Every golfer has their style. Some like to wear flashy clothing, others have unique swing styles, and some have unconventional grip styles. The most unconventional swing style that many people take interest in is the baseball grip. Despite being so interesting, there aren’t many pro golfers that use the baseball grip. So, I decided to do some digging and figure out which pro golfers have used this grip during their career.
Pro Golfers That Use Baseball Grip:
- Bob Estes
- Moe Norman
- Lance Ten Broek
- Tom Gainey
Tommy Gainey: Baseball Grip
Starting first on this list is Tommy Gainey. Gainey is likely one of the youngest guys to use this grip currently. Most players nowadays stick to the overlapping or traditional golf grips, however, Gainey seems like he pretty much sticks to this grip.
It was easy for him to stick out on tour as he was the only one really using this grip style. In fact, he was on the receiving end of many jokes because his baseball grip looked so strange. Regardless of how it looks, he was able to climb through the ranks using this grip.
Bob Estes: Baseball Grip
Arguably one of the most well known golfers that uses the baseball grip, or 10 finger grip, is Bob Estes. For practically his whole professional career, Estes used this grip and was one of the key people to popularize it. He attributes a lot of his success to this unique type of grip.
Some speculate that it was a reason behind his power, as using the baseball grip can allow golfers to get more hinge in their wrists, thus generating more swing speed. Regardless of the benefits, it has helped Estes climb the ranks through his professional career.
Moe Norman: Baseball Grip
It is highly debated on whether or not Moe Norman’s golf grip was considered the ‘baseball grip’. Some argue that his grip was considered ‘overlapping’ and others argue that it was the ‘baseball’ grip. No matter which side of the argument you are on, you’d be right.
Moe Norman started off his career by using the Overlapping grip, but changed to the Baseball, or “10 finger” grip in 1993. It was mainly due to this change that he was able to change his golf game for the better. Not only did he start improving, but he was key in raising awareness on the Baseball grip.
So, even though the baseball grip played a small role in the timeline of his entire career, it still did shape the way he played, making him one of the most well known Baseball grip golfers out there.
Lance Ten Broeck: Baseball Grip
Lance Ten Broeck is one of the golfers who experimented with the baseball grip during his career. Most tournaments that he played it, he actually used the overlapping grip instead of the baseball grip. However, there was a point in his career where he actually did use the baseball grip, which raised some eyebrows at the time.
Why Is The Baseball Grip Called The 10 Finger Grip?
As mentioned above, the Baseball grip is also referred to as the “10 Finger” grip. The reason it is also called the 10 finger grip is because all 10 fingers are touching the grip / shaft of the club. In other words, all 10 of your fingers are wrapped around the grip.
In the traditional grip style or overlapping style, your pinky fingers go over one another, which means that you only have 9 fingers touching the grip. So, because the baseball grip allows players to have all 10 fingers on the grip at one time, it is called the 10 finger grip.
Is The Baseball Grip Legal In Golf?
According to the USGA and R&A, the baseball grip is totally legal to use. There is no rule against having all 10 fingers on the shaft when swinging. So, this means that you are allowed to use the baseball grip in any type of golf tournament or game without having to worry about breaking any rules.