The grip is the foundation of a good swing, and a good golfer who has a bad grip will find that his or her game suffers severely.
The grip is the only contact a player has with the golf club, so great care must be taken with it.
Bad habits, especially those concerning the fundamentals of the swing, are difficult to shake off, so you should aim to make holding the club correctly an instinctive part of your game.
The grip will determine a player's wrist position, the place of their swing and the amount of power they can generate.
Top players are very careful about the way they form their grip, and amateur golfers must be no less disciplined.
A good grip should be as natural as possible.
If you stand up and let your arms hang naturally by your sides, the palms and forearms turn inward slightly towards the thighs.
This is how your hands should look when holding the golf club.
When the hands are moulded together like this, the player has the best chance of hitting a powerful, accurate shot.
If you watch a professional practicing before a tournament he or she almost invariably has a coach looking on to check that all parts of their game are working correctly.
You will often see them checking the grip because even though a minor change in the grip may be imperceptible to the player, it can have a considerable effect on the way the club strikes the ball.
It is worth having a good teaching professional check your grip and setup from time to time.
It is amazing how these things can gradually deteriorate.