Because of that secure feeling, there is also a nice sensation of connection between the club head and your hands during the swing. In his encyclopedia of golfers called The Who's Who of Golf, first published in 1983, Peter Alliss wrote that before the Vardon grip took over as the main golf grip, "the majority had played with all fingers on the club, sometimes with a small gap between the two hands, and the shaft, particularly with the right hand, was held in the palm.". Get comfortable with your pitching wedge first, then start to move your way through the bag. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. And today, although it is probably more common to hear this grip called the overlap, the "Vardon grip" name still sticks. It is rare to find a professional that is using a ten-finger grip, but it certainly is possible. Each of these elements of the swing fit nicely with the attributes that the overlapping grip has to offer. However, plenty of golfers with larger hands have used this grip as well simply because it feels right to them. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Depending on the type of golf swing you are trying to make this can be either a good or bad thing. Again, the softer feel of an overlapping grip is helpful because it should give you a better idea of the touch you need to get the distance right. There is a good chance that it will feel quite strange at first, and you may have trouble hitting decent shots. Patience is a hard thing to have when you are working on a swing change because you want to see instant results, but your progress is likely to come slower in this area. Which grip you ultimately choose says a lot about the way you want to release the club through the hitting zone. While you are welcome to experiment with this unusually grip, it won’t be the right choice for most players. If you change your grip for the full swing, chance are you are going to want to change your short game grip as well. That is going to have to be up to you. There is also another variation of the interlock grip that is worth mentioning – the double interlocking golf grip. Those falling into the ‘slow and smooth’ category will typically be better off with the overlap. The double overlap grip has gotten attention recently mostly because it's used by PGA Tour player Jim Furyk, who has more than $45 million in career earnings. Michelle Wie shows off her interlocking grip in her finish position. Generally speaking, if you still feel completely lost with the new grip after hitting a few hundred shots on the practice range (spread out over a few sessions), you will probably be best served to stick with the grip that you have been using all along. A weak grip on the club will result in a big cut or a slice. 8 Things for Golfers to Know About Single-Length Irons, Meet the Wedges: An Intro for Golf Beginners. But your choice of grip is, in some sense, a personal choice: What's comfortable for you, what you have confidence in. Interestingly, while the vast majority of good golfers prefer the overlap, the two greatest golfers of all-time—Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus—both use the interlock. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses to be considered. For a basic chip shot, you should find it easier to make solid contact when your right hand isn’t controlling the club quite as much. The double interlocking golf grip is even more secure than the regular interlock, as your hands will be tightly held together. Rhythm. However, as mentioned earlier, these are not hard and fast rules – you will have to experiment for yourself to determine which grip actually suits your swing best. The overlapping grip is the grip of choice for most pro golfers—by some estimates, upwards of 90 percent of PGA Tour golfers use the Vardon grip. A surprising amount of golfers don't know what a reverse overlap putting grip is. In golf’s most commonly used grip, the little finger of the right hand should overlap the left hand, resting between the index finger and the second finger. How do they help? The bottom line: Test both techniques and go with the one that feels most comfortable. Just an update on the progress of using the Reverse Overlap Grip for full swings. The pro tip is to use a grip style according to the size of your hands. So, if you are considering a switch to interlock after years of using overlap, hit all of the practice balls with the interlocking grip. More right hand in the bunker. The result is typically scooped or thin contact that produces fat or sculled shots. Which one you should use? However, for most players, the decision on the style of grip they are going to use will come down to just two choices – either an overlapping golf grip, or an interlocking golf grip. Make sure that you keep a light grip pressure on the club even when using the interlocking grip so you don’t rob yourself of club head speed by adding tension to your hands and forearms. However, Vardon did not invent the grip, he merely popularized it. Overall, the impact of your grip on the short game probably shouldn’t have too much to do with which one you end up choosing. Many pro golfers have the pinky buried a little more. That should make it no surprise that those with a more aggressive swing – especially through the transition – are likely to appreciate the interlocking grip. Less right hand. Having good rhythm in your short game is just as important as it is in your long game, and an overlapping grip should help you toward that goal. Think specifically about the transition in your swing from backswing to downswing. If you are a player with a smooth swing that uses tempo and rhythm more than raw power, the overlap could be a good fit. I was looking for ways to be more consistent and I came across an article explaining that nearly 90% of tour pros use an overlap grip, the rest use interlock. The Golf Grip: How to Properly Take Hold of the Club, How to Hold the Putter: Common Putting Grips and Their Pros and Cons, Top 10 Golfers of All-Time at the British Open, How to Place Your Trailing Hand on the Golf Grip, 24 Champion Golfers Who Died Tragic, Early Deaths. The result is a very secure feeling grip which should provide you with a comfortable hold on the club throughout the swing. A comparison is made with each of the three most popular golf swing grip methods in use today: The Reverse Overlap, The Interlocking and the Unlap or Baseball Grip. Those with smaller hands may find it difficult to get into a comfortable position with this type of grip, and they may struggle to control the club