Grip

Question
My dad told me that when you grip your club you should link your left pointer finger and your right pinky.. But my cousin has never heard of that.. Does it really make a difference? I feel that I have a better grip on the club when I'm doing it but she is a good golfer and would it help make her better if she tries it or could it potentially screw up her game by switching? Thanks! :-)

Answer
Good morning Shannon.
The most important thing is that hands are comfortable, compact but not crowded, what I call Happy Hands. Nice even grip pressure and a soft touch.

There are 3 basic grips, interlock, overlap and baseball or 8 finger grip. Neither is right or wrong or will change a player's skill overnight. Well 4 I guess. My Grand Father golfed cross handed and I also knew a Professional, Nick Locke that also played cross handed and quite well.

People with small hands can use the 8 finger, particularly novices, the other 2 grips can take some getting used to so I usually suggest the 8 finger for starting.

90% of the PGA Professionals including me, use the Overlap grip where the little finger on the right hand simply lays dead on top of the left index finger or in the crevice between the middle and index. This is a 7 finger grip which takes 25% of your right hand off the club which can be a good thing and it also unifies your hands more. Watch out for the right ring finger creeping up on the Left index to join the little finger, this will cause a blister from crowding.

10% of PGA Professionals use the Interlock and although a small percentage it includes Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. My stand is that it gives you more areas to get blisters and I feel I have less control with it. The benefits of the 7 finger grip above also apply here.

I hope this helps. Remember that soft hands are as important as the style, a tight grip will not work no matter how you hold it.