Slices and hooks
How you hold the club has a big bearing on how you deliver it back to the ball, so here we focus on the grip
1
Getting your grip right gives you a far better chance of returning the clubface to the ball correctly at impact. Many golfers have their left-hand grip too much in the palm, whereas in an ideal neutral grip, you hold it more in the fingers so that two knuckles are showing. To keep your grip consistent, place your left hand on the club first and check it is in a neutral position. This will really help you to keep the clubface square throughout the swing.
A weak grip: too much in the left palm
2
Those who hold the club too much in the palm of the left hand have a weak grip and will tend to slice the ball. The first issue is that it gets you leaning a little too much towards the target at set-up causing you to hit out and down on the ball. It also leads to the clubface opening up too much on the way back, so you approach the ball from outside the line with an open face – the perfect recipe for a slice.
A strong grip: left hand too much on top
3
Those with an excessively strong grip tend to hook the ball. Strong doesn’t mean gripping too hard but having your left hand too much on top so all four knuckles are showing. As a result, there won’t be much loft on the club at the top, with the clubface too closed. The compensations required on the downswing to get the ball up in the air typically lead to a lot of leaning back, which is going to cause a hook.