Why You Should Use a 10 Finger Golf Grip; Pros | Cons | Tips

What is a 10 finger Golf Grip?

There are three common ways to hold a golf club, namely – the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip, and the ten finger golf grip.

What is a ten finger golf grip? The 10 finger grip (also known as a “baseball grip”), is considered to be the best grip for beginner golf players. This is an easy grip to use and allows for maximum leverage. The baseball grip got its name as the club is held in a similar way to how baseball players hold their bats.

 

Is the 10 Finger Golf Grip Bad? Or is the Interlocking Grip Better?

 

Why Use a Ten Finger Golf Grip

I urge all golf players to at least give the 10 finger golf grip a try! In my own experience, I have found it to be such an easy and natural way of gripping the club. Here is a few more reason why you should use this grip:

1. It’s one of the easiest golf grips to teach and learn. This is the reason why most novice players are taught this grip first.
   
   
2. This gripping technique comes naturally to most people and is the first instinctive choice of beginners.
   
   
3. It presents golfers with maximum leverage compared to many other gripping techniques.
   
   
4. Given the simplicity of this technique, it’s perfect for all types of golfers; males, females, seniors and children.
   
   
5. It provides greater power for the best swinging action on impact. This is because all of your ten fingers make contact with the club.

 

How to Use a 10 Finger Golf Grip

Trailing hand:  The hand that you place lower on the golf club is called your trailing hand

Leading hand: The hand that you place higher on the golf club is called your leading hand

The positioning of your hands and the fingers will change based on whether you’re left-handed or right-handed. Here are my six steps which show you how to use the 10 finger golf grip effectively:

1. Wrap your left hand, which is the non-dominant or lead hand for the right-handers, under the golf club.
   
   
2. Now, wrap the fingers of your right hand (the dominant and trailing hand) above the left hand. This will position the club where your palm and the beginning of your fingers meet. The left thumb will be placed in a thumbs-up position pointed towards the club head, capsuled by your right hand.
   
   
3. Your right little finger will now be touching the side of your left index finger.
   
   
4. Make sure your grip is tight. The right thumb will now be positioned slightly towards the left from the center of the club. At the same time, your left thumb will be placed a little towards the right from the center of the club.
   
   
5. Rotate your forearms to produce the swinging motion, much like with a baseball bat.
   
   
6. The final step requires you to swing your forearm all the way back until its rear faces upwards
   
   

Ten Finger Golf Grip Advantages

Here are the main advantages I have found in using a 10 finger golf grip:

• The ten finger grip offers the most contact with the club and generates maximum power for a strike.
  
  
• An interlocking grip ties your little and pointer finger together while your little finger places itself on top of the other hand in an overlapping grip.
  On the contrary, the 10 finger grip marries all ten fingers to the club thus accelerating the speed of your swing.
  
  
• Just like in weightlifting where weightlifters use all fingers of their hands, the 10 finger golf grip also employs every muscle in your hand to power the shot. Other techniques fail to engage all the ten fingers.
  
  
• It produces the best results with sand wedge shots when accompanied by a good backspin.
  
  
• Offers the golfer a complete grip that produces the most leverage and helps add distance to shots.
  
  
• Gives the golfer more release for a significant final impact.
  
  
• Employs more capacity and energy into the shot while scaling up the overall speed.
  
  
• It can be easily learned and is used commonly by kids, women, senior players and golfers with small hands.
  
  
• Is an ideal way to grip the club for players who suffer from arthritis and weak joints.

 

Ten Finger Golf Grip Disadvantages

Despite its many advantages, the 10 finger golf grip has its own set of challenges that discourage golfers from embracing this technique.

Here are the most common disadvantages of using the ten-finger gold grip:

• There is a possibility of losing power if the left hand doesn’t hit the ball as hard as the right hand. This can cause shots to go amiss. The 10 finger golf grip takes side of the right hand while the other two gripping techniques – (interlocking and overlapping grips), help find a balance between both hands.
  
  
• There lies a chance of sequences overlapping in the 10 finger golf gripping technique. Although hitting hard using both hands is essential, it’s equally important to use the hands one after the other in the correct sequence.
  
  The club is first brought to a position in the hitting area by the left arm and the hand. The swing that delivers this motion is almost waist-high.
   
