Grip In The Crimp

Russty, Thanks for the reply. I looked hard at the Flexcin, but the cost was a little too steep for my first venture in. I found the Natrol brand to be significantly lower in cost with the same levels of potency of major ingredients. I also read several review sites which disclaimed the need for the higher priced brands and unsubstantiated claims by them to try and justify their higher prices. If the Natrol doesn't seem to work for me, I may try the Flexcin then.

Thank you Surge for the reminder.  Although I hold the hands properly on the club, I tend to turn them to the left (I'm a left hander) on the back swing and therefore they are not perpendicular to the ground on the back swing.  This has a tendency to put the club in the SBG on the back swing.  Thanks, Surge, constant reminders are good.

If I had watched this video before I went to practice my chips and puts I would have hit the range instead to see if my grip is creating the hooking problem. Not disappointed though. I had a good short game practice session with my alignment rods and line marker for my balls. I spent 3 hours on and around the practice green. I have all afternoon tomorrow to work on grip and swing issues and will take today's tip to heart. Thanks Surge and fellow bloggers. I'll let you all know how tomorrow's session goes.

Surge, I had often commented to my golfing friends  that the head of my driver was closed after taking a practice swing. I kept asking everyone why does that happen and no one had a clue until your video last week on "Grip in the Crimp". I went out and practiced a little bit this week and my hook is gone. I always hooked my driver!!!!! I had gotten my driver shortened, I always practice with an alignment rod!! It was driving me crazy!!! Thanks for teh tipand keep up the good work.

This too has been an Eureka moment for me.  Many thanks.  Off to play the Mopnthly Medal in an hour, so hopefully this will help.

Joe,

Whacking length off a club changes a lot of the swing dynamics. Effective flex (just as a shorter stick bends less than a longer stick), kick point, club weight and distribution. If you are using a driver that you're willing to lose, it would need to be cut down and re-weighted. This would all be best done by a professional, qualified fitter (no idea about the guy at your Dick's but most of them are technicians rather than actual fitters--rather like the difference between the person flipping lenses at the optometrists office and a ophthalmic surgeon) who can measure not only your physique but your dynamic motion and determine the best fit for you. As I said, though, if you're willing to lose the club, you can have it cut down and have it re-weighted (which assumes, of course, it was the right swing weight and MOI for you in the first place), or just cut down and then play with lead tape on the head until you find the weight that you can most consistently achieve center-face contact.

You might first start by just gripping further down on the club to see how that feels (though some people don't like choking down on clubs, and depending on your stance and how much you grip down, it can cause you to make other undesirable swing changes if you have the butt of the club poking you). See the chart below Keith's comment for the recommended starting driver lengths based on your wrist-to-floor measurement. And remember the old carpenter's rule: Measure twice, cut once.

Alternately, if you have the money and desire for a new driver better fitted to your specifics, check out Doc Griffin's site for his distance-fit program and those cool new D-O-C drivers. www.docgriffingolf.com

thank's Don, for those constant reminders, in a golf swing
a little detail can make my swing feel so bad
and check points are important .
Thank's for being there.

Ron from Qc, Canada

Russty,
Thank you very much mate. Im sure you are completely right about the wedge swing. I am so intent on hitting a crisp perfect chip or pitch that I have a much too tight of a grip and arms. Great advice. I'll look into the to remedies for my hands also.
Cheers!
PMG!

As promised here is a sysnopsis of my grip during my range practice yesterday. Holding the club with the knucles closest to the palm of the right hand does cause me to hit 20 - 30 yard strong draws. However when I hold the club in the crimp as Surge recommends I hit fades and slices. The crimp grip feels week to me and I could not build up any degree of confidence that I could rely on it.

I think this is EXACTLY one of my problems.  I catch my club face closing on me and couldn't figure out what to do to stop it from happening.  Looking forward to trying this - thanks!

Bux, I'm sure you're right when you say 1 o'clock, pointing up your forearm as Boog mentions.  Also. I just looked at the text under the video and it does say both thumbs should be pointing up the forearms. 

Lynn42 

This is GREAT information.
I am having pain/discomfort when swinging the club while holding it along that second knuckle area of my right hand.   While I do feel more control (for sure), I also feel like the muscle or bone in my middle (right hand) finger is REALLY sore or swollen. I'm 44, so maybe it is the begining of some kind of athritis.
Any suggestions on this?  Thank you.

Monthly Medal, that was meant to be!

Hope you feel better soon, John.

I predominantly hit most of my shots slightly left and allow for it in the set up, but recently this
is changing for the better. Just tried Surge's tip on the crimp and bingo I saw it happening
in front of my eyes. When the lower hand fingers are set too close to the palm the club is
squeezed to a closed position, tried the new crimp position and bingo, it stayed saqure.   
Will be trying it out this week and see what happens.
 

