left hand grip

OK, as promised, I'll start the discussion. Nothing contained in this first post is claimed to be infallible or absolutely correct -- it is just stuff I think and believe. It applies to normal full shots. I use stronger and weaker grips for different types of shots. For a sand shot, for example, I open the club face slightly before placing the left hand on the handle.

First of all, Hogan, in "Five Fundamentals," has the best discussion on the grip I know. This is not claimed to be what Hogan said, but most of the stuff is Hogan -- the errors are mine.

The left hand grip is more in the fingers -- really well into the fingers. The heel pad on the of the palm heel pad closest to the pinkie needs to be completely on top of the club handle. I think the left wrist should be arched up so the fingers of the left hand go around the handle perpendicularly and not at an angle. This is best accomplished by soling the club and raising the wrist up (strongly arched) so the angle of the fingers point back so the finger tips are closer to the body than the where the fingers enter the fleshy part of the hand. In other words, the fingers don't just point down when taking the grip, the actually point back more toward you than just down. Then the fingers close around the handle so the last three fingers (pinkie, angular, and medio) grip the most firmly. The thumb should rest on top of the handle or only a few degrees to the right of on top. A strong left hand grip has the thumb and hand rotated more to the right around the grip, but personally, I use a neutral grip, almost exactly with the thumb on top. Others like it slightly stronger, but I don't think many should go more than about 1:00 O' Clock on the handle. I strongly prefer a short thumb, meaning the thumb is pushed closer to being over the index finger. A long thumb grip has more of the thumb extended down the top of the handle. There are merits to both approaches. The grip should not be a choking, tight grip, but a secure easy grip. The test below illustrated a secure grip with light finger pressure.

A good test is to take the left hand grip, then use the index finger like a trigger to hold the club and open up the last three fingers (take them off the handle.) The club is then held in place out in front of you held only by the index finger and the butt end of the handle under the left hand pad. A person in front of you could pull gently on the club and it would not come out of your hand -- even using just these two points of contact.

Things I see which I personally think are less than optimal are: too strong a position in the left hand, too tight a grip, a grip with the handle not securely under the heel pad (if you opened your hand as described in the test above, the club would fall out,) and a grip with not enough wrist arch (the fingers angled too much on the shaft,) and a grip too much in the palm. The worst thing, no matter your other potential problems, is when the handle is not secure at the top of the back swing so that the handle moves slightly and you regrip starting down. More people regrip than know it. It only takes a very slight gap opening at the top to be a regrip, and regripping is one of the few absolute "no-no's" in golf. I've seen people absolutely adamat that they do not regrip, but they do. The butt end of the grip does have instability and regripping, they just do not know it.

A proper left hand grip helps greatly with the back swing because a secure left hand helps the player avoid using too much right hand or too floppy a take-away. A secure left hand helps engage the shoulder as the turn key.

Finally, a little tip from a past Masters Champion that has helped me is when you clearly do not want to have any right to left movement of the shot (block out the left side of an approach,) try to grip the last three fingers of the left hand more firmly through out the swing. This takes some practice, but it might be something you can try.

So... I have given some thoughts and preferences about the left hand grip, with all the reservations indicated. Now what do you do, and what do you think? This is an invitation to agree, disagree, or propose other or different ideas. Have at it.
RC

I should have added, the "V" of my left hand points slightly right of my right ear with the thumb on top. The size of your hand will have an affect on thumb placement and the "V." With large hands, I used double wrapped handles.

Well, I disagree with changing grips for different shots. I use to do this also. I would strengthen my grip for sand shots and weaken my grip for chip shots. Sometimes i even used a strong grip for chipping and played the ball well back and hooded the clubface.

What i found was that doing this lead me to be VERY inconsistent. I honestly never hit 2 shots in a row with the same grip unless they were full shots and this is where the major problem lied. Changing to all these different grips eventually worked their way into my full shots and my swing felt different almost each time i played. Another problem was the spin i was getting on chip shots and bunker shots. I was putting cut spin on both while playing a draw on full shots.

