Webb Simpson 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)

He’ll eventually have to give up the belly putter. But Webb Simpson’s grip with the flat-stick may well survive.

Come 2016, competing golfers will no longer be allowed to anchor the putter to the body, so the wand that won Simpson the 2011 U.S. Open – and three other PGA TOUR titles as of December 2014 – will have to go. His cross-handed grip may be the key to making a smooth transition… Assuming he doesn’t change styles with the standard-length putter.

Simpson told Golf Digest he prefers the cross-handed method to the conventional style because “it quiets my hands and feels right for the longer club.” Given then success he’s had putting cross-handed, we’d expect him to continue using this grip technique.

There is one unusual aspect to Simpson’s putting grip: He places the right forefinger across the fingers of his left hand in reverse overlap fashion. Most cross-handers don’t do this.

Let’s back up and examine Webb Simpson’s grip for the full swing. It’s quite strong, with both hands rotated well to the right on the handle. This fosters Simpson’s signature “handsy” style by allowing his wrists to hinge more freely than they would with a neutral grip.

He does tend to miss to the left more often than right, per the PGA TOUR’s in-depth stats. That’s the major risk with a strong grip, which promotes a quicker release of the hands through impact. Like most players with his grip style, Simpson must clear the hips early in the downswing to prevent massive hooks.

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.