Club Slip

[chip n run]

Although this doesn't happen but once in a great while, any thoughts on why the club turns in my hands at impact on a full swing ?

[69below]

Where and in what hand do you feel like this happens?

[chip n run]

Happens with irons, and if I recall it feels like both hands.  Seems like grip pressure just disappears.  But again, very seldom.  I'm just curious..

[iacas]

You're either hitting the ball far enough off the sweet spot that it twists in your hands, or you're not gripping the club firmly enough. Or both.

[69below]

I would check your left hand grip also, make sure it is more in fingers vs. palm.  If your left hand (for a right hander) gets extremely weak you have to rotate your left hand very hard to square up the clubface.  Very weak left hand makes it difficult to control the rotation.

[chip n run]

Iacas - That's a good thought - I might get some impact tape and check where my impact is.  As for pressure, I come from the school of holding a club "like a bird"  -or-  my wife !!

[chip n run]

69below - Thank-you for your input.  Think my left hand position is fine.  I've always been able to see 3 knuckles, which means the "V" points to my right shoulder.  I agree there must be  more fingers than palm.

[iacas]

  chip n run said:

Iacas - That's a good thought - I might get some impact tape and check where my impact is.  As for pressure, I come from the school of holding a club "like a bird"  -or-  my wife !!

The old school is wrong.

Read this thread too: .

[rehmwa]

not likely the issue as it's too obvious, but sweaty gloves too

I keep three nice pairs so I can rotate through them - playing or at the range.  Nothing like a snug, clean, DRY glove switchout.

[shortstop20]

I used to have this same problem and it was from a grip that was too weak(not enough grip pressure) and I had the grip too much in my palm.

[Missouri Swede]

  chip n run said:

As for pressure, I come from the school of holding a club "like a bird"  -or-  my wife !!

A falcon or eagle, maybe.

[mvmac]

  iacas said:

You're either hitting the ball far enough off the sweet spot that it twists in your hands, or you're not gripping the club firmly enough. Or both.

Just to add to what Erik is saying re: grip

If you "shot" a nail directly through the top of your wrist (in that little indentation in between your thumb and wrist - the anatomical snuffbox, left pic below) 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.  So the wrist joint can't support the downward force of the club, more flipping, club slipping.

[chip n run]

  iacas said:

The old school is wrong.

Read this thread too:  ​ .

Sorry - I didn't know how to respond to more than 1 reply.  So, what does the new school teach about grip pressure ?

[randomzero]

Another idea: maybe you need new grips for your clubs?

[Righty to Lefty]

Yeah your grip pressure is no match for the club twisting when you miss the sweetspot  towards the heel or the toe. Your grip pressure might be relatively light in your setup but it will ramp up and adjust as your body prepares itself for impact. If you were holding the club "light as a bird"  throughout your entire swing then you would throw the club. If I were betting on it I think you are missing the sweetspot.

[mvmac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chip n run

Sorry - I didn't know how to respond to more than 1 reply.  So, what does the new school teach about grip pressure ?

Check this thread out.  Think about this way, you're swinging a club around 100mph, you better not be gripping it "lightly".  I think in Hogan's book he talked about how if someone tried to take the club out of his hands, they wouldn't be able to do so, not saying you should be white knuckling it, just very secure in your hands.

Quote:

Studies have been conducted on PGA Tour players and average amateurs. What they found was that the average PGA Tour player has the capacity to grip a club more than two times as firmly as the average amateur. So let's say a PGA Tour player says he grips the club at a "3 or a 4" on a scale of 1-10. The average amateur is only capable of gripping the club to a 4 or a 5, so that makes his grip pressure anywhere from a 6 to a 10 if you extrapolate the scale! Everyone's "3 to 4" is not the same. (There's another study I remember vividly, but I'll add that in a second comment.)

[billchao]

  Righty to Lefty said:

Your grip pressure might be relatively light in your setup but it will ramp up and adjust as your body prepares itself for impact. If you were holding the club "light as a bird"  throughout your entire swing then you would throw the club.

I vaguely remember reading something that Jack Nicklaus wrote that advised against doing this exact thing. He said that if you start with your grip pressure too light, you are likely to increase it during your swing, which can create problems. He advocated keeping your grip pressure constant throughout the swing and I'm pretty sure that the only way to do that is to have a "firm" grip.

[Righty to Lefty]

  billchao said:

I vaguely remember reading something that Jack Nicklaus wrote that advised against doing this exact thing. He said that if you start with your grip pressure too light, you are likely to increase it during your swing, which can create problems. He advocated keeping your grip pressure constant throughout the swing and I'm pretty sure that the only way to do that is to have a "firm" grip.

That's just not how the body works. In order for you to maintain a constant grip pressure then you would have to think about your grip pressure throughout your entire swing which would be counter productive. There is no need to have a "firm" grip at address because the club only weighs a pound or so therefore you would have to consciously increase your grip pressure to where you "think" it will need to be at impact when it meets resistance from the ball and then the turf. When you pick up a coffee cup or a 50 lb dumbell you don't consciously monitor your grip pressure as your body naturally anticipates the weight it is about to pick up and adjusts accordingly.