The only connection you have to the club is your hands!
The three basics ways to grip a golf club are the “ten finger grip” aka baseball grip; the “interlock grip”; and the “overlap grip” made popular by Harry Vardon who won six Open Championships, and 62 golf tournaments, including one run of 14 in a row, a record to this day!
The key to learning the proper grip is to try all three and settle on the one that is most comfortable for you and gives you the most control. While most new golfers will say that all of these grips are foreign, difficult and somewhat uncomfortable, with practice it will improve!
Do you have the Proper Grip?
To check if you have the proper left-hand grip, you should be able to see at least two knuckles on your left hand and the logo on your glove.
Seen from another angle, the palm pad of your hand should be on top of the grip, and the weight and control of the club is in the last three fingers as Ben Hogan described in Five Lessons.
The proper grip is pictured on the right. The two dots on the glove hand should be visible, at least two knuckles should be visible, the ‘V’ formed by the index finger and thumbs pointing to your chin, and a straight angle/line of the index finger positioned in line with the shaft. Understand, the proper right-hand grip is ‘gripping the club in the fingers of your right hand‘, and grip pressure is firm, not tight. Too much pressure can inhibit the hinging of the wrist reducing club head speed.
Jack Nicklaus. “If my grip is tight then my arms become tight, then my shoulders become tight, then my upper body becomes tight,” Nicklaus says. “If I’m tight everywhere else, then my legs become tight. When the grip is too tense, the chain breaks before the backswing begins, a perfect concoction for mishits.”
So, how can you fix the problem? Nicklaus says one key is to quiet your mind. Stop thinking about all the other elements of your round and focus instead on relaxing your whole body, starting in the hands. “What I want to do is I want to be very loose with all parts of my body,” he said. “I want to be very relaxed. I want to keep constant motion. That means my grip is nice and loose, my forearms are soft.”
If you’re able to manage that, you’ll find a breezy swing that forms better to your body type, your game, and hopefully, to a better number on the scorecard.
“And what it does, it allows me to keep the tension out of my whole body and thus promote a slow takeaway and a smooth golf swing,” Nicklaus said.
Butch Harmon – demonstrates the 3 basic grips
The greatest tip in the history of Golf Digest!
Jim McLean – demonstrates how Ben Hogan developed his grip
