The golf grip is fundamental to having a good swing, so here is how to get a good golf grip with these free golf tips for beginners. The more experienced golfer should also find these golf tips useful if you want to re-examine your grip. By understanding the description of the nine different grips you will be able to identify any swing faults you may have, such as a slice, and be able to fix it.

   There are three basic types of grip; the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip and the ten finger grip (or baseball grip.) Each grip has three variations in relation to the grip angle; distance, neutral, and control. There are also three variations with regards to grip strengths; a weak, strong, or neutral grip. You have to find the grip that suits you and that you are comfortable with - a lot will depend on your strength, hand size, finger length, and what you want to do with the ball.

The Three Grip Styles

The ten finger grip gives you good leverage and is an alternative grip that can be tried by children or women. It produces less club head speed though, resulting in less distance. It is not a grip that I would recommend for most golfers as the overlapping or interlocking grips are far more versatile.

If you have larger hands or longer fingers try the overlapping grip which is considered by many professionals as the best grip to unify your hands. This grip is not good for people with short fingers as they tend to place their right hand too far over or under the club when trying to get comfortable.

The interlocking grip is when the pinkie of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand. It is used by golfers with small hands or fingers; just be careful of gripping the club in the palm of your right hand as it should be a finger only grip.

3 Grip Angles

With the distance grip variation, the grip runs diagonally across the base of the fingers from the base of the index finger to the pad at the base of the pinkie. This grip maximizes the wrists flexibility and is good for distance but also offers sensitivity. It does require, though, more strength and skill to square the club head at impact.

Probably the best grip angle for most golfers is the neutral grip. This grip runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to the middle of your palm below the heel pad. You have the most flexibility for any type of shot making ability and it is a good balance between distance and accuracy.

The last grip angle you can use is the control grip which runs from the base of your index finger to the point on top of your heel pad. This grip gives you maximum control for more accuracy but results in less distance due to less flexibility in the wrists.

The Three Grip Strengths

The strong grip is used to reduce slicing and is also good for distance but don't use this grip if you want to fade the ball. This grip variation requires you to move your hands around so that when you look down at your left hand, the "V" between your thumb and forefinger will point towards your right shoulder. Also, the point between the two tendons in the wrist above your thumb should be in line with the right side of the club shaft.

The neutral strength grip is what the majority of golfers use. You have more ability with this grip to fade the ball or draw the ball more easily but it requires a bit more strength to keep the clubhead square at impact. Now the "V" will be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist will be in line with the center of your shaft.

The weak grip can be used to get rid of a hook. Some disadvantages are that you will not be able to hit a controlled draw and it requires more strength to keep the club head square at impact. Looking down at your left hand, you will see the point in your wrist lined up with the left side of your shaft and the "V" pointing at your chin.

To Summarize

Which ever grip you use, remember that the palms of your hands face each other. The grip is held in the fingers of the right hand and the palm and fingers of the left hand. Also, when gripping the club, leave a half inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand. Your hands should fit snugly together and feel unified and you should grip the club tightly and consistently throughout the entire golf swing. I hope these free golf tips for beginners for gripping the club will help you with your golf.