Small change, big difference

[cruzthepug]

Ive been hacking the last couple of weeks and during a range session this week I was trying different things to try to get it figured out. One of the things I had tried was changing my grip just slightly. This morning was more hacking and shot 10 over (par 37)on the front. Frustrated, I decided to try the new grip on the back and shot the best 9 of the year, 2 under 33. The change was very smal, my normal grip is a interlock with my thumbs pretty much on top of the shaft. I moved my thumbs slightly, left thumb to the right and the right to the left. It actually feels better. I'll see if the feeling is still there tomorrow but it sure felt good throwing darts today :-D

[cruzthepug]

Grip change still working, had good ball striking both Sunday as well as today.

[CollegeGolfer]

Your grip can change your swing completely.  I'd say it is the third most important mechanic to a golf swing, behind swing plane, and head movement.

[Spyder]

Proper Grip is one of the last things, unfortunately, that I focused on. I had many lessons from extremely poor excuses of "professionals" who never stressed the importance of grip.

I found out long ago that I was actually using a very weak interlocked grip with my left hand too far "under" the club in a weak position (I could not see any knuckles on the top of my left hand).

Since putting my left hand farther right on the grip and being able to see 2-3 knuckles, as well as straightening my right arm out (strong grip), I hit a slight draw with all clubs. I went from a 20-30 yard slice (left to right) to a gradual 5-10 yard draw from right to left. This easily increased my FIR substantially.

[colin007]

People have success with widely varying grips. It's not really one of the most important things in the swing.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by colin007

People have success with widely varying grips. It's not really one of the most important things in the swing.

I kind of disagree. I think it's "up there" on the list of the most important swing factors. To start off with, a weaker grip could definitely promote a slice or lack of control of the club face before any other factors or mechanics of the swing as a whole begin.

For example, a weak grip with the shaft crossing diagonally through the palm rather than properly across the last knuckles of your fingers (at the base of the fingers) could cause the club face to remain open, to spin/move on impact. Would it be "impossible" to hit a good shot like this? No. Is there a good chance that the majority of an amateurs shots with the described grip are going to be sliced, uncontrollable, or simply produce unwanted results? In my opinion, absolutely.

[Grumpter]

I have been fighting pulls/hooks most of the season. Last Friday I decided to go back to my old grip (which is much like you describe in your original post) and I have been much more consistent since. It's not a big enough sample size yet for me to say it was a leading cause of my problem but early indications are encouraging.

[LovinItAll]

People have success with widely varying grips. It's not really one of the most important things in the swing.

When I started playing again in April, I developed some pretty bad pain in my right forearm. I was surprised because even though I hadn't hit a ball in six years, I've never had a golfing injury, and I've hit a gawdawful number of balls. I finally took a hard look at my grip. I was placing my right hand much more under the club than, for me, it should've been. As soon as I rotated it back to the left, no more pain. In addition, I started striking the ball much better. I know people have success with all types of grips, and I'm not saying that the grip that hurt me was "wrong", but it was wrong for me. It was pretty key, or important, for me. Ymmv....

[Bananarama]

Originally Posted by CollegeGolfer

Your grip can change your swing completely.  I'd say it is the third most important mechanic to a golf swing, behind swing plane, and head movement.

In before Iacas changes "grip" to "club head control" and changes it to the 5th most important mechanic :)

[ghalfaire]

Originally Posted by CollegeGolfer

Your grip can change your swing completely.  I'd say it is the third most important mechanic to a golf swing, behind swing plane, and head movement.

I certainly not the golfer as the other comments above are, but to me the grip is perhaps the most important thing in the golf swing.  I know in my case when I change grips it changes my setup and swing plane (I've seen the videos).  In my personal case I try to keep my hands on top of the club (neutral grip pretty much, with a medium left thumb going down the middle of the shaft and the right hand life line over the left thumb, interlocking grip) and that seems to work the best for me.   But I would encourage everyone to experiment with their grip and see what works best.  What is good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander when it comes to grips.

[colin007]

A grip that gets you back to where you were at address is pretty much good enough. There's other things that are far more detrimental, like swaying off the ball, turning the shoulders to flat, not getting your weight forward enough, etc...

[broomhandle]

I think importance of grip depends on swing style. I'm normally a hands and arm oriented player and grip, especially right hand is hyper-critical.

When I try to make a more body oriented swing I find that grip is not so important.

I believe I see the same tendency in writer/instructors.

The handsier the swing recommended the more grip is stressed.