Now i play EVERY shot with a neutral to just slightly strong unless it's some out of the ordinary specialty shot. It didn't happen overnight and it took years for me to get this down right. I was basically self taught and even though I played with a single digit handicap on my home course i had major problems playing courses i didn't know. Now i can play anywhere and play practically the same depending on how hard or easy the course is.

The major benefits from the changes i made were...

-My alignment really improved to the point where i rarely ever get out of alignment. I use to play with a strong grip which led me to playing the ball back further and further in my stance and my body aligned way to the right.

-I started hitting the ball basically straight with maybe a little draw and started getting more backspin.

-I was finally able to start hitting bunker shots with straight backspin instead of always spinning to the right.

-I got longer by probably 2 clubs because i was able to let the club release naturally with my hands and with a more neutral grip the arc in my backswing got larger.

Like i said before i spent years working on my grip and one tip i would recomend is this...kick your left elbow in with the crease in your left elbow pointing straight up....then grip the club with your left hand with the clubface lying on the ground then cock only your wrist straight up and then place your right hand on the club.

I take my left hand grip like I'm shaking someone's hand. When Holding the club out in front of me shoulder high with the back of my hand facing up, the club face is also facing up. The back of my left hand and the club face are the same. Now, I do go through periods where my grip changes to a little more strong. II don't fight it too much and over time my grip gets back to where I want it. When I start hitting the ball bad is when I start checking and adjusting my grip.

One of the better posts I've read on this site -- kudos AwYea, great stuff.

Agree that the comments above are great. And I should have clarified a bit about "changing grips." I don't change except for rare situations with one exception. I do open the club slightly before flop and some (not all) sand shots -- not much but there is a little change to a weaker grip. When short sided to a down hill pin, I try to use a little different sand shot because I must hold off the club face. It feels like my hands swing around the belt but the club finishes pointed straight up, face wide open. On some recovery shots where the ball absolutely must stay knee high and hook like crazy, I might go strong and swing at it like a farmer hoe'ing weeds. Ha ha.

Finally, there are running chip shots where I might use a putting type grip with the toe of the club down, heel lifted off the ground, shaft almost vertical -- not often, but a useful shot if you practice it. This shot sort of minimizes the chance of chunking it and works on the tightest of lies.

But for all normal shots, no grip change. Changing stance and alignment seem more reliable to me than changing grips to attempt to change ball flight.

Great thread, RC. The left hand grip has been one of my major explorations the past two weeks and it's great that this thread has popped up. Fun read for me, and it's giving me confidence that my self-teaching is really on the right track. Now if I could only get used to all the added distance I've gotten over the past two weeks! Since abandoning actual rounds of golf a month ago for the grass range, my improvement and learning has gone way up on all full and 3/4 shots.

You are in a fun stage of the game... when things you work on show promise and results. That is so satisfying. And, you are right to think about the grip. Hogan put it first in his sequence because (as most old instructors insist) the grip is the most important first step. When it is secure, returns the club to square, and works correctly, the distance comes but more importantly, you really feel solid, flush shots. The feedback is sublime.

Hey guys, my first post

After realizing my grip has been pretty poor all along, I've been working the past couple days on improving it (among several other parts of my swing).

One aspect I realize I've always struggled with is keeping the grip secure in my hands throughout my swing. It stays pretty firm in the middle of my hands. However at the top of my backswing, when the club is parallel to the ground - there is a lot of leverage forcing the butt-end of the club up into my left pinky finger. When I apply an average amount of pressure to my grip, I find that these fingers at the top of my grip "give out" a bit at this stage of my swing. Thus the top of the club grip is no longer pinned securely up against the pad on my left hand palm below the pinky. I feel this allows for the club to sometimes shift in my hands. I don't think I'm "regripping" mid-swing, but if I take a few consecutive swings without a fresh grip job, I find it slipping all out of place in my hands.

