Proper Grip Pressure (It's Firmer than You Might Think)

[dazza78]

Moved your post to this thread, check out the OP, lots of good info. I like my grip to feel firm, meaning secure in the fingers by not not to the point where my forearms are "tight".

Any grip change will feel weird at first and it should, means you're making it different.

 

thank you

Moved your post to this thread, check out the OP, lots of good info. I like my grip to feel firm, meaning secure in the fingers by not not to the point where my forearms are "tight".

Any grip change will feel weird at first and it should, means you're making it different.

 

thank you

Moved your post to this thread, check out the OP, lots of good info. I like my grip to feel firm, meaning secure in the fingers by not not to the point where my forearms are "tight".

Any grip change will feel weird at first and it should, means you're making it different.

 

thank you

thanks erm what the heck haha!!!

Edited October 3, 2015 by dazza78

[BaconNEggs]

On 7/10/2015 at 9:47 PM, Duff McGee said:

So I was all over the place today and ruined my rounds by going OB with snap hooks. At the very end of my second round I barely even gripped the club with my right hand and suddenly everything was straight as an arrow. Anyone else ever have this problem and does right hand grip pressure really make that much of a difference?

 

Realize the last post is about a year old, but a lot of good info here, however this in particular stuck out to me. 

 

This summer has been brutal for me. I've regressed more than any other time, and ironically have probably played/practiced the most of any summer in the last 10 years. My misses have been erratic, all shapes and sizes, but most consistently have been a pull or pull hook. The kind that if there's enough space, are two fairways over. I've also lost quite a bit of distance. 

 

It became clear to me that there was a distinct lack of width to my backswing, perhaps among other faults, and the topic by Iacas ("Shorter (Probably Better) Swing? Keep the right Arm Straight") was something I endeavored to work on, but for the life of me could just not get to work consistently or feel natural. By focusing on keeping my right arm straight, all other sorts of bad things would happen, and I'd be no better off than where I started. 

 

Which brings me to Duff McGee's post, and some recent experience. He said he reduced right hand grip pressure and everything seemed to come together better, reducing his snap hooks. I, on the other hand, noticed I was already doing that... relatively firm left hand grip, with little right hand grip pressure. On a whim at the range, after struggling, I decided to re-focus on keeping the right arm straight and create that width, and I figured one way I hadn't tried to do it was to reduce grip pressure in my left hand, while my right hand felt like it was doing almost all the work on the backswing. Right hand starts back along with pivot (or very close to), club head felt like it was being dragged low and away, left arm felt like it was being pulled taut but not necessarily right across my chest, and by the time everything felt stretched to the limit, my downswing just seemed to 'explode' naturally, like it was a tree branch snapping back. It happens so fast I don't particularly feel more pressure in one hand or arm more than the other on the downswing. I actually don't feel anything other than a whipping sensation. Pull hook was gone, height increased, 9-iron went from 140 club to close to 160 when I really caught it, and misses tended to be manageable pushes. 

 

It has stuck through numerous range sessions, something I'd had no success with all summer trying various things. I'm thrilled. But my question is how do people feel with grip pressure between hands? Equal? Firmer in the lead hand, firmer in the trail hand? I suspect not, but is there any data for this among tour pros? Or any theory that might support having a right-side dominated backswing to add width and keep things more on plane?

 

A minor tid-bit I'd add that may in some small way fit into my puzzle is that I write lefty, but am generally a right-dominant person (right eye dominant, right leg dominant, I throw righty, swing a bat/hockey stick/golf club righty). When I set up over the ball, my natural instinct in a static position is definitely to dominate with my left hand, because it feels much more nimble than my right. But when it comes to making any sort of athletic motion, my right side evidently handles the whole golf swing much better. Handedness and dexterity was never something I'd ever considered important to golf, and it may not be, but was an interesting observation I thought. Regardless, I know for now my most effective swing thought is low and away with the right hand/arm while the left just goes along for the ride. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Edited October 10, 2016 by BaconNEggs
clarification

[Golfaddict247]

"Grip pressure is too broad a description since different fingers/thumbs can exert pressure just by being place incorrectly.If you are holding the club correctly you can squeeze the hell out of it .You need to squeeze the club at times when trying to firm up the wrists which are the culprits especially in the short game."

