The golf grip is one of the first thing
that you must get right if you wish to play very good golf.
The method that I have used for the
past twenty five years has been the interlock grip with thumb
of the left hand on the top of the shaft.
The left hand grip has always felt insecure
in so much that the club face often closed as I made the golf
swing, thus creating a hook shot.
However
I read that Ben Hogan developed a hooking problem, which he corrected
by using a "short thumb" on the left hand.
Therefore not knowing exactly what was
a "short thumb" I began to experiment and found that
by stages I gradually moved the left thumb so that it was no long
on the shaft and by using this method and using an adopting an
overlap grip as described below, the golf club does not become
closed as I perform the golf swing.
(Most golfers have the left thumb on the top of the
shaft,so this is a variation which I find more effective than
the conventional.)
Therefore to grip the golf club with the alternative overlap
method that I use, carry out the following:-
Place the left hand against the golf grip so that the back
of the hand is square to the target area and simply close the
hand around thegrip, with the left thumb continuing to wrap around
the shaft to the extent that it overlaps the first and the second
finger of the left hand, as if you are simple grasping a metal
pole.
To complete the grip, place the right hand on to the shaft
and grip the shaft with the first three fingers of the right hand,
allowing the little finger to overlap the first and second finger
on the left hand.
Next, and this is the part of the grip that I pay most attention,
you must grip the golf club very firmly with the thumb and the
index finger of the right hand.
It is vital that the index finger and the thumb of the right hand
hold the golf club very firmly throughout the complete golf swing.
( When the grip is complete, the thumb of the left hand remains
wrapped around the grip and placed on top of the first and the
second finger of the left hand, whilst the thumb and the index
finger of the right hand grip the golf club, with the right thumb
over the centre line of the golf club.)
Finally pull the uppermost part of the right arm against the
upper body -- but overall, keep the hands in a totally passive condition.
Most of the rubber golf grips as fixed
to the golf clubs show a centre line position which indicates
the position of the face of the clubhead, this is the position
the right thumb and index finger should be placed.
When you have taken your grip there
should be approximately 1/2" - 3/4" of the rubber grip
protruding from your hands.
If you are gripping the club correctly,
the "V" joint of the left hand should be pointing to
the left shoulder and the "V" of the right hand should
be pointing towards the right shoulder .
The back of the left hand should now
be facing towards the target and the palm of the right hand facing
also towards the target.
If you grip the club with both "V"s
of your hands pointing towards your right shoulder it will be
said that you have a "strong grip" - and therefore if
you allow the hands to take control during the down swing movement,
this grip will give you a tendency to hook the ball to the left.
Alternatively, if you grip the club
with the of your right hand pointing towards your
chin, and the "V" of your left hand pointing towards
to the outside of your left shoulder it will be said that you
have a weak grip - and therefore
if you allow the hands to take control during the down swing movement, this grip will give you a tendency to slice the ball to the right.
But remember, always maintain a firm
grip with the right hand.
Alignment of the Forearms
It is vital that the forearms are set in the correct position
at the address position and the muscles held in a taut condition
throughout the back swing movement, because this is the position
that the forearms will automatically return as you perform the
down swing movement.The important thing to do when you grip the golf club is to
ensure that both palms are square to the target line - or to explain
it another way, the right palm is squarely facing the target point
and the back of the left hand is also squarely facing the target
point --This ensures that the both forearms are in a neutral position.
(When the muscles of the right arm are held in a taut condition,
the both hands will maintain this position relative to the position
of the shoulders throughout the back swing and the down swing
movements.)
What do I mean by saying the forearms are in a neutral position
?? --The neutral position is when both forearms are also square
to target line.
For example, if you hold the golf club with a strong grip
at the address position, both forearms would already be partially
rotated in a clockwise motion.
Similarly, if you hold the golf club with a weak grip at the
address position, the forearms would be partially rotated in an
anti-clockwise motion towards the target area.
Therefore because the forearms automatically return to the
neutral position at the point of contact, by setting the forearms
in a neutral position at the address position, you will dramatically
increase your chances of hitting the ball in the direction that
you are aiming.
