The most popular method is the overlapping grip, where your trailing hand's pinky rests on top of your lead hand's index finger. Position the handle diagonally across your fingers, not buried in your palm, and aim for a grip pressure around 4-5 on a ten-point scale. You want control without strangling the club. But the reality is: your hand size and personal feel should dictate whether you choose overlapping, interlocking, or ten-finger grips, which we'll break down below.
When you watch tour players grip a club, you're witnessing decades of polished technique, and the overlapping grip dominates for good reason. This Vardon grip has earned its "gold standard" status because it actually delivers consistent results across every club in your bag.
Here's the setup: place the handle diagonally across your lead hand's fingers, running from your pinky's base to your index finger's middle. Your trailing hand slides below, with its pinky overlapping your lead hand's index finger. The trailing palm rests directly on your lead thumb. This grip is ideal for golfers with larger hands who want maximum comfort and natural feel.
The magic happens in the grip pressure. This configuration naturally encourages a firm yet relaxed hold, reducing the death-grip tension that kills swing speed. Maintaining grip pressure around 4-5 on a ten-point scale ensures the fluidity needed for optimal clubhead speed. You'll maintain a square clubface at impact while your hands and forearms rotate freely. This is why the overlapping grip remains the most common grip among golfers at every skill level.
Most golfers who've tried the interlocking grip have done it wrong, and I'm not being dramatic.
Here's the fix: Place your left hand initially, showing two to three knuckles from above with your thumb angled slightly right. Then slide your right hand on, connecting the lifeline of your right palm to your left thumb's side. Now straighten your left index finger and gently interlock it with your right pinkie, don't force them together.
The critical checkpoint? Those "V" shapes between your thumbs and forefingers should point toward your right shoulder or ear. Ensure that the two lines are parallel for optimal grip alignment and control.
This grip works brilliantly for smaller hands and promotes unified hand action through impact. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus built legendary careers on it. Your fingers should feel soft, not wedged; tension kills feel and causes pinky pain. Aim for a grip pressure of 4-5 on a 10-point scale to maintain control without restricting your wrist hinge. Maintaining low tension in your wrists and forearms is equally essential, as it allows for a full range of motion throughout your swing.
The ten-finger grip gets dismissed as a "beginner's grip" by golf instructors who should know better, and that reputation isn't entirely fair. Yes, it's the simplest grip to learn, and yes, professionals rarely use it. But here's what matters: it works beautifully for juniors, players with smaller hands, and anyone who's fought tension in their swing.
You'll place all ten fingers on the club with no overlapping or interlocking. Your right pinky rests snugly against your left index finger, no gaps between hands. Keep your grip pressure light, around a 2 out of 10. The payoff? A relaxed swing with potentially more clubhead speed. Because all fingers contribute to the swing, you'll often generate greater impact power than with other grip styles. This style allows maximum power while remaining accessible to those just learning the game.
The tradeoff is real, though: you'll sacrifice some clubface control compared to interlocking or overlapping grips. When setting up your left hand, position it so two knuckles are visible on the back of your hand for proper alignment.
Grip pressure might be the most misunderstood concept in golf instruction, and the standard advice makes it worse.
You've heard the clichés: "Hold it like a baby bird" or "imagine squeezing a tube of toothpaste." These vague metaphors ignore a critical reality: your ideal grip pressure depends entirely on your grip strength.
Here's what actually matters: research shows perfect pressure sits around 50% of your maximum grip strength. For a player who can squeeze 70 kg, that's comfortable and controlled. For someone maxing out at 35 kg, that same percentage feels like a death grip. On a scale of 1-10, most instructors recommend aiming for a 4-6 pressure range to maintain control without creating tension.
The solution isn't lighter pressure, it's stronger hands. Grip trainers and targeted exercises let you hold the club with genuine lightness while maintaining control through impact. Studies using "fat grip" training have shown significant improvements in grip strength gains compared to traditional exercises. A weak grip causes power leakage during swings, preventing efficient energy transfer from your body through the club to the ball.
