"Essentials of the Swing" by Hank Haney

[iacas]

Discuss "Essentials of the Swing" by Hank Haney here.

[bobsuruncle]

I was intrigued by the advice on grip. Hank says we should:

1. hold the grip more in the palm of the left hand and not so much in the fingers. Very unlike what most other books teach.

2. advocates the interlocking grip bcoz the 2 best players in the world - Jack and Tiger - use this grip.

In his earlier book - The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever Need - he advocated the same "palm" grip but then he didn't care whether you used a vardon, interlock or baseball grip.

3. advocates a neutral grip which others do also but is unlike "Swing Like a Pro" where the model pro uses a Strong left hand grip.

I've tried this - both inadvertantly as the grip had moved from the fingers to the palm over time and this was pointed out to me by a fitter when I changed my grips, and on purpose as I give this new grip a try. Too early to tell what the results are like yet...but I quite like the "feel" of it actually.

[beachbreak]

I very much like to grip the club more in the palm of my left hand. I feel more connected to my left side or something when pulling through. Can't really describe it but it works OK for me. I am more accurate also with this left hand grip.

[mdvaldosta]

About halfway through it, downloaded the kindle ebook on my iPhone. Good info so far, but jury is still out. Seems real stuck on Tiger, but I guess that's to be expected.

[bobsuruncle]

About halfway through it, downloaded the kindle ebook on my iPhone. Good info so far, but jury is still out. Seems real stuck on Tiger, but I guess that's to be expected.

Yes, in his earlier book - The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever Need - he was stuck on Mark Omera. I guess it's who his star pupil is at that moment.

[ninetwothree]

I liked his theory of keeping the club at the same plane ANGLE throughout the swing. I think with the grip being more in the left palm it helps keep the face open - something that is noticeable in the players at his junior academy. Very flat shafts and open clubfaces.

[andy]

he was here for a book signing at a golfsmith in nyc about two weeks ago and he said if the advice doesn't work for you, at least its coming from the guy that's coaching the world's #1 player

[ControlJunkie]

I picked this book up this past weekend, and so far, I've found it helpful. I'm fighting the grip adjustments pretty bad right now though. I'm trying to transition from 10-finger to interlocking, and I'm also having problems getting adjusted to having the grip in my left palm a little more. Yesterday at the range was very rough for me, but I know that's all part of making a change.

It's like a big chain reaction - because the grip is much different, and isnt burned in yet, the club feels a little looser in my hands at the moment. Because of that, I'm squeezing too hard, which is then preventing me from releasing properly.

I'm not sweating it that bad though, as I said, I know it takes time and I have to be patient. Though he does mention Tiger a good bit, some of those parts make me feel more comfortable knowing that Tiger had some of the same reservations as I have when making these changes. I think in one part, when talking about changing Tiger's grip, he said 3 different times Tiger turned back to him and said something like "I can't swing like this, the club is going to fly out of my hands and kill someone."

Oh, and I found the diagrams and pictures to be pretty helpful, some of them answered some questions I've had for quite a while.

[cut18]

i may be in the wrong forum but forgive me, but to correct a fade what should i do? i rotated my bottom hand around the club and slightly angled the club face, any other tips to keep my drive straight!!

[sonomajake]

Ive read the book. Pretty good stuff about the grip. I like the neutral feel. It gives me way better feel for irons.

[madcityscott]

I started going with the left hand gripping more in the palm (as he recommends) and I've found the club definitely moves around less in the backswing.

[easyjay39402]

Last year - 2018 - I decided to follow a plan methodically, as Haney recommends, to clean up the idiosyncrasies that had crept into my swing over many years. Haney’s approach certainly worked for Tiger 2002-2008. About a third of the way through, I started hitting the ball - and scoring - really well, so I basically stopped working on my swing, didn’t complete the plan. I should have known better, as Haney warns against doing this very thing. Anyways, this year I am back at step one - the grip - and this year I intend to stay the course.

I recommend the book; it is clearly written with pictures that demonstrate the key points. Especially interesting are two chapters about how Tiger approaches both practice and play.

Edited February 9, 2019 by easyjay39402
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