Strong Grip Causes Cupped Wrist

[jdjanda]

Spent an hour with an instructor today, really focused on the fundamentals, by the end I was making great contact, but I am having a very hard time closing the face, so my shots would push.

I tend to use a strong grip, this afternoon at home I worked on using a more neutral to an almost weak grip which seemed to improve or reduce my cupped wrist.

Has anyone else found this, or other thoughts from the more experienced? I know a strong grip can sometimes help cure a slice but it may also hide other issues.

[James_Black]

Wow I was the opposite!
I had a strong grip and that was causing me to aim left and close the clubface.

Your saying the strong grip was causing you to push them. to the right or left?

[uttexas]

yes, a strong grip does promote a cupped left wrist (for a right handed golfer). For a right handed golfer, I define a strong grip by more than two knuckles showing on the left hand with the "V's" pointing more toward the right shoulder.

[jdjanda]

Making sure I have a flat wrist at address has improved my in-out swing motion and contact. I'm a little irked my instructor did not pick up on this during the lesson, it would have solved the push problem.

[DBeane]

As long as your not conciously cupping your left wrist you should be fine. There are success stories with both positions. I prefer a flat left wrist to a cupped one, I think it eleminates a variable (however there is a big but with that statement...).

If you are blocking the ball (i.e. it is starting right of the target and staying there). The first place I usually look is the finish. You could be hanging back on your right side.

Try this: The next few swings you make, try folding your left arm up quicker after impact (the ol' swing left of the targer or shake hands with the target idea). This should get the ball moving back to the target. If this fixes the issue, great. If not, tell your instructore you need to work on your finish. If thats not it, then it is a swing plane issue.

Good luck,

-Beane

[NormH3]

i recently adjusted to a stronger grip to eliminate the occaisional slice. different strokes for different folks. (pun intended)

[MiniMoe]

I'm helping a guy with his swing and he cups his wrists at the top so he can't get the club back to square. He does this because he uses the wrists to lift the club, so he is cupped really early but does not feel it. I told him to use his arms more to control the back swing and let he wrists become a little more passive. This helped him immediately, but he still fights using the wrists to lift the club. The key is a flatter lead hand at the top. A little cupping is ok, but it should not be very much.

[deronsizemore]

If you have a really strong grip, you would actually need a some cupping to get he face square. If you have a really strong grip plus a flat left wrist at the top, the clubface will likely be really closed.

[FHopper]

I don't understand cupped. I have a very strong grip, four knuckles, my thumbs point away from the target. What cups? Up, down, back?
My grip delofts a club a lot, OP does your grip deloft too?

[deronsizemore]

I don't understand cupped. I have a very strong grip, four knuckles, my thumbs point away from the target. What cups? Up, down, back?

http://www.golfingpartner.com/librar...SCF0015.01.JPG That's cupped at the top.

[jdjanda]

My grip delofts a club a lot, OP does your grip deloft too?

I don't think I am delofting the club, though my ball flight has been low but I believe it is from poor ball striking. Having a cupped wrist at impact for me was causing a push (no slice) when I swing in to out.

What I think I was doing before was using an out to in swing to help close the face, resulting in a poor ball flight. I am working on half swings making sure I take the club away outside my hands and finish my half swing with the club angled right of the target line and on crisp contact.

[unoiron]

Making sure I have a flat wrist at address has improved my in-out swing motion and contact. I'm a little irked my instructor did not pick up on this during the lesson, it would have solved the push problem.

Whenever I play with a really strong left wrist I tend -if anything- to hood the club too much at impact. A push is definitely not the problem. So... could it be that your push isn't grip related but something else? Maybe your blocking?

[shortstop20]

Whenever I play with a really strong left wrist I tend -if anything- to hood the club too much at impact.

Same here. Which is why I've moved to a weaker left hand grip so I can keep the same flat wrist position at the top.

[Kujan]

Do others find that when you grip strong there is shaft lean at setup? Doesn't that deloft the club and cause a lower ball flight? I find that if I grip weak the ball moves forward in my stance and I get a higher ball flight.

[mvmac]

Do others find that when you grip strong there is shaft lean at setup? Doesn't that deloft the club and cause a lower ball flight? I find that if I grip weak the ball moves forward in my stance and I get a higher ball flight.

Correct, some lean also tends to aim the face slightly right, which helps hit the ball higher.

[vangator]

I have fought with hanging my shots right. I have a very very strong grip. I don't know if I'm cupped or not. I have tried for years to weaken my grip but it feels to funky. What fixes it for me is getting more foward lean on my club. I think it must help with keeping my wrists from releasing too early on my downswing.

[bendport]

In my experience, having a cupped wrist at the top would typically be caused by a weak grip or a grip where the left thumb position was too pinched backwards where as a bowed left wrist at the top would be caused by a strong grip or a grip with a long left thumb.  Are you fanning the club open on your takeaway as this can often lead to a cupped position at the top?

[iacas]

In my experience, having a cupped wrist at the top would typically be caused by a weak grip or a grip where the left thumb position was too pinched backwards where as a bowed left wrist at the top would be caused by a strong grip or a grip with a long left thumb.  Are you fanning the club open on your takeaway as this can often lead to a cupped position at the top?

That hasn't been my experience.

I've seen the opposite more, as a strong grip that's bowed will be even more shut at the top of the backswing. A strong grip is naturally more cupped than arched at setup as well.

I encourage individual diagnoses on these types of things. Some players feel the grip is strong and the face a little "shut" so they cup their wrist to help keep the face open a bit (Fred Couples - strong grip, cupped at impact and top of the backswing), others let it arch (Dustin Johnson, not that his grip is particularly strong).