Types of golf grip – Tips on how to hold a golf club from Doug Randall

A good golf grip helps you achieve a good swing and gives you a better chance of hitting the ball towards your target. The perfect golf grip allows you to comfortably keep control of the club and helps you feel the connection of your hands and the club head.

There are three most common types of golf grip. Choose the one that gives you the best feeling of control and is most comfortable for you.

Ten-finger / Baseball Grip

On this type of golf grip, your right hand rests next to the side of the index finger of your left hand. All your fingers are holding the club. This grip is ideal for golfers with hands that are not that strong. The grip becomes firmer with the support of all your 10 fingers. This kind of grip also allows you to uncock your wrist easier in the swing to give your swing a little more force. This grip, however, also makes it harder to control the club head.

To do the baseball grip, hold the club with your left hand. Slide your right hand and make sure all your knuckles are lined up underneath your shaft. The forefinger, middle, ring and small finger are placed on the handle.

Interlock Grip

In this type of golf grip, the pinkie of your right hand is intertwined with the index finger of your left hand. The interlock grip keeps your hands connected during the swing. The fact that this grip requires less hand and less strength than the overlapping grip makes it ideal for women golfers and other golfers with small hands or short fingers.

For the interlocking grip, hold your club with your left hand - three of your knuckles should be visible and your left thumb should slightly be at the right of the center of the grip. Then place your right hand. The index finger, middle finger and ring finger should touch the end of the club handle and the pinkie of your right hand should interlock with the left index finger.

Overlap Grip

This grip is also called the Vardon grip since it is popularized by Harry Vardon. In this golf grip, the pinkie of your right hand rests on the top of the index finger of your left hand. The ring finger of your right hand also touches the index finger of your left. This kind of grip gives you the feeling that your hands are connected and are working together during the swing. This grip is mostly used by professional golfers. This grip type requires strong hands since you will be using fewer fingers to control your club.

Doing the overlap grip is almost the same as the interlock grip. The main difference is that, for the overlap grip the pinkie of your right hand should be under the index finger of your left hand.

Putting Grips

The putting grip is how you hold your club when putting. These are modified types of the ones you used on the tee box and the fairway. Putting grips are commonly an overlapping grip or a cross-handed grip.

· Overlapping grip is a modified Vardon grip. In this type, you putt with your left index finger lying on the groove between the pinkie and ring finger of your right hand.

· Cross-handed grip. Put your right hand near the butt end of your putter grip. Then you slide your left hand onto the grip until the heel rests against the side of your right hand index finger.

To check if you’re doing it right, check your club. The clubface should not create any angle with the shaft. The sole should lie flat on the ground and the palm of your right hand should be perpendicular to the ground. Some modifications can be made on the grip to fit your swing but try not to modify too much. To create a strong grip rotate your left hand more towards the top end of the club handle. Doing this with your right hand will create a weak grip.

The most important thing to remember in the golf grip is hold the club with enough force to control it, but not tight enough to give you blisters. If you grip your club too tight, you will likely get blisters at the part of your hand that touches the butt end of your club. It will also create tension in your hands and arms making you less flexible for the swing. Also remember that your palm and finger position should not change throughout the swing.