I can of course tighten the grip in my left pinky to prevent this, but it feels unnatural and I generally end up tightening my whole grip excessively. Is this a common problem at all? Any suggestions?

What you are describing sounds to me like the classic "regripping" problem I've mentioned above. It is exactly that little movement of the butt end of the handle that proves your grip is not quite secure. People who don't believe they are regripping can test the possibility by putting a tee just slightly inserted in their grip at the butt end. The tee should not fall out or change position during a swing.

If you seat the club correctly in your left hand and don't pull the club with your right hand, you can overcome regripping.

All I can say is to read Hogan, or the descriptions above, and keep working on the grip until you get it solidly in place. If all else fails, shorten your backswing or restrict the wrist cock. Even if you have to give up a little clubhead speed, a solid grip is more important for consistency. One possibility is the size of your hands and the diameter of your clubs' handle or grip. Have you measured your hand and confirmed whether you need larger or smaller grips? I have a bit of trouble hitting normal club grips because I have very large hands. All my clubs have extra wraps.

I have heard some people change the grip style to help overcome regripping -- meaning from Vardon to Interlock, or the other way around. I think it is a left hand issue and how you swing. So changing grip types may not work.

Thanks for the reponse, RC.

I just tried the tee test, and as I expected it fell out unless I made a conscious effort to grip those fingers harder. I will have to get myself a copy of Hogan's book (I assume you mean Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf).

I'm not sure about the grip size, I've never had them fitted or anything. I just did a bit of research and found the important measurements for my hand. I was 8" from wrist-crease to fingertip, and 3 5/8 for the length of my middle finger. As far as the grips on my clubs, I noticed there are different grips for the 3-7 irons vs the 8-PW. The longer irons have a fatter grip, where the shorter/wedges have what I'd assume is a standard grip.

Might be a good idea to go to a local club fitter who can regrip all your clubs the same way so you get a consistent feel through the set.

Knowledge is power... and just knowing you have something to work on is more than half the battle. There are people who play their whole golf lifetimes who have unstable and re-grip issues, and they wonder why they do not get better. Hang in there, keep working, and something else -- quoted from a note Ben Hogan wrote me years ago, "with all good wishes for better golf." (Yeah, I keep the note right above my computer... all the time.) I don't think Hogan or his disciplines ever started hitting balls before going through a grip evaluation routine first.

Thanks, man. Yea, I would say I have just entered the fun stage. I plan on milking it for all its worth. After months spent focusing solely on spine angle and a reduced sway, the left arm only drill combined with this awesome grip I can do now has been the basis of all my better ball striking the past 3 weeks. The basis for the rest of my swing is all on Five Lessons, which I discovered back in September 2008 via this forum. Since then I've probably read it 50 times, just a little each day, relearning his advice over and over until it made sense or started to become muscle memory.

I'm excited for my first round of 18 with this swing, which will probably be next weekend (no way I risk playing during this crowded holiday weekend). I'm hitting 80% 7-irons where I used to be hitting 100% 5-irons. This just started happening consistently probably 20 days ago, and it's happening more and more now at the par 3 course and grass range I practice at daily. After a cruel year of shanks and frustration (with the exception of the two happy days I 1st broke 100 and 90), I'm finally really enjoying myself out there, as getting it airborne and 150 yards with a 7-iron for example has become/is becoming/will hopefully stay consistent! But what's great is, even if I don't see an immediate improvement in my scoring, I'm okay with that. I'm trying not be "results oriented" out there. With this improved swing- a more fundamentally sound swing- I feel confident that after a shank, I'm almost definitely going to follow it up with a great shot. My old swing easily crumbled during the mildest adversity. I'm definitely not saying I'm "there" yet, or even close to it. But anytime I see legitimate improvement in this game, I get really excited about it, because it's certainly not everyday that one feels this way about his game.