Question about wrist position and grips

[Isitthegenes]

Since I started playing circa 15 years ago, I've always used the interlocking grip as far as I can remember.  I recently got a tip about the position of the shaft in my left hand to help get the angle of the thumb/index better pointed towards my right shoulder, which has definitely been a tough adjustment.

Is it possible to OVER adjust and if so, what kind of impact might that have?

Since making the change, I feel like I've been getting more soreness in my wrists after rounds (I'm typically playing 9 holes, not 18).  Is this potentially a side effect of adjusting how/where I hold the club or is it likely something else?  It also seems like I'm still open at impact even with the change and part of me wonders if it's a little weakness in my wrists.

I know there are other grip methods and am wondering if I should look at changing it to the overlap or even the "baseball" grip instead.

(and I will post a swing at some point in time - just gotta get the girl to hold the phone while I'm taking some sometime!)

[RC]

It is impossible to discuss your grip because we don't know what the adjustment you made is.  Can you describe you lefthand grip in more detail, or better yet a picture.  Pointing the V formed by the index finger and thumb to your right shoulder is typically a stronger grip position, but your grip depends on many things.  A strong versus neutral grip has little to do with actual strength or how your ultimate ball flight will turn out.  Where is the heel pad of your left hand?  How much into the fingers is your grip?  Do your have a gap between your index finger and your thumb or is it squeezed shut?  Is your left hand thumb long of short?  Are your fingers angled onto the grip or more perpindicular?  And then there is the right hand...  There are many variations and all contribute to either a good or bad grip for most golfers.

[Isitthegenes]

I'll try and be as descriptive as I can - it's a work in progress to be sure.

My original grip did not have the left thumb/index finger pointed towards the right shoulder - the angle pointed at my chin.  The new grip I am trying to adjust to is to have the shaft going from the base of the pinkie up to the second joint of the index finger of the left hand.  I interlock the right pinkie with the left index finger and use a similar line with my right hand.

This is the grip I'm working on (the middle):

I think by the heel pad, you mean the pad closer to my pinkie, which is just below the end of the club.  I do squeeze the thumb and index finger of my left hand together and have what I think is an average sized thumb.  I can post some photos of what it looks like with just the left, then the left and right together - are there particular angles that would be better for examples?

[RC]

There really should be no pain or discomfort from a good grip so I only asked all those questions because I did not know what you were doing to cause the issue.  The interlocking grip is just as acceptable as the typical Vardon grip (or overlapping,) and lots of younger players use it.  It is a common bromide that smaller hands tend to work well with the interlocking grip.  I still think most golfers prefer the overlap just to unify the hands closer together.  Which ever grip you use, favor having the fingers more angled down at address.  This causes a slight and natural arching of the wrist which comes closer to the position of the left hand at impact.  This is not something to over do, but a little goes a long way.

To the question of the thumb and heel pad.  The heel pad should be on top of the handle which requires the grip to be down a bit into the fingers.  If you rotate your thumb so it is on the side of the handle, that is too far.  Something like 12:30 to at most 2:00 pm when viewed from above is a reasonable range.  I think the thumb should not be more than 1:00 pm or less, because I like a more neutral grip.  But good players can play with strong grips, they just have to learn to hold off the finish.

Your best bet is to go to your home pro and show him or her your grip and ask for advice.  Seeing a grip and pushing and pull a club while someone is gripping it in the left hand is far superior to trying to describe a grip with words on the internet from someone who might know nothing at all that would help you.

Good luck and good golf.