Marc Leishman Grip

Pros and Cons of Every Golf Grip Style

Best Grip? Overlapping vs Interlocking

Grip style: Vardon (overlapping)

Hand Position: Weak

Putting grip style / hand position: Reverse overlap

Weak grip. Strong player. The two don’t often go, ahem, hand in hand. But Marc Leishman’s grip proves that turning your palms toward the target can produce great shots.

Famous golfers with weak grips are few and far between. Ben Hogan was the best (and best known) of the bunch; 1995 U.S. Open champ Corey Pavin grips weakly as well. Today’s game, however, often seems like a battle to see who can grip the strongest and hit the longest.

Leishman doesn’t take the bait. The sturdy pro from Australia, who stands 6’2”, 200 pounds, rotates his left hand to his left so that the grip’s logo is just about perpendicular to the target line. That’s a sharp contrast to strong grippers like Ryan Palmer, whose logo is closer to parallel with the target line.

Leishman’s right hand maintains a basically neutral position; the “V” formed by thumb and forefinger aligns nicely with the club’s shaft.

With a grip designed for consistency, it’s no wonder Leishman is one of the PGA TOUR’s steadiest performers. He’s finished in the top 65 of the FedEx Cup standings every year since 2009.

He’d fare even better if he made more putts. On the greens, Marc Leishman’s grip is a conventional reverse overlap. It looks solid, as does Leishman’s arms-and-shoulders stroke. Unfortunately, he’s finished on the positive side in strokes gained putting just twice since 2009.

Still, Leishman continues popping up on the leaderboard thanks to his excellent long game. In his case, a weak grip is definitely not a weakness.

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.