As complicated or as simple as how we view the golf swing to be, one truth is that everything starts with a proper grip.

How we grip the club dictates how connected and in sync we are to the golf club.

Holding the club securely means we have control.

Gripping too tightly means we restrict motion and sacrifice feel and distance.

While there are countless ways to swing a club and each person’s swing is unique, there are only three ways to hold a golf club: overlapping (most common), interlocking (less common), baseball (rare).

Interlocking Grip

Determining which one is best will always be subjective but a common occurrence is that golfers who start young tend to veer towards an interlocking grip because it gives a more secure grip with even pressure.

Some of the best golfers ever use interlocking grips. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are some examples of pros who interlock their left index fingers and right pinky fingers when gripping the club.

Baseball or 10-finger Grip

This would seem the most natural way of holding a golf club or any object for that matter when using both hands.

The more fingers on the club, the better, right?

Initially, that may be true. For beginners and youngsters, this grip would make the swing more comfortable and stable. But using this grip has a big drawback — hands working independently.

With all fingers on the club, each hand can put pressure independently which could lead to less consistency.

There are some professionals who have had success with this grip so it is still worth a try.

Overlapping Grip

This is the most common grip in golf.

Nine fingers are in contact with the club with the pinky of the right hand (for right-handers) placed over the space between the index and middle fingers of the left hand.

It would seem awkward for beginners and seem like a weird way of holding the club. But the golf swing is unique in that we need more control with our less dominant hand and a passive dominant hand.

The overlapping grip ensures that our dominant hand does not get in the way of making consistent, repeatable swings.

Neutral, Strong and Weak Grips

Now that we have a proper grip chosen, are we done? Not quite.

For intermediate golfers who are beginning to swing consistently and are beginning to enjoy the game, a grip adjustment might be essential.

Each unique swing will produce unique tendencies when it comes to ball flight.

If we all aimed square to the target and made perfectly timed swings on perfect swing planes, we’d be hitting straight all the time.

But with imperfections in the swing come tendencies to hit left to right, right to left, high, low, pushes and pulls. To counter or to promote certain shot shapes, we can adjust our grips to suit our needs.

Differentiating the “strength” of your grip is easier demonstrated by looking at the number of knuckles showing from the top when you look down at address.

For right-handed golfers, how many knuckles you see on your left hand when gripping the club shows you whether you grip it Strong (promotes draws), Neutral (most workability), or Weak (promotes fades). Simply rotating your left hand left and right allows you to adjust grip strength.

This may all sound complicated for beginners. Having a professional teach and explain these variables will help you better understand the whys and hows.

For avid golfers like me, tinkering with the grip or experimenting with different styles can help fix some swing flaws and tendencies.

Golf is a never-ending battle that we all enjoy. Check your grips and try something you’re not used to the next time you’re at the driving range. You might just discover a better way to swing.