10 Finger Grip. Is it for you?

[PlaidJacket]

I've just returned from a golf outing and made a discovery. I think. On the final day while on the practice tee I for some reason decided to hit some balls with a 10 finger grip. Wow! I had been struggling some during the week with my ball striking. I think I'm switching to a 10 finger. I've played my entire career with an overlap. That's just how I was introduced to the game. Pros don't use a 10 I thought so why should I? Well, very few anyway. Hogwash.

I discovered some of the most flush ball striking I've ever seen and felt. Much more compression. And... I've gained distance. Additionally I've not suffered any odd hooks or anything. All this is not to say that I've found the "secret" but it sure seems to be working for me. I'm heading out shortly to join my regular Saturday game. I'm excited to try this out again. I'll let everyone know how it worked out with more information regarding distance, ball flight, etc.

 

Do any of you guys use a 10-finger grip?

 

[jbil8802]

I think we had a thread on this a while back. My thoughts on are the same so I'll just add them on here for reference.

 

I use an interlocking grip now but when I started playing a few years ago I used a ten finger grip since I played baseball my whole life and it felt comfortable. If it's functional I don't see why there would be a problem with it.

 

Here's an excerpt that I enjoyed reading from a chapter in Harvey Penick's book "The Wisdom of Harvey Penick":

 

"DURING OUR MANY years as friends and colleagues, Jimmy Demaret and I had countless conversations about the golf grip. You may be surprised to discover that when Jimmy was Masters champion and known the world over for his ability, he decided his grip was wrong— but he was too far into a successful career to think seriously about changing it.

 

Jimmy used the familiar Vardon, or overlapping, grip from his early days as a caddie all the way to the end of his life. Yet he came to believe the Vardon grip is not the most fundamentally sound grip for most players, including Jimmy himself.

 

Harry Vardon made the piggybacking of the pinkie finger of his right hand onto the top of his left index finger— or into the space between the index and third fingers—into the most popular way for players to hold the club.

 

Vardon had big, strong, fast hands, and his style of grip was meant to move his hands closer together and, by removing one finger from the handle, reduce the possibility of his right hand overpowering his left during his swing. Proper application of his hands increased his power and helped him to control the club.

 

“But how many golfers do we encounter whose big problem is having too much power?” Jimmy would say.

 

Jimmy believed the average player should learn the so-called ten-finger grip. In fact, it is eight fingers and two thumbs, but you know what I mean.

 

This is often called the baseball grip, which is incorrect. If you were to grip a golf club like a baseball bat, your thumbs would be around the handle just as your fingers are.

 

“The full-fingered grip is the most fundamentally sound grip for the vast majority of golfers ,” Jimmy said. “Most golfers don't need to fight hands that are too fast. Most golfers have just the opposite problem—their hands are not fast enough.”

 

In the full-fingered grip, Jimmy believed, the hands should be as close together as possible, with that right pinkie finger on the handle of the club to help deliver the blow.

 

“In a reasonable swing, the right hand won't take over from the left with the full-fingered grip,” Jimmy said. “The two hands will work together. You get more power and better control. I'm so accustomed to the Vardon grip by now that it would take me a long time to change, and I'm doing okay the way things are. But if I was a newcomer to the game, or an average player who doesn't depend on golf for a living, I would certainly use the full-fingered grip.

[PlaidJacket]

I was hoping to provide an update from my change to the 10-finger...ehem, full-fingered grip. I had to quit today after 4. I'd played 81 holes the past few days and my right hip was sore. I just couldn't turn well.

I'll put something up soon after I've rested a bit. I think the full-fingered grip just might be for me. To start with I don't have large hands. Average. The other day I noticed increased distance and more consistent flush ball striking. Both are winners for anyone's game. Certainly mine.

[ZenGolfer]

Ive tried it.  I find that I get too flippy with it and tend to hit pulls or snap hooks.

[Undershooter]

I'm an interlock guy but I have no problem with whatever grip works for people. 10 finger, vardon, interlock, whatever the hell Furyk does, it's all deadly if it fits you well.

[MattF]

I was contemplating it, but the more I read the more I saw that it "could" lead to hooks, which I battled with at the time. So, I'm sticking with the interlock for now.

[Fireinthehole]

When I first started I used the interlock grip for one year and then switched to overlap which felt way more secure, stable and comfortable to me.

My miss is a push from not releasing the club head and I use the ten finger grip to groove that feeling down before I head out, but I hit too many fat shots with that grip to use it.

I remember reading some where that if you have smaller fingers the interlock is more comfortable.

Hope it works out for you though!

