Grip and posture basics

Setup

1. Mark hitting stations with cones in one straight line, at least 3 m apart side to side (wider for adults). Everyone faces the same way, towards an empty target area 10–20 m out.
2. One short iron per player. Young children use a club sized to their height or a lightweight plastic club with foam balls.
3. Put any left-handed players at an end station with an extra-wide gap, so nobody stands in front of their swing.

How it runs

1. Grip (about 4 min): hold the club out in front. The lead hand (left for a right-hander) goes on first, with the handle running across the base of the fingers rather than the palm; the player should see two or three knuckles. The trail hand fits below, its palm covering the lead thumb.
2. Let each player choose overlapping, interlocking or a ten-finger grip; whichever feels secure is fine to start with.
3. Posture (about 4 min): feet roughly shoulder-width, tilt forward from the hips until the club sole sits flat, knees softly flexed, arms hanging straight down from the shoulders.
4. The coach checks each player in turn. Nobody swings while the coach is walking the line.
5. Small swings (about 6 min): the coach goes back behind the line, checks the space is clear, then players hit knee-high to hip-high swings, taking grip and posture from scratch before every ball.

Coaching points

• Lead hand in the fingers; a palm grip locks the wrists.
• The V shapes between thumb and forefinger point roughly between the chin and the trail shoulder.
• Hinge at the hips with the bottom pushed back, not a slump through the upper back.
• Weight over the middle of the feet, not the toes or heels.
• Light grip pressure: secure, but soft enough for the wrists to hinge.

Common mistakes

• Holding the club in the palms, or turning the trail hand well under the handle.
• Squeezing so hard the forearms go tight.
• Squatting with lots of knee bend instead of tilting from the hips.
• Standing so far away that the arms reach for the ball.