grip question

[I KyotE I]

today I went to the range and I found out that if I grip with my right hand having the thumb pointing straight on e top of the grip I slice bad. Now when I turn the club closed alittle grip it and then make it so the club is square, this makes my right hand fingers point up...not the most comfy grip but when I did it I hit everything straight. I was wondering if anyone else has had to do this. and if needed I can post pics. I know it isn't easy to visualize what I am saying.

[picrig]

Rotating your hands to the right on the grip (as you described) is called strengthening your grip. You can also strengthen your left hand grip. Having your right thumb directly on top of the grip would be considered a pretty weak grip. Typically, a strong grip will close the clubface more at impact than a weak grip. Your slice could've been at least in part due to a weak grip (another major factor for many golfers is an outside to in swing). Good luck with the new grip!

[RobotDoctor]

I tend to place my thumbs off the top of the shaft when I grip. The left thumb is at 1:00 (if the top of the shaft is 12:00) and my right thumb is around 11:00. I never place my thumbs at the top of the shaft for wood and iron shots. I do place the thumbs near the top for my putter, though.

[I KyotE I]

thanks for the input. I am still looking for some lessons as I am almost sure on the outside to in swing could be hindering me as well. Is a strenghening my grip a bad thing? I know there is no one right swing or anything but is that considered a band-aid to my swing?

[steviesouthpaw]

No. Strengthening your grip is a very good thing. Very hard for most any amateur to square the club face with a weak grip. You want to be able to see at least the two biggest knuckles on your glove hand as you address the ball. Weak grip promotes slicing action and more severely, the shanks....

[Stacey_E]

Strenghtening the grip is not a bad thing. You will know when you get too strong. Also consider that what now feels like a strong grip, may be very neutral. I'm not ashamed to admit that it took me some 2 years to really get my grip where I want it. Grip changes always feel very unatural at first.

I wish there was more attention payed to the grip (which I understand is a boring subject to many) than to all the full swing mechanics, checkpoints and theories. IMHO if you are getting a straight ball flight, you are squaring your clubface pretty well. It's hard to square the clubface with a poor grip. Once I started hitting a straight ball I knew my grip was getting close to where I wanted it. But then I was hitting straight pulls. Before my grip changes, if I pulled it, my poor grip put a cut on the ball and made the results WAY better than the swing. A pull cut can still center cut the fairway.

Only after I started hitting a straight ball (straight pull) with a good grip was I able to know I was coming over the top. After filming myself I was able to see what needs fixing and I'm now working on that. But I would have never gotten to that point had I not worked my grip into a nice position.

I'm amazed at how much I held the grip in my palms in the past. Now, with the butt of the club set really deep in my fingers, I can hold the club with almost zero grip pressure. My wrists hinge naturally. If I resist the urge to hit, and just let it flow, the face squares naturally with no manipulation whatsoever.

Sounds like you are on the right path! You are starting where the rubber meets the road - or in this case where the hands meet the club.

Good Luck!

[dagolfer]

i have often fought a slice in my game and yes like most amatures i probably do have the outside to inside swing but this thread has got be thinking about my grip. When i just went and grabbed a club and gripped it and looked at my golved hand i can see the first knuckle easy but the second one is barley visible. I rotate by thumb to the 1 o'clock postions like someone said before and it seemed to square up the face at adress even more. Is this what it is supposed to do? My only question is when i didn't that it seems i need a little more grip pressure to hold the club.

[wedge player]

i feel in the minority both my thumbs are in the middle,which someone said was weak hmm i fel strange now.lol

[Stacey_E]

JMHO knuckles and thumbs and such are OK indicators of your grip. But you can grip the club poorly, twist your hands into position and have what looks like a good grip.

I think it was Sam Snead (maybe not) that Harvey Pennick told the story about that went like this.

The amateur asked the pro (Snead?) if he could see the calluses on his hands. The pro said he didn't have any calluses, although he obviously had hit a ton of balls over the decades. Pennick went on to say that blisters and calluses come from putting your hands on the grip and then twisting them into what looked like a good position. He said to get your hands in the right position the first time.

I am no expert obviously as my handicap will show. I've just really been thinking about the grip a lot lately. The feeling of a good grip is a lot like casting an open faced fishing reel. I bass fish in a lot of ponds where the moss is so thick you can only use a plastic worm with no weights or sinkers. To really throw that extra light bait out there you need to have fluid wrists, and not try to over power your cast. The only way I've been able to do this is by holding the rod loosely in my throwing hand in my fingers. It's a finesse thing more than a power thing. That same feeling reminds me of a good golf grip.

[bIGwIRE]

i feel in the minority both my thumbs are in the middle,which someone said was weak hmm i fel strange now.lol

I use the same grip, with both thumbs on top, because it feels natural, and a "strong" grip produces a hook for me.

Not sure why its called weak. I suppose its refering to how aggresively, or unaggresively, the club face is turning over during and after impact.

[Stacey_E]

Not sure why its called weak. I suppose its refering to how aggresively, or unaggresively, the club face is turning over during and after impact.

I always wondered that myself. If I had to guess I'd say you are right. It is a problem for a lot of beginners, that misnomer as it were. I know it was for me. If someone said grip it stronger, I'd probably have squeezed like hell.