[PlaidJacket]

Yesterday I played 18 in my usual Saturday game. Scored well (77) with a double on 18. UGH! I used the Full-Fingered grip all day and struck my irons great. Solid and crisp. But... I'm not so sure about it with my driver. I did manage 50% fairways (7). Of the 7 I missed two of them were ugly low hooks. The others were off the FW either left or right by no more than 5 yds. This week I'll practice some with the driver experimenting with the FFG and my normal overlap. To be honest I think I'm sticking with FFG. I'm noticing much more solid striking and better ball flight and increased distance. Since this is only the second opportunity I've had to use this gripping technique I'll add that the jury is still out. But, so far the results are very promising. It's kind of crazy to say but I feel like I've discovered some sort of secret. The FFG actually feels quite natural to me. I'm much more optimistic about my game than I have been in months. Is it possible that something as simple as changing the way I hold the club going to become a game changer? Maybe.

[Kenny B]

I have never played anything other than the 10 finger or FFG, coming from playing softball.  Over the last few years I have toyed with changing to interlocking or overlapping but the results were disastrous.  I am currently a 9.5 HCP but with either of those grips I would be a 30!!  Too late in my life to change.

[RoverRick]

I started out with the interlocking, because that is what my dad said to do. About 5 years ago, I switched to the Overlapping (Vardon) because I read it gave more distance, and was trying to get rid of my early release. Then 2 years ago, I switched to the 10 Finger or FFG because it works best for me.

 

I fought the urge to hit the ball with my right hand for 30 years. I have written about this a couple of years ago. about hitting vs swinging. But the bottom line is I learned that with the FFG and a slower body swing and then hitting the ball with my trail hand once my hands have gotten below my waist, I hit it longer and straighter.

[Fireinthehole]

When I first started I used the interlock grip for one year and then switched to overlap which felt way more secure, stable and comfortable to me.

My miss is a push from not releasing the club head and I use the ten finger grip to groove that feeling down before I head out, but I hit too many fat shots with that grip to use it.

I remember reading some where that if you have smaller fingers the interlock is more comfortable.

Hope it works out for you though!

 

Must make a change to this. I have a very passive right hand and noticed that I have been struggling with a left wrist that cups at the top. Happened with the overlap grip, but when I switch to interlock it goes away. Went to the range today and now it feels better than the overlap. The search continues I guess. Good to see you were hitting the ball well!@

[PlaidJacket]

I was talking to a friend last night about my discovery of the 8-finger (full finger) griping method. This guy is a scratch player and has been for decades. To my surprise he informed me of another guy I know that's a 0-2 handicap who plays with a full grip method. I never knew. My friend went on to tell me that he himself sometimes uses a full finger when he needs to get a little extra out of an iron. Interesting note though.... he said he uses a reverse overlap grip. Here's the thing. I recall a few times over my career seeing a guy or two using the full finger and until recently thought to myself that this guy must not have had any instruction. I mean; who would grip a club like that? That's not what a real golfer does. Well, Jack Nicklaus is a "real golfer" and he says it doesn't matter what grip you use as long as you can deliver the club head to the ball properly. I think I'll go with Jack and the 10-finger, full finger, 8-finger, what-ever finger for the time being. Seems to be working for me.

[Kenny B]

There's only one finger that really matters!    

[revkev]

There's only one finger that really matters!    

And right now it feels like golf is giving it to me.

[Sschaffer24]

Couldn't agree more with your opinions that you've expressed in here PJ. I made the switch this season and am not looking back. It makes the club feel so much more natural in my hands.

 

The only club I don't grip that way is the putter. Everything else is baseball. Now if I try an interlocking grip I hit massive blocks. Not good.

[NiftyNiblick]

I started out as a preteen with the interlocking grip and then switched to the overlapping.  The only place that I ever tried the ten-finger grip was on the driving range with unimpressive results.

 

I also played baseball as a youth, way back when kids played with heavy wooden bats, but it was different; the bat handle was much thicker than a golf club grip, the swing horizontal with at most an imperceptible uppercut, and the bat angle at contact less critical.  Hitting foul pole to foul pole was good in baseball.

 

People have enjoyed success with the ten finger grip, so it can't be completely biomechanically unsound. In my case, however, I can't make contact the same way twice in succession. My hands compete rather than work together.

[wbealsd]

It looks like the next few days will be nice enough to at least get some range time in, I'll have to try this.

 

Due to the tendonitis flaring up in my hands this season, I've already made a lot of changes to my swing, but I'm pretty comfortable with my swing now.

 

I use an interlocked grip, since that was how I was taught and I've never given any thought to changing it, but it won't hurt to experiment with a "10 finger" grip on the range.  Maybe it will be easier on my hands, as well.

 

If it shows promise on actual turf, I can work on it over the winter on a mat.

[MattF]

I tried it again yesterday after my tee shot on a couple of holes...massive hooks. I'll be keeping the interlock I guess.

[PlaidJacket]

Yesterday I once again used the full grip method. With my irons. I switched back and forth a few times with my driver using full finger and my ole standard over-lap. I hit better shots with the over-lap when driving the ball. No big hooks. So... as my experiment continues I'll use full finger with my irons and over-lap with the driver. As they say... whatever works.

[wbealsd]

Just got home from the range after trying the 10 finger grip for the first time and it DOES seem to improve contact, particularly at the beginning of my range session. Possibly, it's a more natural grip for me.

 

Hope to get to the range again tomorrow.