Jamie Donaldson Grip

Pros and Cons of Every Golf Grip Style

Best Grip? Overlapping vs Interlocking

Grip style: Vardon (overlapping)

Hand position: strong

Putting grip style / hand position: Reverse overlap / neutral

Jamie Donaldson’s grip isn’t that unusual. At least, not by today’s standards.

To be sure, the Welshman places his left hand in a very strong position – his thumb runs down the right side of the handle, the glove’s logo practically pointing straight out in front of him. This hardly puts him at odds with his peers, though. Accomplished pros including Dustin Johnson and Harris English, as well as Fred Couples and Paul Azinger from the previous generation, are among the many employing super-strong grips.

Donaldson’s right hand hold is a bit less common. Rather than matching the position of the left, his right hand is more on top of the club in spot that’s very near neutral. The “V” formed by thumb and forefinger points at Donaldson’s right collarbone, whereas a strong position would find it aimed at his right shoulder. (Some call this grip type “mixed” as it combines strong and neutral or weak elements.)

While his long game is average by tour standards, the 2014 Ryder Cup member ranks among the steadiest putters in Europe. On the greens, Jamie Donaldson’s grip varies from the typical reverse overlap style. Instead of draping left index finger over the fingers of his right hand, Donaldson places the right hand’s pinky and ring fingers atop the adjacent digits on his left. (Similar to Jim Furyk’s full-swing grip.) The grip serves to solidly unite both hands and cut down on unwanted wrist motion.

As his three European Tour wins and Cup-sealing singles victory (vs. Keegan Bradley) attest, Donaldson knows what he’s doing with the flat-stick.

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.