Jason Dufner Grip

Pros and Cons of Every Golf Grip Style

Best Grip? Overlapping vs Interlocking

Grip style: Interlocking

Hand position: Very strong

Putter Reverse overlap / neutral left hand, strong right hand

He’s almost as famous for “Dufnering” (Google it – it’s family-friendly) as for winning the 2013 PGA Championship, but Jason Dufner’s grip is all business.

It’s somewhat surprising that Dufner uses an interlocking grip since the man he emulates, Ben Hogan, employed the overlapping style. More noteworthy, Dufner’s strong hand position is markedly different from Hogan’s weaker hold. Yet this doesn’t prevent Dufner from achieving a Hoganesque backswing, with his right elbow tucked very close to his side and his left arm in a very “flat” or horizontal position.

If you’re looking to cure an overly handsy or wristy putting stroke, you’d be wise to study the Jason Dufner grip. Not so much his hold on the club – it’s fairly conventional, if a little to the strong side – but the actual grip installed on his putter. It’s an oversized model measuring 1.3” in diameter, which effectively mutes the effect of the small muscles in the hands and wrists.

Dufner’s grip is also a “parallel” model, meaning it’s uniform in width (not tapered) from top to bottom. This is purported to reduce tension in the hands and forearms – and tension is a leading cause of the dreaded “yips.”

Whatever you may glean from analyzing Dufner’s grip and swing, it may be more instructive to study his career arc. Dufner was a classic “journeyman” before his breakthrough season of 2009 at age 32, but he didn’t really take off until two years later. In other words, perseverance pays.

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.