As the golf grip is so important, here are some free golf tips for beginners on the golf grip. If you are a more experienced golfer then these golf tips might help you to reassess your grip. If you have a certain swing fault such as a hook, use the description of the different grip types and positions to learn how to fix it.

The interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the baseball grip (or ten finger grip) are the three basic grip types. For each grip type, there are three grip angles that you can use; control, neutral, and distance. Furthermore, you can apply three different grip strengths; a weak, neutral, or strong grip. Which grip should you use? It will depend on what size of hand and fingers you have, your strength and how you want to play the ball. The most important thing is to find a grip that is comfortable and efficient.

Grip Styles

The baseball grip is not used by many golfers because the overlapping or interlocking grips are far more adaptable. It is a grip that gives you good leverage but the problem is that it produces less club head speed which translates into less distance. Some beginners, children or women use this grip but I would recommend they either of the other two grips.

Considered by many professionals as the best grip to unify your hands, the overlapping grip is ideal if you have larger hands or longer fingers. With this grip, when you bring your right hand under the club, you slide it up and hook your pinkie on top of your left hand index finger or between the index and middle finger.

The interlocking grip is similar to the overlapping grip except that the pinkie of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand. It is the preferred grip of golfers with small hands or short fingers. With this grip, the tendency is to grip the club in the palm of your right hand instead of at the base of your fingers.

3 Grip Angles

For maximum wrist flexibility, use the distance grip which will create more distance and more sensitivity. To take advantage of this grip you will need more strength and skill to keep a square club head through impact. The position of the grip is across the base of the fingers of the left hand, starting from the base of the index finger to the pad at the base of the little finger.

Probably the best grip angle for most golfers is the neutral grip. This grip runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to the middle of your palm below the heel pad. You have the most flexibility for any type of shot making ability and it is a good balance between distance and accuracy.

With the control grip you will achieve maximum control for more accuracy but as you will have less flexibility in the wrists you will attain less distance. The club runs across the base of your index finger to the top of your heel pad on a more diagonal path.

The Three Grip Strengths

If you want to reduce slicing then try the strong grip which is also good for distance but you won’t be able to fade the ball. With this grip you have to rotate your hands so that you will see the “V” made between thumb and forefinger pointing towards your right shoulder. Also, find the hollow between the two tendons in the wrist directly above your thumb and you will see that it is lined up with the right side of your club shaft.

The neutral strength grip is the ideal grip for the majority of golfers. With this grip you can draw the ball or fade the ball easily. It requires a bit more strength to square the club at impact. This time, the “V” should be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist that I mentioned before will line up with the center of your shaft.

The weak grip can be used to get rid of a hook. Some disadvantages are that you will not be able to hit a controlled draw and it requires more strength to keep the club head square at impact. Looking down at your left hand, you will see the point in your wrist lined up with the left side of your shaft and the “V” pointing at your chin.

To Summarize

Hopefully, these free golf tips for beginners will help you grip the club correctly. No matter what grip you use, just remember that the palms of your hands will always face each other. The right hand is known as a fingers only grip and the left hand is a palm and fingers grip. Most important is to leave half an inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand. Lastly, you should grip the club firmly and constantly throughout the entire golf swing and your hands should fit snugly together and feel unified.