What is the Proper Way to Hold a Golf Club?
The golf club is the only connection you have with the golf ball and as such a very important tool in your game. Players with high end equipment, perfect stances, and flawless postures are often felled by an improper grip of the golf club.
Holding the club is such a basic element that it is easy to overlook by new players or even experienced players, who may have simply developed a bad habit. There are three standard ways to hold the club; the interlocking, overlapping, and the ten finger grip. Using the interlocking technique, the player will wrap their fingers around the club until the little finger of the target hand is over the index finger of the trail hand. The target hand is the hand opposite of the dominant hand. So, for example, if the player is right handed, the target hand would be the left hand. The overlapping technique is similar to the interlocking except that the pinky finger of the target hand and index finger of the trail hand overlaps. The ten finger technique is rarely used anymore and is thought to be a throw back to golf’s origins. Also called the baseball technique, the player’s fingers simply meet and do not interlock or overlap.
The grip of the club should feel natural and comfortable. The actual grip should be done with your fingers and with the club is held gently. The club should be held as lightly as possible as the motion of the swing will naturally tighten your grip. Blisters on the hands and fingers may be a result from an improper grip.
It may take some time to develop a good grip. Always hold the club correctly as this will reinforce the habit of the proper hold. Players often settle on one method and stick with it, though beginners have been known to switch grips in order to find the one that suits them best.