Bad Range Session - Club Slipping

[AvidHacker]

Hi All, Second post and been playing 3 months..... My question is, what caused the club to be slipping\club head turning when I was hitting a few at the range last night? I have a chicken wing, so in effort to cure this I figured a lot has to do with not clearing my hips (my pro mentioned this a lesson ago but I think I needed to find out for myself for whatever reason!) and sort of crashing into my body. This led me to the range, 50 balls (usually only hit 25) and I swear I did not hit one ball cleanly. I am not talking about hooks\slices\short I was having terrible terrible contact, the ball skimming on the floor, hititng the side of the nets, almost as if I just did not know how to hit the ball! This was with every iron I had (pw-5).... So, I thought to hell with the hips I will work on that another day, i will just try hitting a few in my usual swing (which is ok with the chicken wing even) but I simply could not hit it right, only when I went to slow 20yrd flop\pitches was anything resembling a shot working out What I did feel though was that the club head turned over at impact, sort of down toward the ground, at impact but I could not correct when I looked at my grip. A couple of factors which may or may not be related: I gave blood earlier, 3 hours-ish before and while I felt fine my left arm at the elbow was a little sore and I think my grip was a bit weakened. Also, the glove I used seems a bit done, not very tacky. Now I know that surely I cant, practically overnight, have lost the ability to hit the ball but I am a little worried about picking up a club at the range tomorrow! Anyone ever came across something lije this? Help and advice as always much appreciated. AH

[David in FL]

When was the last time you changed your grips?

[AvidHacker]

Hi David in FL... I ahve yet to change my grips, as the clubs are less then 5m old. I have been out a fair few times with them though, but I would expect them to last a bit longer than that? Part of my practice is to swing at home, not hitting balls just swinging trying to get the right rotation down etc, and last night I used another glove, it felt tacky and it did not "feel" like I was slipping\twisting the face, but as I wasnt hitting balls that could all change once I have a ball in front of me. I hope it was a combination of things, glove, weak hand and trying too much then thinking about the badness! I am back at the range tonight, hopefully it was just a one off but if it happens again I will look into the grip issue.

[billchao]

The club will turn in your hands if you are not holding it firmly enough, so it's probably the combination of you giving blood and the worn glove. Have you had this problem before? If it persists, it may be a grip problem (as in your hands holding the club).

[David in FL]

Hi David in FL...

I ahve yet to change my grips, as the clubs are less then 5m old. I have been out a fair few times with them though, but I would expect them to last a bit longer than that?

Part of my practice is to swing at home, not hitting balls just swinging trying to get the right rotation down etc, and last night I used another glove, it felt tacky and it did not "feel" like I was slipping\twisting the face, but as I wasnt hitting balls that could all change once I have a ball in front of me.

I hope it was a combination of things, glove, weak hand and trying too much then thinking about the badness!

I am back at the range tonight, hopefully it was just a one off but if it happens again I will look into the grip issue.

I'd also replace the glove.  A worn glove not only isn't "grippy" any more, it can become downright slick.

If the grips are ok, and the new glove doesn't alleviate the situation, then something else is going on, but I'd look at those two most obvious possibilities first....

......the old saying, "When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Make sure you're cleaning your grips weekly too; it's surprising how much grip you suddenly get when they've been cleaned (warm water and a small amount of washing up liquid, scrub with an old toothbrush and then rinse with clean water and let them dry/dry with a lint-free cloth)

[AvidHacker]

Thanks, I have ordered a new glove to practice in and a couple more as spares. I take your point about looking to the obvious thing first, I think I just panicked that I was going so far backward when I was really enjoying the game!

[AvidHacker]

billchao Thanks, I am pretty reassured its the combination....I had never had that problem before, and hope I never again. It was most embarrassing and I have had plenty of moments at the range but nothing as bad as that!

[AvidHacker]

MiniBlueDragon You know, I had never even thought of cleaning the grips! I try to clean the club head after a round\practice but never the grip. I will do so, thanks for the advise. With luck tonight at the range will be a whole other story and I can get back to working on that bl00dy weight transfer\hip rotation that troubles me so. Thanks to all for great advise to a newbie :)

[MiniBlueDragon]

No worries. :)

I never bothered cleaning them at the beginning either but I decided one day while cleaning the heads as normal I scrubbed the grips too and the amount of dirt, sand and grime that came off them was unreal. I'd thought they were fine before that but just a simple clean and it was like a whole new set of grips.

Another tip for you; on the forum if you click the "multi" button on all the posts you want to reply to  and then click "Reply" you'll create a single reply with all the quotes posted in the same one to save you multiple-posting :)

[AvidHacker]

Just a quick update, range was a lot better Thursday, was hitting the ball. .. Well not fine as I am working on my swing but much better than last time. Playing a 9 on my own tomorrow, with much more confidence. Thanks all

[MiniBlueDragon]

Great news. :)

[mvmac]

Make sure the grip isn't in the palm of your left hand, get it more in the fingers and on top of the heel pad.

For the swing, would recommend this drill

http://thesandtrap.com/t/61376/5sk-video-thread/90#post_836200

[c peterich]

Try this..never know.. Everything sticks to your hands when your done playing golf for the day.,.which stinks Love the ad wizards that came up with this one.. Or above post good too :-P

[james_hirshfield]

I'd like to reiterate what Mike said. Club slipping (unless extreme circumstances) is a biproduct of a poorly structured grip. If you "shot" a nail directly through the top of your wrist (in that little indentation underneath your thumb - the anatomical snuffbox ) the nail should come out directly through the bottom of your wrist and into the GRIP. Most poor grips would have the nail come out the bottom of the wrist and miss the grip on the left side. This would indicate the wrist joint not sitting ON the grip. This would assist in early club head throw away as when the club is accelerating in the downswing, the wrist joint can't support the downward force of the club. In my honest opinion, this is an imperative to good golf, understanding how to hold the club correctly. SO many faults start from there....

[mvmac]

I'd like to reiterate what Mike said. Club slipping (unless extreme circumstances) is a biproduct of a poorly structured grip.

If you "shot" a nail directly through the top of your wrist (in that little indentation underneath your thumb - the anatomical snuffbox ) the nail should come out directly through the bottom of your wrist and into the GRIP.

Most poor grips would have the nail come out the bottom of the wrist and miss the grip on the left side. This would indicate the wrist joint not sitting ON the grip.

This would assist in early club head throw away as when the club is accelerating in the downswing, the wrist joint can't support the downward force of the club.

In my honest opinion, this is an imperative to good golf, understanding how to hold the club correctly. SO many faults start from there....

Thanks James.  Just to add a couple images.

Incorrect on the left, correct on the right

Where my right index finger is in the left pic is where the "nail" would be going through