So true Robert

Interesting, Kevin. Did you try adjusting it fractionally back the other way to find the sweet spot for you? Depending on the length of your fingers relative to the size of your hands, it could be a little different than precisely in the crimp. Also, it may just take your hands a little time to get used to the change, as they were probably resisting release before in order to prevent complete snap hooks.

I wish you could enlarge your hands (on your daily video)  when you instruct us on how the club lays in your palm and fingers.

Robert

Previously unknown parts are great, especially, and only if they are in the fairway. ;0))  Your experiment certainly does sound like fun.

You might want to check that your grips aren't worn and possibly have them replaced with something softer like the Avon Chamois grips. You might also want to check that you aren't squeezing too hard with that right hand. So many elements of the Surge Swing (as with almost every swing, really) are very Goldilocks, not to hard and not too soft but just right.

Thanks for going over the grip once more. I`m always having trouble cause of the grip more than anything else. Frank.

That's a big "if" for most of us. ;-) (the hitting 18 greens, not your addition)

Twice during the last 2 wks Don talks about cutting down the driver and fairway metals to the size of hybrids. I called my local Dick's Sporting Goods Store and spoke to a fitter who told me that the he could do that but the flex in the clubs would be greatly reduced. I don't think that would be a problem becuse I am 60 and not a long hitter. The nearess Swing Surgeon Club Fitter to Dubuque, IA is in the Chicago area and I will not be going there until X-mas. My question is to inquire if it is best to wait until then to get my clubs cut down or if I can do it locally and be able to use the cut down clubs for the remainder of this year? Does it make a big difference fo one who uses the Surge swing? Thank you to who ever responds.

Joe in Dubuque

True and well put Steve. Unless your on the green or chipping it close great putting stats means little.

If you have the Foundations Manual, there is an excellent series of photos on Page 29.

Hi Robert,     Hello from kiwi land .Just a couple of things Ive found. For the arthritus cm8, or cetyl myristoleate. For the wedges relax the arms completly in the swing and let the momentum of the club do the work. Its the amount of swing that gives you the distance not the amount of force .Works great for me for close stuff with the 56 and 60.    Cheers  Russty

Hello fellow Surgites,
Played 18 today and experienced just what Surge was talking about. Thought I had the grip correct and when I brought my hands down behind the ball they may have set up with the clubface closed. I hit my second shot on my first hole left of the green. I appreciate the "crimp"reminder. It comes at a good time because I am in the midst of a grip change. The grip change is two fold. One with my new clubs I had Jumbo Max grips put on so the grip is much larger in my hands and feels different.(for those who don't know I had surgery on both hands 3 months ago and that along with arthritus has led me to graphite clubs and larger grips). Two, I have positioned my hands to what feels much stronger since getting the swingrite that has a training grip. So things really feel strange right now but I am being patient with the adjustment. It was a mixed bag of results today. I had six pars but 4 double bogies as I shot 44/44 for an 88. Not good for me. I hit several really good drives however several of my approach shots were off and I missed several key putts. Missing putts is not new but I have felt inconsistent and uncomfortable with my new 53 and 58 degree wedges so far. I had lots of 30-65 yard shots that I did not get close leading to missed putts.33 putts on the day. Ugh!! Again I need to not be too hard on myself yet as I am making the adjustments.
I'm real happy with the Nickent Evolver interchangable shaft driver so far. The best combination thus far is a 65 gram adilla X shaft with the 9 degree head. Never thought I'd be hitting a 9 degree again but I had several long and straight today. Now back to focusing on the short game.

I have the same (in reverse) problem as somebody who switched over from a very flat rotational swing. My left arm has a strong tendency to roll over my right that I have to fight a lot. The laser drill that Steve Smith and I have discussed in a few recent comments sections can be very helpful for keeping the palms perpendicular to the ground.

Absolutely Lynn. Anything good you find out please share too. There are no easy answers but knowledge with trial and error is what alot of it is. I ha e totally avoided drugs designed for arthritis or hand condition. Let's continue to find out more and share results.

Taking a page from acting, I'll say break a tee. ;-)

I keep hearing about releasing the club on the downswing.
What does that mean ?
How do I accomplish that ?

Hi Surge, thanks for pointing out that little detail regading the grip, had  trouble squaring the clubface at times, could not figure out why the face was closed after taking my stance, shall be more carefull in the future. Have been told by my Doctor to lay of swinging any clubs for 4 weeks, due to a strain in my right side. But look forward to putting all what you have said, into practice when I'm up and running again. Many thanks John B.

