubface angles at impact.
• Wearing HackMotion and analyzing your ability to release the club and get your lead wrist in the correct position while also experimenting with grip pressure is a perfect way to dial in the right pressure.

Mistakes Golfers Make with Grip Pressure and Wrist Mechanics

Holding the club too tightly creates tension in your hands, arms, and shoulders.

This extra tension reduces power, creates poor swing mechanics, and can even lead to injury and fatigue.

Gripping the club too loosely leads to inconsistent ball contact and less accuracy in your shots. Some golfers also experience less power with this lighter grip pressure.

Early Release

The early release happens when the wrists unhinge too soon in the downswing.

This causes a loss of power and a shot that doesn’t fly as high or as straight as expected. The early release can also result from too-loose grip pressure.

Late Release

If you hold on to the wrist hinge too long, you may block your shots to the right.

Golfers who struggle with this issue are often gripping the club too tightly and can’t feel the natural timing of the release.

Getting the Right Grip Pressure for Better Wrist Action

The proper wrist action in the golf swing encourages natural hinging, releasing of the wrists, and the correct flexion and extension angles throughout impact.

If you hold the grip too tightly the most significant impact is the restriction of the natural release of the wrists.

With too little grip pressure you’ll have a hard time maintaining the bowing or flexion in your lead wrist through impact.

Full Swing

There are a few different ways you can dial in the correct grip pressure for wrist mechanics, but the best encourages a little waggle of the club.

You’ll grip your golf club and then hold it upright in front of you and feel that hinging of the wrists.

Make sure you can feel the weight of the club so it moves up and down a bit. Doing this as part of your pre-shot routine ensures that you’ll have the proper wrist action in the golf swing.

This video gives you a great drill and pre-shot routine movement to get the correct grip pressure for your hinge. Interestingly, you’ve probably seen great players make this move before they hit and they may or may not know why they even do it.

Putting

Grip pressure in putting is just as important as grip pressure in the full swing.

For golfers that have a smoother tempo and are hitting shorter putts, the lighter grip pressure can make you more aware of clubface angle, wrist action, and movement of the club.

With a faster tempo putter and a longer putt, more grip pressure can make it easier to control the clubhead.

Start by wearing your HackMotion and taking some short putts. Create one practice session where you grip the club tightly and attempt to make 10 putts, then do one with a medium pressure grip and then finally a light grip pressure.

In the end, you’ll want to examine the consistency of your wrist angles in your stroke based on the grip pressure you were using. Which worked best for your game?

Most golfers find that the medium-pressure grip is the best, but some notice that a loose grip gives them the most awareness.

Drills to Find the Proper Grip Pressure in Golf

Grip pressure is all about feel. You’ll have to play around with this concept a bit until you get something that you are comfortable with. Here are a few tricks for finding that:

Heavy Club Drill

This simple drill requires you to hold the club just in front of you above the ground. If you can’t feel the clubhead, your grip pressure will be too tight.

Release some of the tension until the clubhead feels heavy.

Grip as Tight as You Can Drill

If you know your tendency is to grip the club too tightly, try this drill, where you will gradually release pressure in your hands.

Start by gripping as tight as you can and then slowly ease up on that pressure.

Pull Up Don’t Push Down

This video gives an interesting perspective for those who have a hard time controlling grip pressure.

If you feel like you need to be a little firmer to hit good shots, try making sure your pressure is pulling the club up and not pushing it down.

Final Thoughts

Grip pressure problems creep up on you. The best way to manage both the position of your hands and the overall grip pressure you apply is to use the HackMotion while you practice.

You can check in on your grip pressure and make the proper adjustments to keep your golf swing wrist mechanics in line.