While a number of prominent tour pros hold the club with a strong grip – think Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Paul Azinger – you almost never see a great player with a weak grip. Why is that?

Prominent golf teacher Trent Wearner offered a great explanation to Golf Digest, saying, “Having a grip that's too strong is like having a car that goes 80 miles an hour that you want to go 60. You know you can always dial it back if you want to. A grip that's too weak is like having a car that's stuck (on) 40. Not only do you have to figure out why it's stuck at the same speed, you also have to make it go faster.”

In other words, it’s fairly easy to compensate for the issues caused by a strong grip, but nearly impossible to overcome a weak grip’s, well, weaknesses.

Golfers who hit the ball to the right and lack power would be wise to move their hands to a stronger position. This allows the forearms and hands to rotate freely coming into the shot, producing a smooth, potent release that squares the clubface and adds distance.

Here’s a quick tutorial on strengthening your grip:

• Take your normal grip and setup position; look at the back of your left (top) hand.
• How many knuckles can you see?
• One knuckle equals a weak grip; 1 ½ or 2 equals a neutral grip; more than 2 is a strong grip.

While a neutral grip is considered ideal, many teachers advice their amateur students to grip with 2 ½ knuckles visible on the left hand. A small tweak in how you hold the club could be just the thing to strengthen your game.