Billy Horschel Grip

Pros and Cons of Every Golf Grip Style

Best Grip? Overlapping vs Interlocking

Grip style: Interlocking

Hand position: strong

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

See Billy Horschel grip the golf club. See Billy Horschel launch the ball long and straight. See Billy Horschel win the last two tournaments of the 2014 playoff and claim the FedEx Cup.

If he wasn’t a household name before his late-season surge, Horschel is certainly a star now. The sixth-year pro from Florida waltzed to wins at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship with a display of great ballstriking and timely putting.

Horschel’s grip resembles many of his peers’: left thumb pad turned onto the top of the club, his glove’s logo aimed well right of target, while his right hand “V” (between thumb and index finger) aligns directly with his right arm.

This grip position is usually associated with power hitters like Harris English, and Horschel does, indeed, average better than 291 yards off the tee. (Not bad for a 175-pounder.) But he’s also highly accurate, ranking 26th on tour in fairways hit for 2014 at 67% while finding 70% of greens in regulation, good for fourth.

In other words, it’s possible to hit the ball very straight with a strong grip.

When putting, Billy Horschel’s grip is a standard cross-handed style – left hand beneath the right on and oversized handle, back of the left hand flush with his wrist, right wrist cupped. That left wrist position is critical to success with a cross-handed grip. The goal is to prevent the wrists from breaking down during the stroke, which is easy if you simply maintain the left wrist position from setup to finish.

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.