Graham DeLaet Grip

Pros and Cons of Every Golf Grip Style

Best Grip? Overlapping vs Interlocking

Grip style: Interlocking

Hand position: Neutral

Putting grip style / hand position: Cross-handed (left hand low)

Graham DeLaet’s grip is a lot like the Canadian pro himself: Unassuming, but highly effective.

Coming off an excellent 2014 season yet still searching for his first career win, DeLaet is widely regarded as one of golf’s best ball-strikers. In fact, he ranked second in the PGA TOUR’s ball-striking category – which combines total driving (distance plus accuracy) with greens in regulation – for 2014.

Elsewhere on Golf-Info-Guide.com, we discuss DeLaet’s unusual foot positioning. On the other hand, there’s nothing odd about his grip. He uses the interlocking method employed by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, with both hands set neutral to the clubface. The back of DeLaet’s left hand points essentially down the target line, while his right hand mirrors this position.

A neutral grip like DeLaet’s has many advantages over a strong or weak grip. Namely, it makes it easier to put the club on plane and keep it there, and allows DeLaet to shape shots in either direction.

While he excels in the long game, his putting leaves a bit to be desired. Perhaps that’s why Graham DeLaet’s grip is cross-handed, a style many golfers go to as an alternative to the conventional method. He holds the putter with a very light touch, a technique all amateurs can learn from. Tension in the hands goes all the way up the arms and can cause many different problems in the stroke.

Player Profile

Golf Grip Terms

Note: All descriptions are for right-handed golfers.

Vardon / Overlapping Grip: Method of holding the club by placing the right pinky finger on top of the crease between the left index and middle fingers. Named for British golf legend Harry Vardon.

Interlocking Grip: Method of holding the club by wedging or locking the right pinky finger between the left index and middle fingers.

Neutral: Position in which the hands are directly aligned with the clubface. The golfer with a neutral grip can typically see two full knuckles on the back of the left hand when addressing the ball.

Weak: Position in which the hands are rotated left (toward the target) on the club’s handle. The golfer with a weak grip can typically see one full knuckle on the back of the left hand when addressing the ball.

Strong: Position in which the hands are rotated right (away from the target) on the club’s handle. The golfer with a strong grip can typically see more than two full knuckles on the back of the left hand when addressing the ball.

Reverse Overlap Putting Grip: Conventional putting grip style with the left hand above the right and the left index finger extending downward, on top of the fingers of the right hand.

Cross-Handed / Left Hand Low Putting Grip: The right hand is placed at the top of the handle, above the left hand, the opposite of a conventional grip.

Claw Putting Grip: The left hand is placed in the conventional position, at the top of the handle, with the right hand lower on the handle and holding the club between the thumb (on the grip’s underside) and fingers.