Little Talent, Suspect Professional (rant)

[MikeLowry5]

I hope that didn't come off as harsh by the way, and I certainly don't mean to say that you're some kind of doomed student. One ugly round after a questionable tip means basically nothing as long as you don't let the frustration detract from your desire to improve, and hopefully the number of balls lost not overly influence your enjoyment of the round or the game.

No worries here. I am aware the game doesn't exactly come naturally to me. When I do lose that many balls it is frustrating. For me to enjoy the game round by round I would like to be able to get to keep the ball in play for the most part and not have to buy 2 dozen balls before hand.

[kafka01]

Wow - with this kind of grip i probably would loose that many balls too, thats just sick.
I played with a guy today who had a similar grip and he just hooked about every shot. He told me, if he would grip "normal" they would go open right or slice. Well there is a reason for that, and its a fundamental flaw somewhere in your swing.

Giving you such a grip is not fixing the flaw, its just a workaround.
See somebody who understands your flaw and is going to work on that, instead of working around it.

[dag2000]

Here are some grip photos:

From Leadbetter's book:


Here's Ernie Els' grip in three steps:






There are many idiosyncratic swings, but not a lot of variation when it comes to grips (except for overlap versus interlock for your pinkies).

Here's the source for the grip photos . Lots of good here, but treat it like a buffet: find something that's good for you, that you like and use it. Don't try to take in everything.

[Marinemike]

Whatever grip you end up with, fire the instructor and find a new one. You already think the guy sucks, and that's probably not going to go away. Being that this game is 90% mental you need a new instructor.

My fix for everything...Go get Ben Hogan's Fundamentals. I'm not saying you won't need an instructor, but if you want fundamentals, you got'em.


EDIT: and what the hell...24 balls in 9 holes gone? Are you playing at some sort of island hopping course where you have to take a boat from shot to shot? Here's a pro tip...watch where the hell it goes and go find it.

[jambalaya]

That is a horrible grip he taught you. I just don't see how an instructor could ask someone to do that. He should have some better ideas to stop your slicing than some greatly exaggerated grip. Ditch this guy and get a new instructor.

Question: When you were fading or slicing before, how was your contact? Was it weak fades and slices or were you hitting solid but to the left. Tell the next pro you have that you are looking at building a swing from the ground up.

[iacas]

Band Aids don't make a good teacher, but at the same time, a lot of teachers feel pressure to bandage a swing so that you come back again. Too many students want instant improvement, while real improvement in golf is gradual and often involves a step or two backwards at first.

Next time, tell your instructor you'd like to commit to a six-lesson series (or more, or less) up front, and that he has time to put in long-term changes. You'll probably get a discount, too.

[MikeLowry5]

That is a horrible grip he taught you. I just don't see how an instructor could ask someone to do that. He should have some better ideas to stop your slicing than some greatly exaggerated grip. Ditch this guy and get a new instructor.

I was hitting the ball hard with a good flight but everything of the heel on longer clubs. I it some balls yesterday with the nuetral grip and kept it straight to a slight draw or fade sometimes just by telling myself to swing thru the ball.

[fendermallot]

if everything is off the heel of the club on your longer clubs, maybe you have the ball setup too close to you. I believe the proper distance from the butt of your club is a hand + a thumb. I reach out with my club and draw it back to me. Try that, then hold the club w/ your left hand and stick your right between the butt and your belly. See how far away it is. You might need to back up a couple inches.

I also learned a bit of a tip yesterday from a pro from Golf Galaxy. Set up your club face square to the ball, as usual. Then open up your hands just a tad. It will keep you from closing the club face on your swing. I tried it, and it worked pretty nicely.