What Is the Best Golf Grip for Large Hands?

If you have large hands, grabbing a standard golf club can feel like you're trying to write a novel with a crayon. It's awkward, lacks control, and often leads to frustrating results on the course. You don't have to just get used to it - the right grip can completely transform your connection to the club, leading to more comfort, control, and consistency. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to find the absolute best golf grip for your hands.

Why Your Grip Matters (Especially with Large Hands)

Your hands are your only connection to the golf club. If that connection isn't secure and comfortable, everything else in the swing has to compensate. For golfers with large hands using standard-size grips, two major problems typically appear:

• Overactive Hands: When a grip is too small, your fingers wrap too far around the club. This encourages your hands to become overly active during the swing, often causing them to roll over too quickly through impact. This excessive rotation closes the clubface, leading to the dreaded snap hook or a low, pulling shot. You're gripping it like a baseball bat, trying to strangle the power out of it, when you should be letting the club do the work.
• Excessive Grip Pressure: To feel in control of a thin grip, you instinctively squeeze it tighter. This tension radiates up your arms and into your shoulders, destroying your tempo and robbing you of clubhead speed. A tense swing is a slow, jerky swing. You lose the feeling of the clubhead, making it nearly impossible to have a smooth release and consistent strike.

Finding the right grip is about neutralizing these issues. A correctly sized grip fills a larger volume in your hands, which naturally encourages a lighter, more relaxed pressure. It quiets down overactive hand and wrist movements, promoting a more body-driven swing that uses your big muscles–the true source of power - instead of your twitchy small ones.

The First Step: Get Your Grip Size Right

Before you worry about grip styles or materials, you need to determine if your current grip size is the source of your problems. There's a simple, reliable test you can do in less than 30 seconds to find out.

The "Finger Test": A Simple Way to Check Your Grip Size

This is the classic method that club fitters have used for decades. It's easy and gives you a clear answer.

1. Grip the club with just your top hand (your left hand, for a right-handed golfer). Take your regular hold on the club.
2. Take your other hand off and look at the hand holding the club.
3. Observe where the tip of your middle finger and ring finger are resting.

Here’s how to interpret the results:

• Perfect Fit: The tips of your middle and ring fingers should be lightly brushing against the fleshy part of your thumb pad. They meet with just a hint of contact, no pressure.
• Grip is Too Small: If your fingertips are digging forcefully into your palm, the grip is too small. This is the most common issue for golfers with large hands and is a direct cause of excess tension.
• Grip is Too Big: If there's a noticeable gap between your fingertips and your palm, the grip is too large. This is a much rarer problem.

For most of you reading this article, that finger test is going to reveal that your standard grips are too small. Now, let's look at the solutions.

Exploring Your Options: Midsize and Jumbo Grips

If the finger test revealed a problem, you have a couple of excellent options to fit your hands properly. Standard golf grips are typically around .900" in diameter. Your solutions lie in larger sizes.

Midsize Grips

Midsize grips are the first step up from standard and are often the perfect solution for a wide range of golfers with larger-than-average hands. They are generally about 1/16" larger in diameter than a standard grip.

Who they're for: Golfers who wear a Large or XL-sized glove are prime candidates for midsize grips. If the finger test showed your fingertips just barely digging into your palm, moving up to midsize is likely the perfect fix.

The Benefits:

• Reduces Hand Action: The slightly larger diameter prevents your fingers from wrapping too far, which helps "quiet" the hands during the swing. This promotes a more passive release and can dramatically reduce hooks caused by an overactive right hand (for righties).
• Increases Comfort: The added volume simply feels better and more secure in bigger hands, which encourages you to lighten your grip pressure. This immediately frees up your wrists and arms for a more fluid swing.

Jumbo (Oversize) Grips

Jumbo grips are the largest size available, typically 1/8" larger in diameter than standard. They are a game-changer for golfers with very large hands or those with specific physical limitations.

Who they're for: Golfers wearing XXL gloves or those with medical conditions like arthritis can benefit immensely. The massive size minimizes the need for fine motor control and firm squeezing.

The Benefits:

• Maximizes Tension Reduction: It's almost impossible to strangle a jumbo grip. They force you to use a lighter, palm-oriented hold, which can create a much smoother tempo.
• Promotes a "Block" Release: For players who fight a vicious hook, a jumbo grip can feel like a miracle cure. It significantly restricts the hands' ability to turn over, promoting a swing path that holds the face squarer for longer. Be aware, however, that if you already struggle with a slice, jumbo grips could make it worse.

Fine-Tuning with Grip Tape

What if you're between sizes? You can ask your club fitter or local pro shop to customize your grips using extra layers of tape. Each additional wrap of standard grip tape adds about 1/64" to the diameter. A standard rule of thumb is that four extra wraps of tape under a standard grip will make it feel very similar to a midsize grip.

Grip Styles for Large Hands: What’s the Best Fit?

Once you've settled on the proper size, the next step is to choose a style for how you connect your two hands on the club. The standard options are the Overlap, Interlock, and 10-Finger grips. For players with large hands, one of these often stands out as the clear winner.

The Overlap (Vardon) Grip

In this style, the pinky finger of your trailing hand (right hand for righties) rests on top of the space between the index and middle finger of your lead hand. While used by many pros, it can be problematic for large hands. Players with thick fingers often report that the pinky feels insecure, like it's just 'perched' on top and not truly part of the grip.

The Interlock Grip

Popularized by legends like Jack Nicklaus and a young Tiger Woods, the interlock involves linking a pinky of the trailing hand with the index finger of the lead hand. This creates a very unified and secure feeling. However, some players with larger, thicker fingers find that the interlocking action can be uncomfortable or even painful, creating an awkward pressure point.

The 10-Finger (or "Baseball") Grip

Forget any stigma you've heard about this grip being for beginners. Many successful tour players and instructors endorse it, and for players with large hands, it is often the best possible choice.

As the name implies, all ten of your fingers are in direct contact with the grip. For large hands, this presents two huge advantages:

1. Maximum Comfort and Surface Area: It allows you to get your whole hand onto the club without forcing your fingers into uncomfortable overlapping or interlocking positions. It feels natural and powerful.
2. Promotes a Natural Release: By allowing your hands to sit side-by-side, it encourages them to work together cohesively to release the clubface through impact. For many, this leads to a more powerful and repeatable draw.

If you have large hands and have been struggling with the other two styles, giving the 10-finger grip a serious try with a properly sized midsize or jumbo grip could be the breakthrough you've been looking for.

Final Thoughts

Finding the best grip for your large hands is a two-part solution. First, use the "finger test" to select the right grip size - most likely a Midsize or Jumbo model - to properly fill your hands. Then, experiment with the 10-finger (Baseball) grip, as it often provides the most comfort and control by eliminating the crowding that happens with overlap and interlock styles.

Once you've dialed in your physical connection to the club, the key is to see how it translates to your game on the course. With our app, Caddie AI, you get tour-level analysis to see precisely how a grip change is affecting your shot patterns. If you're on the course and unsure how to hit a shot with your new, more relaxed hold, you can even snap a photo of your ball's lie and get instant, confidence-boosting advice. Our goal is to give you the tools and knowledge to not just make a change, but to understand its impact and play smarter golf.