Golf Terminology

Everything in golf comes in threes. Here is a list of the common terms and their meanings.

Grip: Strong, weak, neutral.

Grip: Interlock, overlap, or ten-finger (all acceptable).

Aim: Open, closed, square.

Posture: Too bent, too tall, neutral.

Swing plane: Upright, flat, neutral.

Swing path: In-to-out, out-to-in, in-to-in.

Clubface: Open, closed, square.

Ball flight: Hook, slice, straight

Face contact: Heel, toe, center.

Angle of attack: Shallow, steep, neutral.

Over the next few articles, I’ll define these terms and explain what each one means.

First, start with the grip: When you place your hands on the golf club, you have a choice. First, you can interlock the index of one hand with the pinkie of the other (interlocking grip). Or you can overlap the pinkie of one hand and place it between the first and second knuckle of the other hand (overlap or Vardon grip). Lastly, you can put all ten fingers on the club (sometimes called the baseball grip). Note that all these grips are a preference, and all acceptable. I call these preferences, as opposed to principles.

Next, consider posture. The golf ball is on the ground. We must bend to reach it. How much depends on one’s height and reach in arm length and of course, properly fit golf clubs. This part of the address position is critical. The secret to making a repeating golf swing is the ability to maintain that posture throughout the swing. One of the most violated positions in a golfer’s swing is the loss of posture during the swing.

Lastly, we need to address the golf ball correctly in terms of aim and alignment. The distinction is important. We align our bodies, and we aim the clubface. Only the club face is aimed at the target, while the body is aligned near parallel to the target line. This sounds simple, but it is not. We ALL aim away from the shot we usually hit, or the shot we have just hit (slicers aim left, those who hook the ball aim right).

Great golfers are always very careful to check THEIR fundamentals. I highly advise you do the same. Find a grip, a ball position, an aim, alignment, and posture that work for your swing. Be overly vigilant of these things all the time. No practice session should be without them.