The way to a hold a golf club is very important for how well you hit the ball. Not a lot of beginners or high handicap players really put a lot of thought into the correct hand grip of the club. Below describes instructions on how to get the best grip for you.
The three common grip types and then another
There are basically 3 different golf grip types to choose from. The baseball grip, the interlocking grip and the overlapping grip. These are the 3 I’m going to talk about here. There is another grip which might become a little more popular soon called the cross grip. Basically it’s the opposite of how someone normally grabs a golf club.
Let’s get into each grip and the good and bad about each.
Baseball grip
Just like the description says, the baseball grip is the regular standard grip most people would use when the grab a club for the first time. All 10 fingers are on the club but do not connect or overlap. I would personally suggest using this grip when first starting out with golf. Once you get into it a little more would be the time to possibly start looking at switching to one of the other grips
One key about using the baseball grip, be sure to run the thumb straight down the club. If you are right-handed the left thumb should run down the club, right thumb on the left-handed grip.
Reasons to use the baseball grip. Like I mentioned before it’s the most natural and easiest grip to start with. This is also a good grip to use for older golfers. Older golfers start to lose a little a power and distance and this grip can bring a some power and distance back.
Reason against the baseball grip. With the other 2 grips below there is connections with the hands. The baseball grip the hands are somewhat disconnected and cause miss hits. As well as the hands this grip can cause some golfers to use a little too much wrist flex that can add power but causes mistakes with accuracy.
Interlocking grip
Some of the biggest names in professional golf have used this grip. Some argue the greatest golfers, Rory, Jack and even Tiger Woods (the greatest in my mind) use the interlocking grip.
To use an interlocking grip the pinky of the upper hand interlinks with the index finger on the lower hand.
Reasons for the interlocking grip. This grip works great for golfers with small hands. It interconnects the hands and wrist into one unit. With the wrists connected this grip gives much better control. This grip also helps withe the over gripping the clubs and helps have a liter grip.
Reasons against the interlocking grip. It feels strange for golfers with large hands. It can really take a long time to get comfortable after changing to this grip. Too much wrist restriction can cause swing problems from other areas like swing plane and body posture. Without some wrist action some golfers lose distance.
Overlapping grip
The most utilized grip and the one I recommend is the overlapping grip. Its estimated over 90% of all professional golfers use this grip. This grip was created by golfer Harry Vardon, a British golfer. Sometimes called the Vardon grip, Harry developed this grip sometime in the late 19th/early 20th century.
Very similar to the baseball grip except the pinky of the top hand overlays the gap after the index finger.
Reasons to use this grip. Best for golfers with large hands. If it works for so many professional golfers it must be good. Follow what the pros do. It helps keep the wrists and accordingly the entire grip unified but still allows for some freedom to move during the swing.
Reasons against. If you have small hands, the interlocking grip should work better for you. But there are really no draws backs to this grip. It might not give someone quite as much grip strength and power as the baseball grip but it will help with accuracy.
Cross grip – not recommended
I just thought I would mention it since there is a golfer new to the golfing world, Canadian, Callum Davidson. He is the latest, there have been a coupe using this grip over the years. He is using a cross grip which is opposite of what people normally think of when gripping a club. Under a normal grip a person who is right-handed and swinging a right-handed club, the left hand is higher than the right hand and a person swinging left-handed would have their right hand on the upper part of the club and the left below. A cross grip the golfer has their hands in the opposite position.
Conclusion
As mentioned about the best grip for most golfers the overlap grip. It gives better wrist control than the baseball grip and if so many professional golfers use it must be good. If you’re an older golfer losing power and distance the baseball grip might help you out. If you are someone with smaller hands like a youngster learning the game or maybe a woman with smaller hands the cross grip could be for you.
Also, you have the options of changing your grip size which could affect how you grip the club as well.
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