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The key to a good golf swing starts with knowing how to grip a golf club. There is no one right way to do it although there are some definite wrong ways to go about it. The important thing is to understand your own grip and how it affects your swing. Then you can make changes to fix any problems you are experiencing. Here we will tell you about some basic grip styles and also discus ways to make changes to fix common problems.
There are three basic types of grip styles: baseball grip, overlapping grip, and interlocking grip. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is no one right grip and in fact some people will use different grips with different clubs. The first, the baseball grip, is just like it sounds. Your two hands grip the club individually with each balled into a fist right next to each other. This is a very natural feeling way to hold a club and that is why many people start with it, especially if they do not have any lessons to start. The problem with the baseball grip is that it makes it too easy for you to move your wrists around which causes trouble during your swing. The unwanted movement means that you will not be striking the ball consistently.
The baseball grip is useful for short range chipping however. For short chips near the green, it is a good idea to use the baseball grip so that you can make a short chopping stroke by bending and snapping your wrists as you swing. This modified stroke works well if you choke up on the club as well. It can come in handy in an awkward lie in the rough like when you are stuck behind a tree and just want to punch out to the fairway.
The next two grip styles, the overlapping grip and the interlocking grip are similar but different players will usually prefer one over the other. A lot of the reason for choosing one over the other will depend on the size and shape of your hands and fingers and how they fit together. When I was in high school, the golf coach told me he would throw me off the team if I did not switch to an interlocking grip even though I had played my entire life with an overlapping grip. It took me a long time to get used to the new grip and for me it is really not an improvement. I would never force that kind of change on a player unless they were already having problems with their swing. Then it might be worth making the change.
The overlapping grip entails holding the club with your right hand, then laying your left hand over top with your index finger of your left hand in between the pinky and ring finger of your right hand. This connects your two hands which binds your wrists together and help you to swing the club more consistently. As an alternative, you can actually tuck you index finger underneath the pinky and that is the interlocking grip. This may feel a little awkward at first, but knowing how to grip a golf club does wonders to improve the consistency of your swing.
