Published on 3rd Jan 2025
Golfing icon Ben Hogan once said, "Your best golf starts with a good grip." To give you the best chance of playing and practising your best, we have put together a guide on how to hold a golf club properly and establish a good grip.
How to hold a golf club properly?
Having a stable and consistent grip is one of the most significant fundamentals to get right in your game. Being the only physical connection we have to the golf club, it is essential to ensure that your grip controls the club at all times for consistent strike and playing your best.
Interlock grip
The interlock golf grip is the most used in the game. It involves the smallest finger on your dominant hand interlocking between your non-dominant hand's index and middle finger.
This makes the golf club grip sit between the fingers of both hands with a secure control, allowing both of your hands to work as one unit to manoeuvre the club during the swing.
Pros
- Allows greater control of the club between both hands
- Limits the need for wrist action
- Ideal for players with smaller hands - i.e., children
Cons
- It can be challenging for golfers with larger hands to interlock their fingers
- It can feel very awkward to get used to, but this makes it a good habit to establish from the start
Overlap grip
Overlap gripping is exactly what it sounds like: your hands overlap, and not all of your fingers touch the grip. This can benefit players looking to have a softer grip on the golf club with more room for the club to feel lighter in their hands.
Additionally, players with larger hands can benefit from an overlapping grip. It can be hard to interlock fingers comfortably with bigger hands, meaning an overlapping grip will feel more natural.
Pros
- Can help to soften grip pressure
- Preferred by players with larger hands
Cons
- It can feel like you have less control over the club, especially for players previously using an interlocking grip.
Do I need a golf glove?
Whether you choose to wear a golf glove is a matter of preference, but most golfers will wear one for most shots they play. This helps to protect your hands from blisters and the grip rubbing at your skin through the shot.
Most golfers remove their gloves for putting, and some do for short-game shots. Famously, Tiger Woods never plays chip shots with a glove on, but he does use one for full shots.
Golf club grip size
The size of the grip added to your golf club shaft can also affect how you hold and swing the club. This mainly relates to hand sizing and how a grip that is too thick or thin will lay in the palm of the golfer's hand.
It is more common to find different-sized grips in adult golf clubs, multiple layers of tape can also be added under a grip to make them thicker if required.
Putting Grip
Putting is entirely different from every other part of the game, requiring a more subtle approach to the greens. With this, how we grip a putter differs significantly from the grip of a full swing.
Additionally, putters come in many different lengths and types, requiring a different grip. Traditional putter lengths will often see a golfer use a form of an overlapping grip, moving the putter from the shoulders rather than the wrists.
Many players now see positives with a left-below-right grip - for right-handed players, this switches the placement of both hands, seeking to level the player's shoulders.
Summary
To learn more about the grip consult your local PGA pro or if you're a parent or guardian find a local club that utilises the Golfway Programme and let your juniors' game blossom.
