When it comes to golf grips, you’ll likely hear lots of terms, especially if you’re a beginning golfer.  Words like “interlocking” or “overlapping” will be used, as will others like “strong” “weak” and “neutral.”  At some point in your golfing career you’ll probably find yourself using several of these terms to describe your own grip. For instance, I have a neutral interlocking grip. My spouse uses a neutral overlapping grip. Let’s take a look at what these golf grips mean:

Disclaimer: Please know that everyone’s grips are going to look a little bit different. The photos below are used ONLY to illustrate the difference between overlap and interlock.

Overlapping Golf Grip

(Don’t get confused; I’m left-handed!)

For righties, an overlapping grip means that your right pinky finger sits on top of the gap between your left index and middle fingers. Often you’ll see people with larger hands or those who need to control grip pressure using this type of grip.

Interlocking Grip

For an interlocking grip, you’ll put your pinky finger between the left index and middle fingers. This is a grip often used by players with smaller hands or those who need to feel like their hands are working together.  For example, I am a lefty golfer and my left arm wants to be dominant! Using an interlocking grip makes it work with my right arm/hand instead of trying to take over. Sometimes this grip can cause a little friction, especially if you grip the club too tightly.

Lastly, there is the 10-finger, or baseball style grip, which is exactly what it sounds like: Your hands don’t overlap or interlock at all. All 10 fingers sit on the golf club. This one is mostly used for kids.

Still not sure which one is right for you? Here’s a great video from Me and My Golf that might help:

This video will also go into more detail about interlocking, overlapping, strong, neutral and weak grips.

Interested in taking lessons and getting some one-on-one tips for your grip? Visit our clinics and lessons page to learn more about our golf pros!