March’s Tip of the Month: GET A GRIP...

BY RYAN WILLIAMS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL

In our monthly tips, it has been my goal to strike a balance between technical aspects of the game with swing fundamentals and the numerous other parts of golf that contribute to shooting a score. If you recall from the first article I ever wrote back in October 2022, we discussed the seven “pieces of the golf pie;” those were full swing, short game, course management/ decision-making, emotional management/self-image, equipment, fitness, and your practice habits. In other words, a lot goes into this game!

Hopefully, with those of you I have been lucky enough to coach, I’ve represented whatever we’ve spoken about as parts of a whole and that mastering some new and challenging move in the golf swing is never a guarantee that your scores will come down. That said, for the next few months, I would like to paint the picture of the golf swing as a series of options. There is no one way to play the game or swing a club. What matters is finding out what works best for you. Like a coach I admire says, “However many people there are on planted earth, that’s how many swing patterns exist.” So perhaps it is time you stop pining for Adam Scott’s golf swing and seek to understand your own! Let’s begin with the grip:

If you were to examine every player in the Top 100 of the World Golf Ranking, you would see a wide variety of different looking grips. What we will discuss in this article are three grip options in terms of how your hands are linked and which one might fit you best!

3 Ways to Hold a Club and Which Option Fits Certain Players: Overlapping, Interlocking, 10 Finger

Overlapping Grip (Vardon Grip):

Introduced to the game, or at least made popular, by Harry Vardon in the early 20th Century, this grip consists of the pinky from the trail hand (right hand for a right handed player) resting on top of the index finger or in the crease between the index and ring fingers of the lead (left) hand. This is the most common grip in golf and especially here at Woodbridge. This grip fits players with above average sized hands particularly those with longer fingers. Players that have a free hinging and unhinging of the wrists seeking a more stable feel in the hands and wrists tend to be those that have success with an Overlapping Grip. It is also the most “conventional” and the most taught. Players with smaller hands or shorter fingers, however, often have a tough time being successful with this grip especially if they are very right-handed people in life. This is because an overlapping grip is the option in which your right hand is least on the club.

Interlocking Grip:

Used by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, the Interlocking Grip is the other most popular or conventional grip. In terms of a spectrum from least trail hand on the club to most, the Interlocking Grip is right in the middle. It is accomplished by locking your trail pinky with lead index finger. Jack Nicklaus famously had smaller hands with shorter fingers and found this option to work best for him. Players who need a freer hinging of the wrists tend to do so better with interlock than overlap. It also puts the right hand a little bit more in the fingers for most who employ it. Great players who interlock with the grip in the fingers prefer this option because it helps them feel the clubhead and clubface better throughout the swing. In general, the proper grip for you will give the sensation of “gentle control” in which you will feel very secure with the club in your hands but with a lighter grip pressure than a less desirable option.

10-Finger Grip:

Often looked at as a grip for beginners or junior golfers, 10-Finger is a valid way for players of any skill level to hold the club. Great players in history that have used this grip include Moe Norman and Bob Estes as well as current players Jonathon Vegas and Scott Piercy. This grip is just how it sounds, with all ten fingers on the club and no linking of any kind but with the hands lightly touching each other. With the trail hand the most on the club, this grip encourages the freest swinging of the hands and arms. Golfers that need more of a “smash” feel in their swings or have overly busy bodies because of a lack of freedom in their hands and arms often find the 10-Finger grip brings things together. Like Interlock, 10-Finger can work great for players with smaller hands, shorter fingers, or those simply needing speed. That said, there is nothing about 10 Finger that is less stable or remedial than the other options.

When coaching, there are a variety of reasons why I may suggest whichever of these three options. The ease or difficulty with which a player completes their backswing, how they control (or don’t) the clubface, how they manage the low point of the swing, and how their body motion and hand/arm swing complement one another are all some of the reasons that contribute to your best option. Other aspects of finding the best grip for you are also critical. Should your grip be weak (hands turned toward the target) or strong (hands turned away from target)? More in the fingers or in the palm? Horizontal (fingers perpendicular to the shaft) or diagonal (fingers at an angle to the shaft)? What you will notice is that the right grip for you feels the best, gives you most control through impact, and the most speed! Want to find out what is best for you? We can have that discussion in a lesson any time! See you all out on the course!