Grip: Why do the thumbs need to be against the forefinger knuckle?

[Alex1]

Ben Hogan and others stress the need for the thumbs to be touching the forefingers for a good grip. I find this slightly unnatural and uncomfortable. Is there a reason these should be in contact together?

[titaniummd]

Ben Hogan and others stress the need for the thumbs to be touching the forefingers for a good grip. I find this slightly unnatural and uncomfortable. Is there a reason these should be in contact together?

He recommended the grip method based upon what muscles in the forearms are activated in the swing. Utilizing his method, I have better control of the club throughout the swing and have a more efficient transfer of power/momentum.

[Alex1]

But isn't it more natural to keep them apart? Pressing them together feels uncomfortable.

[titaniummd]

But isn't it more natural to keep them apart? Pressing them together feels uncomfortable.

Hogan, in his book, and Nick Wright, of Lower your Handicap under 10 in 10 weeks, both stress the importance of just practicing holding the club in the proper grip. What 'feels' natural to you may not necessarily be correct.

From another book like Swing like a Pro, the author also recommends this Hogan or a Vardon grip (not synonymous) over the interlock/baseball grip.

[glebert]

Here's what I found on my thumb position. If I put my thumb down the shaft, at my transition point my thumb becomes a type of fulcrum. But the thumb and grip both being round(ish), it is very hard to keep the thumb from rolling slightly offcenter, which then causes the clubface to open or close a little, but somewhat at random. By putting the thumb against the forefinger essentially I have preemptively put it on the right side. After I did this my randomly appearing slice was pretty much gone and replaced with a hook, which I was able to dial out by weakening my grip.

[Eeryck]

For a while I found it unnatural to put my thumb close to my forefinger on the grip. What I did not realize was why there was space.

I was extending the thumb of my left hand twoard the clubhead. When I kept my grip mostly the same but moved my thumb closer to the end of the grip (away from the cubhead) the gap closed up naturally. This made it easier to put my right hand on in the proper position and keep the club more in the fingers of my right hand.

-E