Everything to Know About Golf Club Grips
Everyone who golfs will have been told to ‘let the club do the work’ when learning to how to swing a golf club properly, and for most of us that learning occurred a long time ago. But a capable golfer doesn’t just happen, and we need to remember that everyone is going to be at a different point in their golf discovery journey.
Sure, the club does do the work, but the club is only as good as the hands it’s in. Whether or not those hands are capable of making that club do what it should remains to be seen. We have plenty of golfers who are still fairly new to the sport that come to our Palm Desert Golf Course.
The mechanics of a good golf swing is what everyone is trying to master when they are in this formative stage of becoming a good golfer, but anyone in the know will tell you that the way you grip your golf course plays a role in it too.
And what is the ‘right’ grip will vary depend on the individual. You don’t get to be one of the best public golf courses in Coachella Valley without having a staff that is made up entirely of golf enthusiasts.
Wanting to make the experience as accessible as possible and helping people grow quickly as golfers is part of why we allow you to book tee times online as well as offering golf lessons with our esteemed golf pros at Palm Desert.
Check out some of the videos we have on the website under the lessons tabs where you can see our pros in action showing off their prowess and how they can share it with you. After all, who doesn’t want to improve their golf game, whether for golf in Palm Desert or elsewhere?
And for those who are in the early stages of it all, let’s dig deeper into our topic for this month’s entry here and why the golf grip you choose is important for your swing and how you’re able to control the ball.
Hand Size Matters
There are 3 types of golf grips and the differences between them have to do only with how you locate your index (pointer) and pinky (little) fingers.
- With the overlap grip the index finger on your left hand and the pinky of your right hand will overlap
- The interlocking grip has the index finger of the left hand interlocking with the pinky of the right hand
- The ten finger grip is also called the baseball grip, and it is the most basic of the three. The hands are completely beside each holding the club and no fingers overlap or interlock.
Golfers who have smaller hands tend to be better with the interlocking grip, while those with larger hands often find the overlapping grip works best for them. You’ll find plenty of both at public golf courses in Palm Desert, and many times golfers who use the 10-finger grip are at a more advanced skill level and have kind of morphed into that grip over time as they improve.
It’s not unlike how a professional hockey player will constantly be changing the grip on his stick depending on what it is being used for at the time.
Certainly a much more up-tempo sport than golf and a whole lot more intense and physical, but there are similarities in how striking the ball / puck the right way is so dependent on good technique.
Plenty of expats from Canada playing golf in Palm Desert at any time, and we show live NHL hockey games all the time in our Cactus Club restaurant – where you can also make a reservation online.
Putting the Exception
The general rule is that once you determine which golf grip is best for you, you shouldn’t change that grip unless you’re on the green and it’s time to get the putter out of your bag. The different grips for putting – standard, claw, cross handed, and 10-finger – are something we won’t get into with this blog entry but you should try all of them too in order to see what’s the best fit for you there as well.
No matter which of the grips is best for you, if your right hand (for right-handed golfer) is too far over the golf club then your grip will be weaker and you will lose some measure of ball control and swing solidity as a result. For a left-handed golfer this will apply to the left hand. If the strong hand is too far underneath the golf club your grip will be too strong and you’ll be overemphasizing certain aspects of your swing with negative results.
You will also be disadvantaging yourself if your grip has too much of the club in your palm. This means improper release and the club going off plane in your swing. Definitely not good, so here’s the easy way to analyze club location in your grip:
The ‘V’ made by the thumb and index finger of your left hand (right handed golfer) should be pointing at your right shoulder as you hold the club comfortably in the manner you would swing it.
The Coachella Valley does really well with attracting snowbirds, and even though we are in Spring now there’s no reason not to mention that there are plenty of quality golf course home rentals in Palm Desert, and for people who want to be on the links as often as possible these accommodations come highly recommended.
The season is going strong here and we’d love to see you for a full 18 holes at our course, so don’t hesitate if you’re inclined to golf in Palm Desert. Have a great grip and full club mastery? Show it off on the 10th hole at Palm Desert Golf Course.
