How you grip your golf club is one of the most important, yet often overlooked, fundamentals of the game. Your grip affects the angle of the clubface at impact and thus the flight of the ball, according to Hank Haney, a professional golf instructor and contributor to “Golf Digest.” The most popular grips are the interlocking grip, used by famous professional golfers such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, and the overlapping grip, used by most professional golfers. These grips help your hands work together, which is advantageous during the golf swing.
Step 1
Rest the clubhead on the ground and hold the end of the handle with your bottom hand. Place your top hand on the grip with your palm facing away from your target. Make sure the grip crosses the first knuckle of your little finger at the top and bisects your index finger at the bottom.
Step 2
Close your fingers, making sure the pad at the bottom of your hand below your little finger rests at the very top of the grip. Place your thumb on the grip, barely right of center for right-handed golfers and left of center for left-handed golfers.
Step 3
Decide whether to use the interlocking grip or the overlapping grip.
Step 4
Move the index finger of your top hand off the club, if you choose the interlocking grip. Position your bottom hand on the club, inserting the index finger of your top hand between the ring finger and little finger of your bottom hand. Rest your index finger on top of your bottom hand, between the first knuckles of the same fingers. Make sure the grip crosses the first knuckle of your ring finger on top and divides your index finger in half at the bottom.
Keep the index finger of your top hand on the club, if you choose the overlapping grip. Place your bottom hand below your top hand on the grip, but overlap your top hand by placing your little finger on top of and between the index and middle finger, and your ring finger against the opposite side of the index finger of your top hand. Make sure the grip crosses the first knuckle of your ring finger and bisects your index finger, just as in the interlocking grip.
Step 5
Close your fingers of your bottom hand firmly, but not too hard, around the club, enclosing the thumb of your top hand with your palm. Position the thumb of your bottom hand on the grip just to the left of center for right-handed golfers and just to the right of center for left-handed golfers. Make sure the lines formed between your index fingers and thumbs of both hands point toward your back shoulder.
Things You'll Need
- Golf club
References
- Golf Digest: Ageless Grip Basics
- "Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf"; Harvey Penick with Bud Shrake; 1992
- "Swing Like a Pro"; Dr. Ralph Mann and Fred Griffin with Guy Yocum; 1998
- Golf.com: 4 Steps To a Solid Golf Grip
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