Strong grip

[wildcorndog]

I am considering out of desperation changing my grip to a stronger grip to get rid of my very bad push.... But how much is to much when it comes to how strong ur grip is?

[Titleist_ProV1x]

I am considering out of desperation changing my grip to a stronger grip to get rid of my very bad push.... But how much is to much when it comes to how strong ur grip is?

You'll know, trust me you'll know ....... a stronger grip isn't always the answer long term, at some point you will have to learn the correct grip and swing .......

[Zeph]

Terrible idea, unless you have a very weak grip to start with. Chances are you are pushing because you turn the wrists on the backswing and open the club face, or cup the left wrist. Either way, taking a stronger grip is not the way to fix it.

You are just "fixing" one error by doing anyther error.

[Fatphil]

My take on the grip is strong or weak is a personal issue and comfort however, the most important part of the grip is that your palms face each other and are not in conflict...ie your left is turned strong and the right is over the top weak. If the palms are not facing each other it is virtually impossible to set the wrists properly. I would suspect your left hand is much stronger than you think it is and your right hand is making it appear that you have a weak grip.

[applejr]

Terrible idea, unless you have a very weak grip to start with. Chances are you are pushing because

This is my problem, I think...it just feels more natural to do that. Trying to work on it, though.

[Scott_K]

I agree with others. Going to a strong grip in this situation is more of a bandaid. I have a neutral grip and look at grip pressure before showing more knuckles.

[grantc79]

It depends.

You could just not be letting the club go with my friend has a problem with. He just hangs on to it forever which leads to the face being wide open at impact.

Its impossible to know which problem you have without seeing you on a high speed camera.

[mustang97]

i remember reading that you want to have a grip of 5 on a scale of 1-10. Also if you wear a glove the handle marks show if your gripping too hard. Correct me if im wrong.

[Zeph]

It depends.

He would still have to roll the wrists open through the swing in order to open the club face. If you keep the club face square to the plane all the way, you can't hold it off. If you roll the club face open, you can hold it off and hit a push.

[shortstop20]

He would still have to roll the wrists open through the swing in order to open the club face.

Sure you can. Even if it's square to the plane the whole way, if you start holding it off prior to impact, you are essentially slowing down, or stopping the natural movement of the clubhead square back to the ball, you're opening the clubface(compared to the swing path) by holding it off.

What do you think Tiger is talking about when he says, "I hold it off". He's not doing anything different on that shot until he gets in the impact zone, he holds off the natural release of the clubhead, therefore forcing it open slightly when compared to the swing plane.

[Zeph]

Sure you can. Even if it's square to the plane the whole way, if you start holding it off prior to impact, you are essentially slowing down, or stopping the natural movement of the clubhead square back to the ball, you're opening the clubface(compared to the swing path) by holding it off.

That's the point, the club is square to the plane, so as long as you get the arms back down to the ball, the club will be square. If you hinge the left wrist and bend the right, which would give somewhat a flat left wrist, you haven't changed the angle of the club face relative to the swing path. You can hold off the uncocking and unbending of the wrists, but the force applied when the club comes down will take over and "release" the club.

What do you think Tiger is talking about when he says, "I hold it off". He's not doing anything different on that shot until he gets in the impact zone, he holds off the natural release of the clubhead, therefore forcing it open slightly when compared to the swing plane.

Tiger says a lot of things that is not correct, so that is no guarantee for anything. Still, he turns the club face open on the backswing, so he can hold off the rolling back to square, but he could not do it without turning the arms over initially.

[delav]

It depends.

Agreed. Until you've got a good set of eyes checking things out, we are all throwing darts here. A push is caused by an open clubface... however the root cause can be a wide variety of things.

One thing I would recommend is going to the range and hitting half-swing shots with your feet together. Set a club down and identify a target, hit these shots with purpose and intent. Figure out what is causing your push with these shots first, then move into larger swings. I won't get into "releasing the club" as I have no idea how you prefer to swing. However, a clubface that is square to your intended target, which isn't always the target itself.

[Travtex]

For what it's worth...

I hit some nasty pushes with my driver, and check my swing thread -- My grip is scary strong.

(Which I'm working on, though it feels awkward as hell, haha.)

[shortstop20]

That's the point, the club is square to the plane, so as long as you get the arms back down to the ball, the club will be square. If you hinge the left wrist and bend the right, which would give somewhat a flat left wrist, you haven't changed the angle of the club face relative to the swing path. You can hold off the uncocking and unbending of the wrists, but the force applied when the club comes down will take over and "release" the club.

Tiger's hold off move has nothing to do with his backswing, he's done that move since he's been on the tour, and so have many pro's.

The hold off move they talk about happens in the impact zone, by holding it off, they force the face to stay open slightly at impact.

[CalBoomer]

I agree with those who say that the problem is not in your grip. A consistent push or slice from an open club face usually means that you have inadequate release and follow-through with your right hand. Try these two adjustments. Move the ball slightly forward in your address. Think of following through by throwing a ball underhand over the shortstop's head. These two things will help you have a more closed clubface at the point of contact.

[shortstop20]

Think of following through by throwing a ball underhand over the

Let me know before you do it though.

[Zeph]

Tiger's hold off move has nothing to do with his backswing, he's done that move since he's been on the tour, and so have many pro's.

Everything has to do with the backswing, that is where the swing starts. If he didn't turn the face open, he would not be able to hold it off. He can hold it off in the downswing too, I don't really know, but if the club was square to the plane, it would not be possible. If the hips rotate too fast it can happen, if the arms drops and turns a bit it can happen, but not if the club is square.

[shortstop20]

I think you're talking about something totally different than I am.

I don't care if the club is square, 30 degrees closed, 30 degrees open or anything in between, you can certainly hold it off. What you do in your backswing or anyplace else doesn't matter, ANYBODY can hold the club off.