To date, there are still varying opinions in the golf community about the best method of gripping the club. Key issues in this debate are the grip force level necessary and to what extent and when, during the swing, particular areas of the hands should be involved. This study was conducted with the aim of learning more about actual grip forces applied during a typical shot and thus to answer some questions about how golfers actually grasp the club.
It was found that the total grip force produced during a golf shot is highly repeatable for golfers of all abilities. At this time it is not yet clear why even beginner golfers exhibit this trend, or in fact what the signatures mean in terms of shot production. Further testing will be conducted that will look more closely at the contributions made by particular regions of the hands, and how the consistency of the force traces change at various points of the swing (e.g. during downswing, near impact, during the follow-through, etc.). It is hoped that additional knowledge about grip force during a golf shot will lead improved training techniques and grip design in the future.