  The right arm then swings into action and employs its strength down the target line.
   
  The 10 finger golf grip when used employs the right hand way too early in the sequence and the shot is delivered from the top of the swing, throwing the timing off.
  
  
• On the outset, the 10 finger grip technique might seem the most efficient of the three techniques discussed. It offers the most contact of all five fingers of your right hand with the club.
  
  However, right grip would bring both your hands together while one hand helps enhance the power of the other. This is true in the case of interlocking and overlapping grips, where your hands deliver constant power to the ball as they’re truly connected to each other.
  
  In the case of the former, one of your hands may lose contact with the other during the shot and bring down the power associated with it

 

Tips for Using the 10 Finger Golf Grip

There are several tips that can be used to swing a great shot while engaging in the 10 finger grip. Some of them are

• I recommend using the baseball grip on a driver as it does create longer distance shots.
  
  
• Using the 10 finger grip on an iron club can also help further the distance of your shot.
  
  
• Adding grip to the club enhances the results produced by the 10 finger grip technique. A thicker grip also means lesser stress on your hands and more power in the shot.
  
  
• If you’re right handed it would do you good to lift your left heel while engaging in the backswing. This extra motion adds power to the shot.

 

10 Finger Golf Grip Vs Overlap Grip

When deciding on which golf grip to use, you’ll often be deciding between the 10 finger golf grip and the just as popular Overlap grip.

Remember that there is no one best grip for all players. The best grip to use will depend on the results you produce.

This is why I recommend first trying the beginner-friendly 10 finger grip, and then trying the Overlap technique after.

There are prominent differences between the 10 finger golf grip and the overlap grip techniques. Some of these differences are as follows:

Moniker

• The Vardon Overlap grip a.k.a the Overlapping Grip was named after Harry Vardon – a professional golfer belonging to the 20^th
  
  
• The 10 finger grip a.k.a the Baseball grip got its name as the club is held in a manner that is similar to how baseball players hold their bats.

Who prefers what?

• The Overlapping grip is mostly preferred and taught by instructors.
  
  
• The 10 finger grip is not preferred by teachers but is the more preferred grip among beginners, female golfers and elderly golfers. Golfers with weak joints, arthritis, kids and golfers with smaller hands will also find benefit in using this style.

 

How to Use Each Grip

 

Using the Overlapping Grip

1. For right-handed golfers, position your pinky finger of your trailing (right hand) hand between the index and middle fingers of your lead hand (left hand).
2. The lead hand’s thumb should be seated along the middle of the trailing hand’s palm.
   
   

Using the Ten Finger Grip

1. For right-handed golfers to use this grip, keep your lead hand (left hand) at the base and then place the trailing hand (right hand) above it.
2. The pinky finger of the trailing hand should be in close contact with the index finger of the lead hand.
3. Now enclose the thumb of the lead hand inside the trailing hand’s palm, towards the center.

 

Is the Ten Finger Golf Grip Good for Small Hands

Yes the 10 finger golf grip is good for golfers with smaller hands. As all fingers are placed on the club (while both hands are not connecting in anyway), works well for those who have small sized hands.

However there are others golfers who would side with the interlocking grip instead. The interlocking grip can be achieved by locking the little finger of your trailing hand (i.e. the right hand for right-handed golfers) with the index finger of the lead hand.

A sturdy bond between both the hands with all the ten fingers remaining in contact with the club during the shot would be beneficial for golfers with smaller hands

As I have mentioned throughout this article, the best thing to do is try both grips and see which one works best for you.

 

Is the Ten Finger Golf Grip Good for Seniors

Yes the 10 finger golf grip is good for senior golfers because it’s easy to use and does not strain the joints in your hands and fingers.

• The 10 finger grip technique involves both the dominant and the non-dominant hand pressed against each other without forming any links between fingers and arms. This places no strain or pressure on your joints which is why so many older players enjoy using this grip.
  
  
• Senior golfers with issues like arthritis or joint pains might find it difficult to adopt the other techniques as they involve flexibility of fingers or a finger wrapping and interlocking another finger.
  
  
• The 10 finger golf grip does not demand flexibility or interlocking of fingers which creates an easy hold of the club for senior golfers.
  
  
• Is the Interlocking Grip Better? Read My Answer