Problems with a Strong Grip

[jjb333]

So I've been told I have an incredibly strong grip and that I need to weaken it. Trusting this information, I've tried several times to hit with a weakened grip and all I can do is either shank the ball, or at best, hit a high and short fade. When I say short, I mean a 100 yard 9 iron instead of 150 yards.

I can't post a video so I'll try to describe the other aspects of my swing. I'm pretty flexible and can get a good turn. I cock my wrists very early and I sometimes have a problem with taking away with my wrists instead of shoulders. If I hit a bad shot, it's almost always a slice. With that being said, I hit the ball straight or with a small fade when I hit a good shot. Also, and I'm not sure if this is relevant, but I'm the epitome of a digger when it comes to striking the ball.

Final questions:
Is it really necessary to change my grip up? I can work with my occasional slice but I would like more consistency as it affects my drives the most.

If it is necessary, how do I go about overcoming the shanks and terrible shots I get when I try a weaker grip? Keep in mind I have a pretty high swing speed and never suffer from a lack of distance.

Thanks in advance.

[titaniummd]

So I've been told I have an incredibly strong grip and that I need to weaken it. Trusting this information, I've tried several times to hit with a weakened grip and all I can do is either shank the ball, or at best, hit a high and short fade. When I say short, I mean a 100 yard 9 iron instead of 150 yards.

What prompted someone to even comment on your grip?

If you are comfortable with your game and your swing, why change? I went with neutral to strong grip and my ball flight has improved to a slight fade. I was slicing the heck out of the ball, before.

[jambalaya]

If you went from a very strong grip to a neutral or slightly week grip I am not suprised you are shanking. People with weak grips probably use more forearm or wrist rotation to square up the club or perhaps an earlier body roation before impact. Anyway, if you change to a weaker grip and do nothing else you are going probably leave the clubface open. If it is severely open you will get a shank.

[kfowler]

Two things come to mind from your description. If you say you're a digger and you slice, best bet is you're coming over top on your down swing. Because of this you'll leave the face open to try and square the face.

If you're on plane, if you already use a strong grip and still fade/slice, a weak grip will only make it worse. You need to retrain you muscles to where the release is.

[JackieTreehorn]

Realize that in a neutral grip, you rotate your forearms during the backswing and downswing. In a strong grip, you preset some of the forearm rotation so that you don't need to (and shouldn't) rotate them as much during your swing.

I find that when I let my arms hang naturally, and then grip, my L hand goes to a strong position. But my swing feels better when I have forearm rotation. So before I grip, I force my left arm to rotate so that my L elbow points in at my L hip, almost like I am doing a dumbbell curl. This weakens my grip and allows for a smoother swing.

[kc8kir]

The poster above is correct. You must learn to rotate the forearm and pronate the wrist. I had the same problem lately. My instructor put me in a very strong grip, and I could hit ok, but I hated the feeling and had no control. I'm back to a neutral grip, and had to reprogram my forearm and pronation to achieve the square contact. I will say it is much more effortless and I find it now easier to keep the club on plane versus my old "super strong" grip. Every golfer is different though, and many play just fine with strong grips. In any case you must pronate through impact. That's why chipping is connected to the rest of the swing. Practice chipping and pronating with a long iron. You won't believe how much it improves your contact and coordination.

[hamletsdead]

Why would you listen to anyone telling you to change your grip if you're hitting your 9 iron 150? If it's going straight and consistently the same distance, then -- guess what? -- a strong grip works for you. My grip is slightly strong, which works great for me, and anything different feels odd and simply doesn't work consistently for me. The only time I open my grip is if I'm intentionally trying to hit a fade (and then of course I open my stance up as well and aim left of target)

[jjb333]

hamletsdead, I agree, I came in here thinking "Why fix what's not broken?". Having said that, I'll keep with it and keep trying to improve the other components of my swing.

kc8kir, I like the sound of that drill; chipping with a long iron to get the feel of the release. I'll definitely work on that.

[TaylorMadeMark]

Thats funny someone once told me the same thing about my grip and I tried loosening my grip with the same results.. You can never go wrong with the "if it's not borken dont fix it" mentality.. you can get inside your head real quick and destroy your swing. Good luck.