Grip change = BAD day at the range, sound familiar?

[Fore Nicator]

I had just got done watching some instructional video and I tried a "tip" that I thought could help me improve. It was a minute change, a simple right thumb placement change in my grip. I have a consistent fade (NOT a slice) from the tee box to the green and wanted to try to just hit it straight. I hit a bucket and half of balls with the grip on the left and made a fool out of myself. My timing was so thrown off that the balls were going left and right, high and low. The 2 sixty something Korean ladies behind me were snickering and speaking in Hongul between each other. I knew I was on the wrong end of the joke and I couldn't help but laugh myself. I went back to the old grip for the remainder of my range balls and everything was right again. Now I'm kicking myself for doing what I tell my students not to do, trying to fix what wasn't broke.

The grip on the left is the "tip grip" I tried. The grip on the right is the one I have used for about 20 years. Have I just learned to cope with a fundamental flaw in my grip? Does the grip on the right help to promote the fade I get? Your opinions are welcome.

[mdl]

When I first started I used a grip like the one on the right, with my thumb too straight down the shaft.  It took me a little while to get used to the thumb position on the left, but it's worth it if you're willing to suck it up for a while.  The grip on the left allows you to learn how to hit the ball less "handsy", IMO.

[mcmatt]

Last week, I did the same thing.  My grip is with the thumb straight down the shaft and I hit a bunch of balls with with my thumb in the proper place, as depicted in your photo on the left.  I was more consistant and hit the ball more pure.  Tomorrow I will play with my new grip and hopefully I will have good results.  I would suggest trying it again at the range.

[LBlack14]

Looks to me that either way you have the grip too much in your palms and not your fingers. Your "strong" grip on the right usually results in draws or hooks because it allows for the hands to be turned over/rolled easier. The "weak" grip on the left makes it easier to hit a fade.

[saevel25]

Actually the grip on the right is neutral bordering on weak. The left hand is not strong at all, the V is pointing towards the chin. In the left image, his left hand is still weak, but he strenghtened his right hand a bit.

Having a strong versus weak grip has nothing to do with the placement of it in the palm or fingers. I can have a very strong trip and still be in the fingers of the hands.

When he shifted to the grip on the left, i would recommend he move his left hand over the club a bit more to make them both a bit stronger. You don't want conflicting hands in the grip. If he gets that V on his left hand pointing towards his right ear, then it woudl match well with the stronger right hand.

[dsc123]

Mike and James have me working on the same thing.  I had a grip like yours on the bottom, but  rotated to the right a bit more, and I'm working on getting it to look more like your first picture.  Its a tough change.

[Fore Nicator]

Originally Posted by saevel25

Actually the grip on the right is neutral bordering on weak. The left hand is not strong at all, the V is pointing towards the chin. In the left image, his left hand is still weak, but he strenghtened his right hand a bit.

Having a strong versus weak grip has nothing to do with the placement of it in the palm or fingers. I can have a very strong trip and still be in the fingers of the hands.

When he shifted to the grip on the left, i would recommend he move his left hand over the club a bit more to make them both a bit stronger. You don't want conflicting hands in the grip. If he gets that V on his left hand pointing towards his right ear, then it woudl match well with the stronger right hand.

Thank you very much. I adjusted the left hand V to the right ear and had MUCH better results. It felt very awkward for the first bucket or so at the range. But, after sticking with it for 4 more buckets I felt more confident in it. Again, thanks for taking the time to pass this on to me.

[ohiolefty]

Grip is one of, if not the, hardest thing to change because the domino effect it creates is tremendous. Whenever I'm making a grip adjustment or even just tuning something up with my grip during a range session, I always hit a lot of balls with it where I'm not really hitting full shots, just trying to hit it solid and be in good positions with my take away and at impact, until I feel like I'm in a good position with it.

I guess what I'm saying is - don't be discouraged if it's rough, or if Korean ladies are laughing at you. It happens to everybody. I've been farting around with something relating to impact lately, and I had a guy chuckling at me two stalls down the other day...meanwhile I know I can go out and shoot near par and just watching and listening to the guy strike balls, he has never broken 80 and probably never come close. So don't worry about it. Play your game. Fix what you need to fix.

[Tomboys]

Originally Posted by ohiolefty

Play your game. Fix what you need to fix.

Great advice.

That's why when I go to the range, I try to choose a stall in no-man's land with no one around me so that I resist the temptation to "out-do" the guy(s) in the next stall.  In fact, I had to tell my bud one day to stop telling me I was hitting good shots because they weren't hitting my target.  When he asked what my target was, I told him it was a tree in the distance.  He looked at me and said that my shots were landing right around that area.  I told him you're looking at the canopy of the tree, right?  He said, "yup."  That's when I told him, "My target is the tree trunk."  He shook his head and went back to his stall.