 

^

So true .... thanks for making a great point on here 

[mvmac]

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, mvmac said:

I believe this must be true at/or just before impact, but I’m not sure they have this level of grip or body tension during the entire swing right? I certainly have noticed if I do my back swing with a conscious thought of staying ‘loose’ I certainly produce much better shots including distance.

[billchao]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

I believe this must be true at/or just before impact, but I’m not sure they have this level of grip or body tension during the entire swing right? I certainly have noticed if I do my back swing with a conscious thought of staying ‘loose’ I certainly produce much better shots including distance.

Feel ain't real. Joe Mayo isn't talking about feel.

In order to swing a club 100+ mph, lots of muscles are firing, stretching, pulling, etc. There's nothing relaxed going on, despite how effortless or smooth it may feel to the person doing the swinging.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Feel ain't real. Joe Mayo isn't talking about feel.

In order to swing a club 100+ mph, lots of muscles are firing, stretching, pulling, etc. There's nothing relaxed going on, despite how effortless or smooth it may feel to the person doing the swinging.

I get that feel ain’t real. But that doesn’t mean we’re all mindless sheep with no sense of feel at all. Proprioception can be difficult to pinpoint at high speeds but I damn well know that I’m not squeezing the blood outta my grips nor gritting my teeth on my backswing. I come down with the wrath of all that is evil, but my backswing is all about trying to be fluid and loose. 

[boogielicious]

5 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I come down with the wrath of all that is evil, but my backswing is all about trying to be fluid and loose. 

I love this part! 

A good drill that Erik or Mike taught me early on was to start swinging the club back and forth easy and fluid with loose wrists. Gradually increase the grip pressure on the pinky through middle fingers while keeping the wrists loose. You will find you can grip really hard without tightening the wrists. It take a bit of practice, but it is a good way to separate the muscle groups.

[billchao]

6 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I get that feel ain’t real. But that doesn’t mean we’re all mindless sheep with no sense of feel at all. Proprioception can be difficult to pinpoint at high speeds but I damn well know that I’m not squeezing the blood outta my grips nor gritting my teeth on my backswing. I come down with the wrath of all that is evil, but my backswing is all about trying to be fluid and loose. 

Sorry, I missed the part where you ttalked about different parts of the swing. I think Joe Mayo is talking strictly about the downswing.

You're not trying to swing your club 100 mph in the backswing so it should be more loose than your downswing.

[iacas]

30 minutes ago, billchao said:

You're not trying to swing your club 100 mph in the backswing so it should be more loose than your downswing.

FWIW, my grip pressure is still firm in the backswing.

Not AS FIRM as the downswing (we all naturally grip it firmer), but better players tend to be smoother throughout (firmer at the start, less of a jump on the downswing) while poorer players often grip it loosely and then squeeze it even harder than a pro on the downswing (despite a slower swing speed).

[billchao]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

FWIW, my grip pressure is still firm in the backswing.

Mine, as well.

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Not AS FIRM as the downswing (we all naturally grip it firmer)

Yea, that's what I mean. The forces during the downswing will cause your hands to react.

[ncates00]

What are the benefits of a firmer grip?  More control, more speed, harder "hit?"  I don't really think about my grip pressure other than just enough pressure to not let the club go out of my hands.

 

And how do you measure grip pressure for golf?  I have decent grip strength with my deadlifts, farmers walks, pull-ups, playing golf, etc., but I wonder how you measure the grip strength applied.  Like it was written several years ago, one's 3-4 is something else for another person.  

