You can tell a lot about people by looking at their hands. And by how they grip a golf club, if you look closely enough. Certain parts of each hand should have calluses, others absolutely none. Examine your hands to see if you're gripping the club correctly.
Even if you wear a glove, the right hand will develop calluses because it is the foundation of the grip.
In a proper right-hand grip, the last three fingers provide most of the pressure. You should develop calluses where the pinkie, ring, and middle fingers meet the palm. The forefinger wraps around the club trigger-style, and the thumb rests on top. Neither of these should be exerting much force. If you're developing calluses at the base of the forefinger or on the flat pad of the thumb, you're gripping the club too tightly and, as a result, may suffer from a slice or loss of distance. If, however, you use a Vardon, or overlapping, grip, you may develop a callus on the outside of your forefinger between the first and second knuckles. This is where the ring finger of your left hand rests, and the slight rubbing that occurs between the two during the swing will tend to toughen will tend to toughen the skin.
Even though the left hand is bare, it should be the less-callused, because only two fingers -- the ring and middle -- actively grip the club. The others are along for the ride. Because the club is held in the fingers (the palm wraps around the thumb of the right hand), you should develop calluses on the insides of the ring and middle fingers where they touch the club and where they touch each other. You may also develop a callus on the outside of the ring finger where it touches the forefinger of the right hand. The overlapping pinkie remains unscathed.
The most common mistake is to develop calluses on the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. If that's happened to you, you've incorrectly made these fingers active grippers of the club. No pressure should be exerted with the thumb or the forefinger. If you do, the muscles of the left arm and shoulder stiffen, leading to an out-to-in swing path and a slice or pull.
