“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. . .you can’t hit what you can’t see.” Muhammed Ali
Grip
There are three types of grips employed by golfers today:
Vardon Overlap—popularized by the great British champion, Harry Vardon, this device has the little finger of his right hand in the gap created by the forefinger & middle finger of his left hand, as a result of which the grip came to be know as the Vardon Overlap. One of the most widely used among great players and the one most commoningly taught on the nation’s lesson tees. We will use this grip as a basis of instruction.
Interlocking—popularized by the greatest player in the game, Jack Nicklaus, this device has the little finger of his right hand intertwined with the forefinger of his left hand. Tiger Woods, Tom Kite, Michelle Wie, Rory McElroy, Jordan Speith, to name but a few, also use the interlocking grip.
10 Finger or Baseball Grip—Some teachers like to advocate that junior players use the 10-finger grip, with the goal of switching to overlap or interlock later. This is feasible, as kids usually adapt swing and set up changes fairly easily as compared to adults. People with weaker hands and forearms may also benefit from the 10-finger grip. Golfers who use larger arthritic grips may experience that the overlap or interlock is difficult to incorporate with such grips, finding the 10-finger grip offers a greater use of ease. Explained in greater detail on page 197
Whatever grip you choose know that:
A good grip helps shapes your swing correctly and influences the overall tone of the swing—its rhythm and smoothness.
“In a good grip both hands act as one unit. The grip is the heartbeat of the action of the golf swing.” Ben Hogan
Left Hand
“With the back of your left hand facing the target (and the club in the general position it would be at address) place the club in the left hand so that (1) the shaft is pressed up under the muscular pad at the inside heel of the palm and (2) the shaft also lies directly across the top joint of the forefinger.
Crook the forefinger around the shaft and you will discover that you can lift the club and maintain a fairly firm grip on it by supporting it just with the muscles of that finger and the muscles of the pad of the palm.
Now just close the left hand—close the finger before you close the thumb—and the club will be just where it should be.” Ben Hogan
“In teaching golf you come to know how much counter clockwise motion with their left hand and arm each individual produces in the downswing. That tells you where the left hand belongs on the club—quite a statement, huh? Everybody can do it, but they’ve got to find out why and how much, which is why there is not set left hand grip. I will say that openly to anyone, everyone can turn their left hand cournterclockwise just so much and they to know their limit and adjust to it. You grip the club in such a way to make it work.” Henry Picard
Right Hand
“The right hand grip is almost entirely a finger grip. Encircle the club shaft with your right hand and slide it snugly up next to your left hand, letting your thumb ride comfortably across the top of the handle and making sure the V-shaped crease formed by the thumb and forefinger of this hand also points to your right shoulder. Your right little finger over-laps (or interlocks with) the forefinger of the left hand on the underside of the club handle. In a kind of “pinch,” and as a result there will be a slight gap or separatioin between the forefingers and the other fingers. The security and control in the right hand grip comes from the “pinch” and from the marriage of the right little finger of the left forefinger through the overlap or interlock.” Sam Snead
“The muscles of the right forefinger and thumb connect with the very powerful set of muscles that run along the outside of the right arm and elbow to the right shoulder. If you work the tips of the thumb and forefinger together and apply any considerable amount of pressure, you automatically activate those muscles of the right arm and shoulder—and those are not the muscles you want to use in the golf swing.” Ben Hogan
“A word further about the thumb area of the right hand: school yourself when you are taking your grip so that the thumb extension of the forefinger—press up against each other tightly. Keep them pressed together as you begin to affix your grip and maintain this airtight pressure between them when you fold the right hand over the left thumb. In this connection, I like to feel that the knuckle on the back of my right hand above the forefinger is pressing to the left, toward the target. Furthermore, when you fold the right hand over the left thumb—and there is a lot to fold over—the left thumb will fit perfectly in the cup formed in the palm of your folded right hand. They fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.” Ben Hogan
“The pressure points in the grip are the last three fingers of the left hand and the forefinger and thumbs and the little finger of the right hand.” Walter Hagen.
“The only way I know of achieving a relaxed grip which will at the same time retain adequate control of the club is to actuate the club and hold it mainly by the three small fingers of the left hand.” Bobby Jones.
“Whatever you do, make sure your left hand dominates your right—or vice versa if you’re a lefthander—from the time you take hold of the club until you finish the swing. If you hold the club with the same pressure in each hand, your naturally stronger right hand will over power your left hand and take control of the swing, with disastrous results.” Byron Nelson.
“I don’t ever remember losing the club in my left hand once in my entire life.” Byron Nelson.
“In a way, the last two fingers of my left hand are a focal point for my sense of rhythm—a kind of band leaders baton—holding up the drums while the violin finishes.” Sam Snead.
“He showed me the classic overlap, or Vardon, grip—the proper grip for a good golf swing—and told me to go hit the golf ball . . . I worked hard to learn the grip Pap showed me. It probably helped that my hands were larger than the average kid’s . . . that was pretty much all the swing instruction he gave me for many years. ‘Get the right grip, hit the ball hard. Go find the ball, boy, and hit it hard again,’” Arnold Palmer.
“The standard grip is the overlapping grip or the Vardon grip. Harry Vardon popularized it both in Great Britian and America. In a good grip both hands act as one unit. The grip is the heartbeat of the action of the golf swing.” Ben Hogan
“I’ve felt my swing would not fail if I held the club a certain way, that would repeat every time.” Dave Eichelberger said. “To me, that’s what Hogan’s secret was.”
“But is there is one thing I would tell all golfers about technique, it would be that the grip has a tendency to change even during the course of a round and you have to keep checking it day in and day out. The grip is the foundation of the swing. Well, there’s one other thing—you must constantly work on timing and tempo.” Patty Berg
Arms—Setting up the Triangle
“Keeping the arms together and pinching the knees together in unison.” Walter Hagen.
“Ben Hogan used to practice the swing with his arms bound together by a belt around his forearms. He wasn’t trying to stress the differing positions of the left arm and the right arm that ideally occupy throughout