Golf 101 question: Baseball grip ok?

[javguy]

I'm a relative golf newbie(2 yrs). Is this highly frowned upon? I know no professional use this. They usually have some type of interlocking or overlapping grip.

I feel silly having still adopting a baseball grip for my drives and irons. Should I fix this before its too late?

How easy will it be to adjust to an interlocking grip without compromising power and getting comfortable?

thanks.

[Chieflongtee]

Javguy. If the so called"baseball grip works for you then stick to it. Moe Norman who is considered by many to be the best ball striker of all time used a somewhat similar grip and correct me if I'm wrong that grip is one the base for Natural Golf. There were also some professionnals in the past who used the baseball grip with great success. It is a matter of personal preference and habit. As long as you do not feel like "you're losing the club".
That being said if you still want to change grips it will take you about a month to get used to a new grip provided you don't go back and forth between the new and old grip.

http://www.naturalgolf.com/

P.S: I am not an instructor nor a part of natural golf.

[jeffc]

Do whatever is comfortable. I used to use interlocking years ago and switched to baseball in my teens and haven't looked back. I just find it more comfortable, likely since I have small hands for a guy and find this grip gives me more control. I've tried to go back to interlocking and found it just doesn't feel right. To each his own.

[javguy]

That's good to know that a baseball grip is alright to use. Well, I signed up for the RA golf lessons so maybe they can also help me experiment with the different grips until I feel totally comfortable with one. thanks.

[Callaway]

If it works thats great Javguy...
But are you hitting it straight all the time and doesn't your freinds make fun of you? Because the way I see it, if you have a baseball grip, then you probably have a baseball stance too to go along with it.

KAW KAW!!

[Slammin' Stever]

Moe Norman uses a ten finger grip which is different from the baseball grip. The difference although slight is in the thumb placement and the spacement of the hands on the shaft. With the ten finger grip the top of one hand is touching the bottom (palm) of the lower hand. Also the thumbs on both hands overlap the first two fingers. With the ten finger grip the thumbs are on the grip and there may be a gap between the hands. This gap can vary in length. There can also be a slight space between the pointing finger of the lower hand which is not seen in the old baseball grip.

I recommend the ten finger over the baseball both for feel and control.

Hope this helps.

Steve

[mpare]

I have known a number of good players who have utilized the 10 finger grip. Dave Barr is a good example. If it works, use it.

[fireice]

If it works, use it

A good motto for most things golf.

[javguy]

Thank you guys. I'm currently taking beginner golf lessons at the RA and luckily for me I haven't gotten too used to my awkward swings and still have room to experiment.

I'm starting to experiment with the overlap grip but its good to know that there is not one "right" way to do things as long as it works for you.

[mpare]

Grips can be rather personal. However, whichever one you use should provide you with a secure and reliable way to return the club square through the ball while swinging smoothly and forcefully. As for myself, I preferred the interlocking grip used by Jack Nicklaus. I found that it was easier for me to hold on to the club with both hands that way.

Good luck.

[JimmyW]

Originally posted by Slammin' Stever
Moe Norman uses a ten finger grip which is different from the baseball grip. The difference although slight is in the thumb placement and the spacement of the hands on the shaft . With the ten finger grip the top of one hand is touching the bottom (palm) of the lower hand. Also the thumbs on both hands overlap the first two fingers. With the ten finger grip the thumbs are on the grip and there may be a gap between the hands. This gap can vary in length. There can also be a slight space between the pointing finger of the lower hand which is not seen in the old baseball grip.

I recommend the ten finger over the baseball both for feel and control.

Hope this helps.

Steve

OK I'm confused I know I'm using one of them and it works quite well for me (hands slightly apart-shaft gripped in fingers), but which is which??

JW

[javguy]

Quick update for anybody who cares.

I've been experimenting with the interlocking grip for 2 weeks now almost everyday at the indoor sim and at the range. First It was horrible, I coudn't hit the ball straight for the life of me and the power was only half of what I should be getting. I almost gave up saying the attempt was useless.

But a friend of mine wouldn't let me revert back to the baseball grip until I at least made a real attempt at the interlocking and ever since I've noticed drastic improvements with my irons. My shots are going more straight and the distance has improved immensely its almost there. Not consistent but the power is there. Next I have to work on my drives with this grip.

I know I still have a ways to go but at least my stance does not look awkward anymore in the sense that my body is more perpendicular now, not as much of an open stance. My right arm is not forced forward as it was before. I'm also noticing that I'm not holding the club as tight as I was before, more relaxed. The best part is if I go back to my baseball grip, it starts to feel awkward.

So in a nutshell I'm pretty happy with how this transition is coming along I thought it would be much more painful. Whether it will post me better scores I don't know yet but I seem to be liking it so far.

I know some people who have stuck and will stick by the baseball grip and as you guys mentioned there's nothing wrong with that. Those people probably have much better form than I did, lol. I think my problem was that I never had any real lessons before and I kept on improvising my own stance probably making it worse, thats why its gotten to the point of friends laughing at my stance, haha.

Hopefully with interlocking I will be more coachable or whatever and to be honest I'm pretty happy to have made this transition.

[el tigre]

IMHO, you have already made the most important decision regarding improving your golf game. You have decided to take lessons.

As I'm sure you have discovered, golf is a lot harder than it looks. Whichever grip you decide you use, you will play better with it once you understand how it impacts the rest of your swing.

Whenever you take lessons, you usually get worse before you get better. Not everything you learn will work for you right away. But believe me, you WILL get better with lessons - and some of things you thought were not right for you at first might end up falling into place later on. You just never stop learning with this game!

[javguy]

Thanks el tigre,

Its amazing how even knowing the basic fundamentals will improve your game and make it much more enjoyable.

I've been one of those guys who just wings it for several years and after applying the most basic fundamentals I recently learned I've been able to improve my shots immensely because I understand the basic theory behind the mechanics.