[mvmac]

11 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I get that feel ain’t real. But that doesn’t mean we’re all mindless sheep with no sense of feel at all. Proprioception can be difficult to pinpoint at high speeds but I damn well know that I’m not squeezing the blood outta my grips nor gritting my teeth on my backswing. I come down with the wrath of all that is evil, but my backswing is all about trying to be fluid and loose. 

In terms of gritting teeth Mayo isn't referring to the backswing and they probably aren't doing that on the downswing either. He's saying it to drive home his point that the swing isn't a "loose" or relaxed motion.

Trying doing anything where you create a lot of force and be loose, can't happen.

The grip is still firm on the backswing, if it wasn't you couldn't load the club upward.

Check out how these player's biceps and forearms look on the backswing, definitely not relaxed or loose.

Check out the "tension" (creases in the shirt) they create with their lats, shoulders, ribs to bend and stretch.

 

 

2 hours ago, ncates00 said:

What are the benefits of a firmer grip?  More control, more speed, harder "hit?" 

Yes.

2 hours ago, ncates00 said:

And how do you measure grip pressure for golf?

For me it's just a result of a good grip. The grip feels very secure in my hands, like I said earlier, someone couldn't yank the club out of the hands. But at the same time I'm not white knuckling it. It's firm but I'm not actively squeezing it.

[Mr. Desmond]

I'm hitting the weight room ... forearms and wrists ... go.

You're hitting a ball a long or short way and the head must be stable thorugh impact - For me, grip pressure increases through the swing without thought. My body/mind knows I need all possible assistance.

Edited April 23, 2018 by Mr. Desmond

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, mvmac said:

Trying doing anything where you create a lot of force and be loose, can't happen.

True, but that doesn’t mean throughout the entire action. Round house kick for example, or a spinning back fist...you must remain flexible and ‘loose’ to generate velocity then comes the tension just prior to impact. 

Which would cause the most damage?

Swing a 2 X 4 into an impact bag.

Swing a rope that turns into a 2 X 4 just before impact?

I completely agree with what he’s trying to emphasize ( Paul Wilson has it wrong). I’m just saying a total beginner may interpret what he’s saying as grip as hard as you can and make sure your arms/Shoulders are as tense as possible from address to follow thru.

Nothing is loose and effortless in the golf swing. I’m saying my backswing ‘tension’ with grip/forearms isn’t the same as my impact. 

7 hours ago, billchao said:

Sorry, I missed the part where you ttalked about different parts of the swing. I think Joe Mayo is talking strictly about the downswing.

You're not trying to swing your club 100 mph in the backswing so it should be more loose than your downswing.

Yes. Sorry this is what I was saying. I’m reading to much into this, especially being that I agree with him. Lol.

[Golflivesmatter]

My 2 cents.  The firmer the grip the less one feels the weight of the club.  Firm grips promote tension, upper body - arm control, and slower releases which runs counter to swinging from the waist down with a whipping action at impact.  A light grip promotes feeling the weight of the club which is key to golf.  Couples' right hand comes off the club at impact, so does Vijay's, and others. 

If I asked someone to toss me a golf ball from 10 feet, they wouldn't grab it...instead, they'd bounce it in their hand to feel / gauge the weight, have a loose wrist, and flick it to me.    

[iacas]

7 minutes ago, Golflivesmatter said:

If I asked someone to toss me a golf ball from 10 feet, they wouldn't grab it...instead, they'd bounce it in their hand to feel / gauge the weight, have a loose wrist, and flick it to me.    

A ball doesn't exert a 100+ pounds of force on your hands coming into impact.

And… you can grip the club firmly with your fingers without having tension in your wrists, forearms, etc.

[Golflivesmatter]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

A ball doesn't exert a 100+ pounds of force on your hands coming into impact.

And… you can grip the club firmly with your fingers without having tension in your wrists, forearms, etc.

Really?  I don't feel 100+ pounds of pressure.  I heard that somewhere too, but the body is turning with the force...kinda like riding in an airplane at 500 mph.