While your full swing grip demands consistency, the putting green operates under completely different rules, and that's where most instruction fails you.
The traditional grip dominates for good reason; 74% of the top 50 PGA Tour players in strokes gained putting use it. That's not a coincidence. It levels your shoulders and tames your dominant hand's tendency to take over. In the reverse overlap variation, your left thumb rests flat on the putter grip to promote a square clubface at impact.
But here's what matters: your specific problem dictates your solution. Struggling with distance control? Left-hand low reduces wrist action and quiets that overactive trail hand. Fighting the yips on short putts? The Langer grip locks your shaft position through impact. Scottie Scheffler recently switched to the claw for short-range putts, proving unconventional approaches work at the highest level.
Your putting grip should solve your specific breakdown, nothing more. Unlike your full swing, where the overlap grip creates unified hand movement, putting grips prioritize stability and feel over power generation.
Measure your hand before you trust any grip size chart, because those charts assume everyone's hands work the same way, and they don't.
Start at your wrist crease and extend to your longest fingertip. That full length determines your baseline category: under 5¾" puts you in undersize territory, 5¾" to 7" lands you at standard, 7" to 8¾" calls for midsize, and anything beyond needs oversize or jumbo. You'll also need to measure your longest finger separately, as this measurement, combined with hand length, determines your exact grip size on the chart.
Your glove size offers a quick cross-reference. Small gloves typically align with standard or undersized grips. Medium suggests standard to midsize. Large points toward midsize or jumbo.
Here's what the charts won't tell you: your grip preference matters more than raw measurements. If you hold primarily in your fingers versus your palms, that changes everything. When gripping a club correctly, you should have a pencil-width gap between your middle fingertip and the base of your palm. Trust your hands over any formula.
Replace your grips every 40 rounds or once a year, whichever comes first. Don't wait for visible cracks or slick spots; that's already costing you shots. If you're practicing heavily or playing in humid conditions, bump that to every 30 rounds. Tour pros regrip every six weeks for a reason. Fresh grips aren't a luxury; they're a simple way to stop giving away 3-4 strokes per round.
Yes, wearing a golf glove directly impacts your grip technique. A properly fitted glove reduces the death-grip pressure most amateurs use, letting you swing more freely. Here's what matters: those wear patterns on your glove reveal grip faults you can't feel. Wear on the heel pad? You're gripping too much in the palm. A quality glove provides consistent friction, so you'll develop repeatable hand placement without fighting the club.
You've probably heard "hold it like a bird", too vague to be useful. Aim for medium pressure, around 5 out of 10. Here's the real test: waggle your club. If your wrists hinge slightly, you've nailed it. Too tight and you'll lock up your arms, killing your release and robbing yourself of power. Your lead hand should do the heavy lifting while your trail hand stays relaxed throughout.
The weather directly sabotages your connection to the club. Cold stiffens grips, forcing you to squeeze harder and inviting fatigue. Heat creates sweaty hands that slide. Humidity turns everything slippery as grips absorb moisture. Rain? That's the worst, standard rubber becomes useless. You'll need corded grips for wet conditions, tacky compounds for heat, and softer materials when temperatures drop. Match your grip type to your climate.
Yes, you should use the same grip for every club except your putter. I've seen countless golfers sabotage their consistency by tinkering with different grips for different clubs; it's a recipe for confusion and swing faults. Your muscles need repetition to build reliable patterns. The putter's a different beast entirely, requiring specialized grips like the claw or reverse overlap to quiet your wrists.
Look, there's no universally "correct" grip, only the correct grip for your hands, your swing, and your game. Experiment with overlapping, interlocking, and ten-finger styles until one clicks. Pay attention to grip pressure and strength adjustments. The right grip won't feel awkward after a few range sessions. Trust your hands, not marketing claims, and you'll find the foundation every solid golf swing demands.
