This brings up a really good point, and I'll make two references. The Hogan book I mentioned above gives the absolute best description and diagrams (drawings, actually) that I have yet to see about HOW to grip the club. The book is worth every penny of the $10 it'll cost ya.

A few more ideas on grip. First off, a good grip is probably the most important thing for a beginner to learn. It's easy to get it wrong and hard to hit a good shot when you do get it wrong. As to HOW HARD to grip the club, Sam Snead said imagine you're holding a bird - you want to hold it just hard enough so it won't fly away, but not so hard that you'll hurt it. Jack Nicklaus says that on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest, he grips the club about a 3.

Lastly, coming back to your point, Harvey Penick said in his "Little Red Book" (which is also a great, great read) that if you develop blisters or caluses (sp?), it's likely the result of putting your hands on the club and then twisting and turning them to try and form a good grip. He says once you place your hands on the club, you shouldn't need to move them.

My 1.5 cents...

__________________
Mike Ryan
Rhinebeck, NY

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"You can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen."
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