Grip physics.

[Vacant]

I recently changed my grip from an interlocking grip to the standard overlapping grip and it improved my consistency immensely. I think it has something to do with stability during impact, but I'm unsure, which is why I'm making this thread. Before I changed grips I was very inconsistent, mainly off the tee. Now I'm hitting mostly long and straight drives and I have yet to hit a poor iron shot. I've only been playing golf for about a month and a half (everyday, barring severe rain) and this has been the single biggest change I've implemented into my game. Wednesday I shot an 87 and yesterday I shot an 84. Both legit scores as I never improve my lie or give myself putts. Those were the first two rounds I played with the new grip. I felt fantastic. Before switching grips I'd do well on certain holes and do incredibly poorly on others. I was at the range on Tuesday after playing 18 and hitting incredibly bad shots. I had about 10 balls left and was super tired so I thought, "hey let me just see what a different grip feels like." Not thinking anything would come of it. I hit 5 perfect Drives and 5 perfect 5 iron shots. Never had I done that before with the driver. I don't want to jinx myself but I feel like once I improve my putting and chipping from around the green I can get good at this game.

Can anybody who legitimately knows what they're talking about shed some light on why changing grip styles would have this big of an impact on my shot consistency?

[robfenech]

I am no expert in the matter, but grip is a very personal thing. It is all about feel for me, and whilst one grip on the club for me might be perfect, for you, it may be totally wrong.

What could be happening is that your new grip has improved your confidence as much as anything else. And with a new batch of confidence comes a cleaner ball strike and ultimately a better overal game.

I am sure someone who really knows what they are talking about when it comes to this sort of thing may shed more light on it, but in my opinion, whatever grip you choose (interlocking, overlapping, baseball), as long as you are implementing it correctly should have very little impact on your overal shot. It is all personal preference :)

Good luck and keep shooting those low scores

[rossvanwyk]

A bit off topic, but I think we should pair up for a couple comps. If you shoot one of those 84's off of your 30, we'll be in serious business :)

[anotherday]

I made the switch to overlapping from interlocking last year. It felt better.. mainly because they way I was swinging torqued my interlocked fingers so much that they'd hurt for days. After awhile I found that my hands weren't as connected throughout my swing and I decided to go back to interlocking and just not try to kill the ball so much. I haven't had any issues so far and I feel a bit more solid with my grip.

Whatever works for you is the best way to go. If you've been following the thread here with the two guys that golf just about every day, you'll know that one of them has actually switched to a baseball grip and found success. If you've watched this season's Big Break, you'll know that one of the players uses a sort of reverse grip.. where, as a righty, his left hand is lower on the club than his right.

Long story short - whatever works for you.

[rossvanwyk]

I know a ton of people interlock, but I honestly don't know how. I find it so uncomfortable and actually painful to be honest. I overlap and it feels comfy and powerful.

[Gioguy21]

i've been using an interlock since i started (age 7, now 26) and i think if i used anything else the world would fold unto itself. been using it so long that i think my hands have adapted to it. i've had a 'notch' in my left index finger where it interlocks with the right ring finger which has an eternal callous on it (see pics). glad to hear its working so well, hope it continues!

[k-troop]

Interlock vs. overlap is interesting.  I used overlap from the time I was in highschool until my late 20s.  Then I started playing a lot of golf again when I was in law school and switched to the interlock, and have been using it since.  I felt like the interlock kept me from turning my hands over too much (I used to play what can only be described as a low hook with all my long clubs).  Still use the interlock, and when I was in post-grad (I always seem to play a lot of golf when I'm in school) I incorporated interlock into my chipping grip.

I think it's really all about what works for you.  Both grips are taught by golf instructors, and both will set your hands on the club in a fundamentally correct manner.  It's just like Jim Furyk's coach must have said to him at some point:  if it works, do it.