If your golf grip is lacking, then you can forget about your swing. Regardless of how hard you try to fix or train it, it will still be broken until you perfect your grip. The following is written for a right-handed golfer. If you are left-handed, simply reverse the instructions.

In order to attain what many consider the perfect golf grip, the following 5 steps below are recommend:

1. While positioning the golf head down, grip using only the last three fingers and the pad of your left hand. Then grasp with your left hand and position the golf club so that the grip is in your fingers and not your hand's palm.

2. Make sure your left hand's thumb is straight down. The point where your thumb meets your hand should be near the top of club.

3. Next, grip with the fingers of your right hand. Note the small vertical crease in your right palm near the wrist. Overlap the creases of your hands.

4. Grab the pinky finger of your right hand with the index finger of your left. Note the index finger and thumb of right hand. You should see a 'V' where they meet. That vertex (the point where they meet) should point to your right shoulder.

5. Make sure your right thumb is not running straight down the club but instead is pointed slightly toward your right shoulder.

If you follow these instructions, you should be able to obtain a solid golf grip. The following golf tips will also help you improve your grip and help you feel more comfortable and confident with it.

• The best way to verify whether your golf grip is correct is for you to look at the amount of knuckles you can see on your left hand. If you can see three of them, then it means that you are in great shape. 2 or 4 knuckles showing would mean that your club's face is either too open or too closed.

• An important golf tip to remember is that your golf grip needs to be firm, but at the same time relaxed. Holding the club lightly yet also firmly is what you should do. Don't try to "choke" your club because tension in your golf grip will simply lead to a poor swing. So remember, the more relaxed your grip, the farther and straighter you will hit the ball.

• Here is a tip to avoid gripping too tightly or reduce tension in your grip. You want to extend your target arm and then hold the golf club at an angle that is in front of you with the heel pad of your left hand on top of the handle. This puts the club across the top joints of the fingers (where the fingers meet the hand). The heel pad supports and traps the club. Hopefully relieving you of the need to hold it in a death grip.

• A common error that many golfers have is a weak or "soft" lead-hand grip (remember, left hand for the right-handed golfer). A weak lead-hand will tend to produce slices and your shots will lack power and direction. So if you have slicing problems, then take note of this golf tip and your game will improve.

• While practicing your golf grip isn't critical, it can help in the long run. If a proper grip becomes the norm, then you will settle into it easily without much thought. In golf, the less you need to think about and the more natural your swing and grip feels, the better the shot will be.