In this first lesson I'm going to help you Get a Grip.
There are two major areas where I notice grip problems among amateurs.
They are (1) 'position' and (2) 'pressure'.
By 'position', I'm referring to having too strong a left hand. That is, it's rolled over to the right. This'll cause bad pulls and hooks if you release the club through impact.
After a few of these bad shots to the left, your brain says 'No more!' to this shot, and (deciding the problem was the fact that you released your grip) forces you instead to maintain that grip through impact. And what happens is, the clubface comes through in an open position and you whack the ball off to the right.
Plus, just to mess with you even more… every now and then, the Powers of the Universe allow you to hit it right down the fairway, leaving you wondering why you can only do it once in a while and not every time, consistently.
Hello?!
It's your grip.
Straighten it out!
Now the big problem I see with 'pressure' is due to too light a grip — no pressure at all.
Amateurs are always told use a light grip.
'Hold it like a baby bird', they're told. Or, 'like a tube of toothpaste and you don't want to squeeze any out.'
I've asked many players to grip their club and lift it toward me and I grab the clubhead and pull it right out of their hands or twist it with no resistance.
This is crazy!
How can you expect to lift the club up in the backswing'¦ and swing it down and through impact'¦ if you're not even holding it firmly!
Heck, I bet most of them hold a pencil more firmly than that!
You have to grip that club with a relatively firm pressure '- just like a solid, confident handshake. The big problem with a too-loose grip at the start of your swing is that it causes you to grip too tightly '- suddenly! '- at the end of your swing.
This happens because, in the downswing — when the club is speeding up and gravity is helping pull the club down, and centrifugal force is pulling it away — your brain senses the club is sliding or slipping and it tells you to grab it.
So, grip that club firmly with a medium pressure in the first place — with equal pressure and firmness in both hands. And then maintain that pressure throughout the entire swing.
Okay, that's it for today.
I hope you've enjoyed this short lesson and put it to good use.
Just doing this one change has helped many of my students drop a few more strokes.
And it might just help you do the same, too.
Stay tuned for lesson number two tomorrow where I will reveal the master mistake having to do with cocking your wrist in your back swing.
In the meantime, if you want more information on how my PGA Pro students maintain a longer, straighter and more consistent swing, check out my Peak Performance Golf Swing DVD Series at:
You can try everything completely at MY risk.
In fact, if you don't IMMEDIATELY drop at least 5 strokes from your game the first time you put the videos to use, I'll give you your money back.
| See you tomorrow! |
| Don Trahan "The Swing Surgeon" |