SWING ANALYSIS
BATTER UP?
really overlap or interlock,” says Thorbjornsen, describing the two most popular styles of grips in golf. “It feels the most comfortable to me. We probably should have made a change early on, but at this point, I’ve had so many years under my belt with this one, there is no point in changing now.” It might come as a surprise to you that use of the 10-finger grip was much more popular among pro golfers decades ago. Among the notable players to excel with it were LPGA Hall of Famer Beth Daniel and major champions Bob
Rosburg and Art Wall. In 1959 Wall won the Masters and Rosburg the PGA Championship. “The Vardon (overlap) grip was by far the most important grip for decades,” says Jim McLean, one of Golf Digest’s Legends of Golf Instruction. “It was taught by just about everyone. But when Jack Nicklaus, then Tiger Woods, used the interlock, that turned the tables. Now a large majority of the top players in the world use the interlocking grip.” The overlapping and interlocking grips have a unifying effect, McLean says, and make it much more difficult for one hand to take over the swing. “The idea is that the hands
are working together and not opposing each other,” McLean says. That said, McLean also believes there is a place in the game for the 10-finger grip, especially for those golfers who struggle with an open clubface at impact and/or golfers who want to hit more draws (right- to-left curve for righties). It’s no coincidence that a draw happens to be Thorbjornsen’s stock shot. “You definitely have more feeling in your (dominant) hand and more ability to release the club,” McLean says. “For (a righty) who cannot get the rotation of the right forearm to hit a draw, this grip can be the simple solution to turn the ball over.” – DAVE ALLEN
Michael Thorbjornsen has played golf with the same grip since he was a toddler – and it’s a highly unusual one in the professional ranks. For as long as he can remember, the 25-year-old former US Junior Amateur champion (2018) – has been using a 10-finger, “baseball-bat” grip. He doesn’t interlock or overlap his right-hand’s pinky with his left-hand’s index finger, as most right- handed golfers do. “If you’re going to grab a bat or anything other than a golf club, you don’t
HANG 10 Using a 10-finger grip like Thorbjornsen (left) promotes a draw.
48 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026
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