The golf grip is fundamental to having a good swing, so here is how to get a good golf grip with these free golf tips for beginners. The more experienced golfer should also find these golf tips useful if you want to re-examine your grip. By understanding the description of the nine different grips you will be able to identify any swing faults you may have, such as a slice, and be able to fix it.

There are three basic types of grip; the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip and the ten finger grip (or baseball grip.) Each grip has three variations in relation to the grip angle; distance, neutral, and control. There are also three variations with regards to grip strengths; a weak, strong, or neutral grip. You have to find the grip that suits you and that you are comfortable with - a lot will depend on your strength, hand size, finger length, and what you want to do with the ball.

The Three 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.

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.

The best grip angle for most golfers will be the neutral grip. The grip now runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to a point between the heel pad of your palm and the pad at the base of the little finger. This grip is a good option between distance and control because you have the most flexibility in shot making.

The third type of grip angle you could try is the control grip. The club runs on a more diagonal line from the base of your index finger to the top of your heel pad. With this grip you will have maximum control for more accuracy but with less flexibility in the wrists you will get less distance.

The Three Grip Strengths

The strong grip is used to reduce slicing and is also good for distance but don’t use this grip if you want to fade the ball. This grip variation requires you to move your hands around so that when you look down at your left hand, the “V” between your thumb and forefinger will point towards your right shoulder. Also, the point between the two tendons in the wrist above your thumb should be in line with the right side of the club shaft.

The neutral strength grip is what the majority of golfers use. You have more ability with this grip to fade the ball or draw the ball more easily but it requires a bit more strength to keep the clubhead square at impact. Now the “V” will be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist will be in line 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.

In Summary

Which ever grip you use, remember that the palms of your hands face each other. The grip is held in the fingers of the right hand and the palm and fingers of the left hand. Also, when gripping the club, leave a half inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand. Your hands should fit snugly together and feel unified and you should grip the club tightly and consistently throughout the entire golf swing. I hope these free golf tips for beginners for gripping the club will help you with your golf.