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Strong grip on driver

ShotScope
sacul1573

sacul1573

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Andy,

Thanks to alot of your suggestions in other threads, I've really buckled down on my swing, eliminated my slice, and even developed a nice draw on my irons. I've very comfortable with the 3 iron - wedges in my bag. Thank You!!!

I've already written about my 5 wood issue, and now it's time to talk about my big stick. Ball flight off the driver is straight (sometimes but rarely a push) and then hooks a good 20-35 yards. I have a good in to out swing (I think), alignment is good, and I position the ball anywhere between my forward heel and toe. The one thing that seems to help is having a stronger left hand grip (i'm right handed), to the point that I'm seeing 3 knuckles. This closes the club face on the downswing, resulting in a straighter ball flight.

Is this a temporary fix to a potential swing flaw, or an acceptable solution to my problem? Do you recommend any drills with the driver to help promote a straight or slight draw flight?

Thanks for your help, you are awesome!:clapp:
 
I don't really mind if you can see 3 knuckles. That isn't too bad. To work the ball flight I am a big fan of trying some different ball positions. In theory if you move the ball a touch farther forward this should help reduce the draw for you. I know with my driver the ball position changes each round. I start with it on my left heel on the range and see what the flight looks like...I move it forward or back to get it back to a more neutral flight. Experiment a bit and see what you get.
 
Great... moving the ball in my stance day-to-day = another variable to think about! :D

Follow on question... The local pro has me working on increasing lag and delaying my release (I release too early, resulting in a decelerating clubhead). Do you have any drills for this?

Thanks again! Ball flight was straighter at the range today, I really think it was my weak grip, now if only I can hit it past 230...
 
amollerud said:
In theory if you move the ball a touch farther forward this should help reduce the draw for you.
Click to expand...

I just caught this, and realized I told you I hook. Correction: I SLICE... sorry... anything different?

So ball farther forward=fade, ball farther back=draw, all else the same?
 
Correct forward=slice/fade back=draw. To delay the release is a difficult move to dial in. One of the best drills is some slow motion work at home. Take an old pillow or if you have an impact bag great. Place it behind your couch or something similar. Work slow motion the club into the pillow and feel the hands get out in front and stay in front as you push the pillow into the back of the couch. Repeated slow motion drills really exagerating this move do to much in the practice so when you are out side you should fall between too little and too much. I hope this makes sense.
 
I'm so glad that sacul asked this question, I took lessons over the winter and of course one of the things we changed was my grip. I've always used a stronger grip with the driver as it seems to help me fight off hitting a slice. The first time I went to the range this year the new grip just wasn't working for me, at least with the driver. Today I went back to a slightly strong grip and found my driver swing again! I can use a neutral grip with the irons but it just wasn't working with the FW's and driver.

Thanks Andy for giving me the okay to go back to my old grip! LOL I was bound and determined to make the neutral grip work but the driver was the only club I had any consistency with last year so I was leery of struggling with it this year.
 
I am ok with a grip that is a touch strong. Just be carful that it doesn't get too strong. The duck hooks are just as bad as the power fade.
 
amollerud said:
I am ok with a grip that is a touch strong. Just be carful that it doesn't get too strong. The duck hooks are just as bad as the power fade.
Click to expand...

LOL I went through that last year as well, until I figured out where I needed to be. Every once in awhile I'll still go to far and have to back it off a little on the next tee box.
 
amollerud said:
Correct forward=slice/fade back=draw.
Click to expand...

Wierd, seems counterintuitive. I would think placing the ball farther forward will catch the clubface a bit more closed, and ball back in stance would see the clubface still a bit open. I'll try it out. I really want to get this lag down. I've hit a couple sweet ones that just seemed to go forever, atleast 40-50 yards more... I'm really hooked now!
 
MO_Hacker said:
I can use a neutral grip with the irons but it just wasn't working with the FW's and driver.
Click to expand...

Same here, neutral for irons, driver and woods stronger... :clapp:
 
It sounds backward but remember golf is a game of the opposite. The idea is farther forward the swing will be on more of an out to in plane and farther back is more of an in to out plane. I hope that helps explain it a bit better.
 
amollerud said:
It sounds backward but remember golf is a game of the opposite. The idea is farther forward the swing will be on more of an out to in plane and farther back is more of an in to out plane. I hope that helps explain it a bit better.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...maybe that's why I'm having problems with the diamond drill. I'll try moving the ball back a little bit and see what happens. Now I'm excited to hit the range later today.
 
amollerud said:
It sounds backward but remember golf is a game of the opposite. The idea is farther forward the swing will be on more of an out to in plane and farther back is more of an in to out plane. I hope that helps explain it a bit better.
Click to expand...

Andy, the light bulb just went on. Now that you mention that, I do notice my swing is more out to in when the ball is farther forward! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
Just an update. I went to the range this afternoon to work on my driver. It was like light bulbs going off all around in my head. The most substantial thing I realized I was doing is not turning my wrists over on takeaway and impact, this was mentioned in another Ask the Pro thread. The local pro talked to me about doing this about 2 weeks ago, but was like "huh?" because I thought I was doing it right. NOPE! I was cocking my wrist, but not rolling it over, if that makes sense. So after a few practice swings I started to incorporate this, along with a ball positioned slightly back and closer to me than usual, as mentioned here. The result was unbelievable. I pushed a few, but once I was dialed in, I was hitting straight/slight draw drives that were landing around 225-250 (used to land around 180-220)! I didnt even feel like I was hitting that hard either. I cant wait to get out and play, but I think I need a few more range sessions first!

Thanks Andy!
 
That is awesome! Keep at it.
 
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