Surge -- could you show us in slow motion how your palms stay perpindicular to the ground at all times during the swing

Wishing you a speedy recovery, John.

Russty, I have just recently ordered some CM8, the Natrol Cetyl Pure Brand. How do you feel about it's effectiveness. I am a long time user of glucosamine/chondroitin, but have heard good things about CM8 and am anxious to try it. I hope it helps with the hands and other joints.

Agreed Roger. Maybe I'm greedy, but as I look at my game I see that getting my putts down to 30 or less is the best way for me to lower my score. If you look at this as you go back to the wedges and 160 yards in clubs refered to as the "scoring clubs" it comes down to hitting my approach shots closer and then making those within 8 feet more often. Large goal i know.
The other thing to consider is that 33 can seems like a lot if your already laying 2 or three and not on the green yet. Yes I not only need more GIR's but to get the ball in closer proximity too. When I look at my stats it is around the green where I need to improve. My drive is normally good. The second shot usually respectable but on par 4's often not on and on par 5's it's those 3rd shots from 110 yards and in closer that need improvement.

Release is the release of lag as the hands roll through impact into the forward mitt. See this recent video: http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...

Very helpful, Surge.   I just went through four hours of lessons with your Swing Surgeon Certified Pro here in Germany, Malcom Rawle.   The very first thing he saw on the driving range of the beautiful Franzensbad, Czech, Golf Club, was my grip.  I didn't realize that I wasn't gripping the club correctly, as you get in to bad habits that the brain tells you, you're OK, just hit the ball.  That is the other major problem Malcom discovered with my game, that I'm constantly trying to HIT THE BALL, not just swing the club and let the head of the club do the rest.   I feel like a new golfer after the time Malcom spent with me, well worth the money.  Now to go out and practice so my brain will accept that it was wrong, and Malcom is right.   I did make my very first birdie during our play together, and man was that a thrill.   I definitely plan now on going to the Swing Surgeon Golf Academy that Malcom is running at the Franzensbad GC from 22-24 August.   Now I'm set to work hard at what I've learned and the Golf Academy will just solidify those new habits, the right ones for a change!   Thanks Surge, for getting Malcom onboard here in Germany, and I hope that the school that you and Ken Trahan are putting on with Malcom in Selsdon Park, Surrey, England, from 8-10 July will be a great success!   Fairways and Greens from Bavaria!   Rick

Heads up, DJ is off on his round with an opening par on shot-tracker...hoping I can hold on and watch. Went to bed late & up early to get Josh off to his grandparents & I'm whipped. Good luck, DJ

Haven't checked my swing speed since my fitting. At that time it was around 98 and my loss of power and distance was due to an early release of speed from the top. The swingrite has changed all that. As  far as the flex and face angle(9*) I can't explain except to say I now have 7 different interchangable shafts for two heads(9* and 10.5) for my Nickent Evolver. I have the full range from A-X and 55-65grams. So literally I have at least 14 drivers now to change and try. I only tried them all on one day since recieving them. FUN!! for sure. So far the 55/X is giving the straightest and consistently longest drives. I'm still going to work with all the options to figure out what works most consistently. It's a bit crazy but fun, really. Today I was averaging about 245-270. Long for me. I have found my drive in some parts of the fairway not previously known:) Go figure.

Bob,
I worked on right hand position today. I found that if I keep the pads of my fingers between the second and third knuckles at the bottom of the club grip I usually hit solid straight shots. A stronger right hand with my third knuckles closer to the bottom produces a draw and a crimp grip like Surge suggests will usually give me a fade but sometimes it turns into a slice. The new hand position really did help me out today when I drove a 293 par 4 straight and hole high. A crappy chip and a wonderfull 20 foot left to right putt gave me my first par 4 birdie in two years!!! Rain cut the round short but I got a par on three other holes out of the 12 that I managed to get in before I got drenched. I had a beautiful tee shot on a 117 yard par 3. Hit it hole high with my approach wedge and 2 1/2 feet from the pin. I choked the birdie putt and had to settle for par but Man did I love that tee shot. Paid 30 bucks for that wedge and I think it is the best asset in my bag next to my putter.

The secret to hitting long straight shots.

Robert

Hang in there with the short game. If your in the process of changing your grip it may take time to get use to it with the short game along with what Steve said I agree those shots are smooth tempo shots. I personally use a different grip with those type of short shots than my full swing it a reverse overlap type grip for some reason it helps me keep from rolling the hands over to quickly with those shots.

Just curious what is your swing speed with the driver I see you are using a X flex.

Roger

My version of putts is similar. If a green in regulation the putt par is 2. Missed greens the putt par is 1. This type of tracking makes it easier to identify where  you may be losing strokes and then address curing the problem through constructive practice.