Gripped down by 1 inch ...

[rkim291968]

I have been struggling with 2nd shots and decided to try gripping down by an inch on all my full swings.   I practice it for a day and hit my home course today.   The result was very promising.  I hit a few more solid & accurate shots without losing distance.   Although I can't swear by its effectiveness after only one round, I think it will improve my score if I keep at it.

Anyone with similar experience/experiment want to share their result?

[GaijinGolfer]

When I start struggling, I always grip down.  It gives you more control because it makes the shaft play shorter.

[David in FL]

Realize that like many such "adjustments", it's a band aid.  A good way to get through a bad patch out on the course without blowing your round completely out of the water, but in the long run, you have to work through what the root problem is that's causing your poor ball striking.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by David in FL

Realize that like many such "adjustments", it's a band aid.  A good way to get through a bad patch out on the course without blowing your round completely out of the water, but in the long run, you have to work through what the root problem is that's causing your poor ball striking.

Or it could be just a bad ballstriking day.  Some days you just arent going to have it, no matter how good you are.

[rkim291968]

Originally Posted by David in FL

Realize that like many such "adjustments", it's a band aid.  A good way to get through a bad patch out on the course without blowing your round completely out of the water, but in the long run, you have to work through what the root problem is that's causing your poor ball striking.

Agreed.

In my case, there is more to it.  My club fitting result shows that I have to use -1" club shaft length.   I was unwilling to cut the clubs down b/c I was convinced that I would lose some distance.   I was also too lazy to do this experiment (practice, adjust to new swing & club distance).   The sudden ball striking slump after a recent back injury pushed me over the edge to try this.

I will give it a few more tries before cutting down clubs down by 1 inch.  ( I've already adjusted the lie angle by 2 degrees per the club fitting result.  )

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by GaijinGolfer

Or it could be just a bad ballstriking day.  Some days you just arent going to have it, no matter how good you are.

Absolutely.....and as I said, those band aid fixes can get you through those days.  If they recur often though, there's likely a deeply rooted issue that needs to be identified and fixed.

Originally Posted by rkim291968

Agreed.

In my case, there is more to it.  My club fitting result shows that I have to use -1" club shaft length.   I was unwilling to cut the clubs down b/c I was convinced that I would lose some distance.   I was also too lazy to do this experiment (practice, adjust to new swing & club distance).   The sudden ball striking slump after a recent back injury pushed me over the edge to try this.

I will give it a few more tries before cutting down clubs down by 1 inch.  ( I've already adjusted the lie angle by 2 degrees per the club fitting result.  )

Totally different situation!  My only recommendation here would be to be very careful about simply "cutting down" your current shafts.  While the length will be correct, the swing weight and shaft flex will change.  Perhaps enough to cause problems of their own.  That's where you're going to have to engage a club builder who knows what he's talking about.

[rkim291968]

Now, I've got enough rounds under my belt to go with -1 inch shaft length.   Shots became more consistent without losing distance.   I still make a lot of ball striking mistakes so I have some work to do there.

Per David in FL (thanks!), I need to be careful before cutting the shafts down.  I noticed my ball flight changed when I gripped down.  Once I overcome my laziness on this, I will get custom fitted by an expert.