By far the most used putting grip among golfers for wood and iron shots is the Vardon grip, also called the overlapping grip, popularized by Harry Vardon, one of the true legends of the game.

Vardon didn’t invent this putting grip, but he used it to better advantage than anyone ever had before him. Vardon’s interpretation of it, however, was rather misleading. His hands were like a couple of bunches of bananas and very few other professional golfers of the time held the club exactly like he did. As a result, there are many variations of the “Vardon grip” as there are types of hands. Learn the basic “Vardon grip” before applying your own interpretation according to the size of your own hands.

Forming The Putting Grip

I am assuming that you are a right-handed golfer. Obviously if you are left-handed then reverse the left and right hands in the following instructions.

Form the grip by soling the club flat on the ground and let the leather of the club shaft lie diagonally across the left hand. When you close the fingers to grip the shaft, the thumb of the left hand runs down the front of the shaft. The V formed by thumb and forefinger should point toward the right shoulder.

Grip the shaft with the fingers of the right hand so the palm of that hand covers the thumb of the left. The little finger of the right hand overlaps the first finger of the left, and the V formed by the thumb and forefinger of the right hand also points toward the right shoulder. The right thumb rides above the left thumb but going to the left-hand side of the shaft as you look down it.

The back of the left hand should be facing toward the target and the back of the right hand should be facing away from the target.

Your hands shouldn’t be fighting against each other during the swing, but must operate as a unit together to control the clubhead so you can hit the ball in the direction you want it to go.

This putting grip may feel awkward at first, but practice will familiarize you with it. It is considered the finest putting grip for control of the club and increased power for the majority of golfers.

The other two grips which some golfers use are the baseball grip, where all the fingers grip the shaft with no finger overlap, and the interlocking grip, which has the first finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand interlocked.

The baseball grip is the least preferred of the three grips, but may be suitable if you have weak wrists and arms.

The interlocking grip may be better if you have short hands and fingers or thick palms. Some excellent golfers have used this grip. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, for example, have both achieved their remarkable success with the interlocking grip.

As mentioned earlier, however, the Vardon putting grip is the most popular amongst good golfers. It unifies the hands and requires less area on the clubshaft. Why not try all three putting grips and go with the one that feels most comfortable to you?