properly throughout the swing. Opposite of the overlap grip, the interlock puts plenty of power and control in your right hand at impact, making it possible to aggressively release the club and hit through the ball using your hands and wrists. But your choice of grip is, in some sense, a personal choice: What's comfortable for you, what you have confidence in. Most golf historians agree it was probably amateur golfer Johnny Laidlay. With plenty of information regarding both of these grips now stored away in your head, it is time to get to work deciding which one is going to be right for you. A strong grip will have you drawing or hooking the ball. There are three main grips used by golfers: the Vardon grip, the interlocking grip and the 10-finger (or baseball) grip. This is the top advantage to the interlock when chipping or pitching – being able to control the club face as it moves through the rough. There are no hard and fast rules for who should pick an interlocking golf grip, and who should opt for the overlapping golf grip. Spieth's grip is one of the more interesting ones on tour--a derivative of the standard overlapping grip 98 percent of PGA Tour players use and the interlock used by Jack Nicklaus … His newfound technique revolutionized the sport so much that, even to this day, the overlapping grip is also commonly known as the Vardon Grip. Is it the right one for you? Tons of modern day pros use this grip and legendary players such as Ben Hogan. There is one pro that … So how long should you give the new grip before making a decision? Also, the club head feels ‘disconnected’ from the swing and is difficult to control through the hitting area. The more common overlap grip, also known as the Vardon grip, overlaps the pinky finger of the right hand over the index finger of the left hand. The majority of professional golfers (and golfers in general) use either the Vardon or the Overlap grips, as they generally provide the most stability. With that in mind, is the overlap or the interlock the better choice for short game shots? Which Golf Grip Styles You Should Use? Since the overlapping grip takes some of the power away from your right hand in the swing, those who overlap tend to let the club release on its own without much help from the hands and wrists. Taylor, for example, won the British Open before Vardon did with the little finger on his right hand overlapping. It is possible that you feel comfortable with the new grip after only a few practice sessions and a round or two on the course. One important point to make when talking about the interlocking grip is the need to maintain a light grip pressure throughout the swing. If a golfer feels that his wrists are hinging, he could better use an oversized grip. Even if you have never before used an interlocking grip, it is worth the effort to at least hit a few balls on the driving range with the interlock to see how it feels to you. Control through the rough. The overlapping grip. There is definitely no right or wrong in this case – whichever grip feels and performs best for you is the one you should go with. Following are a few advantages to using the overlapping grip on your short game shots. Rare is the golfer who is equally comfortable with both of these options, as one typically feels more natural and produces better ball flights. This grip places the club in the fingers and is the grip most likely to be taught by golf instructors. I have seen players succeed with all three of these grip styles. Indeed, the Vardon grip – or overlap grip – is used by 90% of Tour players and an overwhelming majority of amateur golfers around the world. It is easy to get short shots on line, so distance control is the number one priority when chipping or pitching the golf ball from around the green. You will feel like you have a firm grasp of the club so you can still hit a good shot even if your hands are a little shaky. So what type of golfer should consider using an overlapping grip? If you are a player who changes directions quickly at the top of your swing, the interlocking grip should give you the security that you need to keep control over the club during this move. Vardon's fellow "Great Triumvirate" member, J.H. 'School of Golf' host Martin Hall has a tip everyone can use to hit the ball farther just by changing your grip. Here's the rundown on the grip that Tiger and Rory use. While oversized grips help control the club, it also reduces wrist break and thus reduces instances of ball skidding off the wrong direction. To get started, all you need to do is head to your local driving range for a practice session. That said, if you want to use the baseball grip for irons as well for added distance, then feel free. As you will see below, there are some basic guidelines as to which grip is more likely to work for you based on a number of factors, but even those aren’t set in stone. Proponents point to its use by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – arguably the two greatest players in history – as evidence of the interlocking grip’s superiority. This grip technique is named after the great Harry Vardon, who popularized it in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Of course, it is this same ‘loose’ feeling that some golfers don’t enjoy about the overlapping golf grip. An interlocking grip at times tends to cause more discomfort to players because of the locking position while the overlapping grip is more comfortable … It make take several practice sessions before you are able to feel comfortable and confident enough to hit full-speed driver shots with this new grip. The overlapping or “vardon” grip is one of the most common in golf. Ben Hogan was among the advocates of overlapping, and it remains the grip of choice for a majority of amateurs and pros. Your grip is a very personal thing. To start with, it generally works better for a player with large hands. Of course, there is no rule requiring you to use the same grip on your short shots as you do with your full swing, but most golfers don’t like to switch back and forth. We discussed above how a smooth swing is the right fit for an overlap swing. If you have small hands and still wish to use the overlapping grip, you will want to make sure that the grips on your clubs are small enough to make this possible. The lead hand’s thumb should be seated along the middle of the trailing hand’s palm. To do this, take the pinky finger on your right hand and place it on top of your left hand, in the crease between your second and third finger. 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