Ben Hogan said, “Good golf begins with a good grip.” Ben would certainly qualify as an expert on anything golf related. Why is the grip so important?  What are some of the common grips used by both amateurs and professionals, and why?

Why is how to grip a golf club so important?

1. The grip controls the face of the club and hopefully squares the face at impact.
2. Your grip provides the only physical connection to the club at impact.
3. In a good swing, the club head travels some 38 feet. The grip allows the player to feel where the club head is in space.

Over the hundreds of years golf has been played, three predominant grips have evolved…the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip, and the baseball grip.

THE OVERLAPPING GRIP. This is the method used by most PGA Tour players as well as most amateurs today. The invention or certainly the popularizing of this method is attributed to Harry Vardon, the storied English  professional in the early years of the 20th century. To this day the overlapping grip is still referred to as the “Vardon Grip”.

Vardon’s name may have become better known from the book by Mark Frost, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” and the movie of the same name. Both chronicled the amazing 1913 U.S. Open victory of Francis Ouimet, a 19 year old American amateur. Ouimet defeated the best professional golfers in the world, including Vardon; probably then the best in the world.

As most golfers know, with the overlapping grip the index finger of the left hand (if you are right handed) overlaps the pinkie finger of the right hand on the underside of the club. This method eventually replaced both the interlocking and baseball grips in popularity.

Oddly enough, in neither the book nor the movie was the Vardon Grip mentioned. Harry  is also credited with being the first to popularize the wearing of “knickers” on the golf course…He was one of the first 6 inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame, and to this day, the Vardon Trophy is presented to the PGA Tour Professional with the year’s lowest scoring average.

Next in popularity is the INTERLOCKING GRIP. This method is used by a relatively  small minority in Professional ranks, but is not without its devotees. Included among them, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. If it works for them, it must have some merit. In this method the index finger of the left hand interlocks with the pinkie finger of the right hand. Research seems to indicate that this method is often preferred by golfers with smaller hands and golfers who feel this grip gives them the feeling of a “one piece” grip and more control.

Finally, THE BASEBALL GRIP. This is also referred to as the “ten finger grip” Here, there is no overlap or interlock of any fingers, but instead the club is  held much as one would a baseball bat. Research here seems to indicate this method used mostly by golfers with very small hands or those with joint problems such as arthritis. Two Professionals do stand out as successful with this grip…Beth Daniel, an LPGA Hall of Fame member, and one time Masters Champion and long time Tour player Art Wall Jr.

Almost all instructional material on this subject also stresses a relaxed, not too tight grip on the club, irrespective of the method. Too much pressure tightens the muscles in the forearm and inhibits a smooth swing. On a scale of 1 thru10, most recommendations fall in the 3 to 4 range. Sam Snead offered advice to the effect that the grip pressure should be no greater than that you would apply to a knife and fork.

Secondly, the grips themselves should be clean and still deliver some “tackiness” when held.

It would seem that success has been demonstrated with all the popular grips. However with all of them, grip pressure and “feel” are key considerations…and, lots and lots of practice.

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