Daniel Summerhays 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: Cross-handed (left hand low)

On first glance, it seems there’s something odd about Daniel Summerhays’ grip. Then you look a little closer and realize it’s not the grip, but his club placement at setup, that’s actually different.

Where most pros – indeed, most golfers – place the clubhead very close to the ball at address, Summerhays holds it a good two inches behind the ball. This may help him keep his head and chest behind the ball through impact, which he does very well.

As for his grip, Summerhays pairs mildly strong left and right hands. Mildly in relation to many of his professional peers, that is. With the likes of Ryan Palmer and Bubba Watson displaying strong grips in the extreme, Summerhays looks pretty conventional. The “Vs” on both hands (formed by thumbs and forefingers) point just off the shaft’s right side.

As the son of a pro, Bruce Summerhays, and the brother of another, Boyd, you’d expect Daniel’s methods to be sound. And they are.

Onto the greens, where Daniel Summerhays’ grip is a fairly typical cross-handed version, with one small adjustment: He wraps the right index finger around, into the slot between his left pinky and ring fingers.

It’s worth noting that Summerhays has bounced back and forth between putting grip styles since turning pro in 2007. Sometimes, you’ll see him use a conventional reverse overlap grip. Other times, he’s cross-handed. He utilized both at times in 2014, and something evidently clicked. Summerhays’ ranking of ninth in strokes gained putting was by far the best of his career.

The moral: Putting is largely about feel. If your putting is off, switching grip styles may be the kick start you need.

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.