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Anyone had significant success strengthening your grip?

jbb2388

jbb2388

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I have always had what I thought of as a neutral grip. At my last driver fitting my fitter suggested I hit a few with a stronger grip. It seemed to straighten out my natural cut ball flight with driver. Has anyone made a change like this and had it really improve either ball striking or a slice or helped you change to a right to left tendency? I am still waiting on the new driver and irons. My driver actually came in today and was planning on working on a stronger grip. Do you feel a stronger grip is the better choice? Does anyone vary grip strength from driver to irons?
 
Yeah, when I first started with my instructor he had me use this to make better contact and help keep the face from opening to far in the takeaway. I’ve come to really like the grip as I’m able to get through the ball quickly without fear of the mega-fade.
 
Last year I saw an instructor for the first time, and that was the first change we made. It really has helped my irons. However, I went from a weak grip to a normal, but to me it felt like my hands were twisted at first.
 
Most commonly I and my playing mates have mistakently moved one hand more then the other which makes experiments multivariant. I've come to learn that the hands fit together basically the same and both must rotate weaker or stronger as a pair. I wish someone had told me that 20 years ago.

I use a strong grip now and the benefit is i swing easier. In times of past, I was over rotating things and rushing in hopes of getting square. I'm still within a year of strenghening my grip and I'm working to keep the club a bit more veriticle and not rush. Rushing and getting too flat creates hooks even with a 9i.

The stronger grip has likely hurt my chipping and I'm trying to setup more neutral or even weak to see if I can improve
 
Using a stronger grip is what I do when I want to draw the ball
 
I weaken my grip when I want to cut it and strengthen my grip when I want to draw it so this checks out.
 
Scott F said:
Using a stronger grip is what I do when I want to draw the ball
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Along with a slightly closed face or just the grip adjustment?
 
I went the exact opposite. I've always been a super strong grip guy, 3 knuckes, the whole bit. I was tired of the dead left pull with that grip. I decided to weaken my grip because I suppose I fixed my problem of not squaring the face. Results show that I hit the ball a bit higher and straighter. My grip pressure also went from strangulation to a bit softer.
 
jbb2388 said:
Along with a slightly closed face or just the grip adjustment?
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If I close the face too, I’ll really hook the ball. I wouldn’t normally close the face, just adjust the grip
 
Yep, someone suggested that to me a couple years ago. Ball striking and flight both improved immensely (since my normal shape was close to a slice). Helped me keep the face square at impact
 
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I’ve moved significantly weaker to a neutral grip. I was really strong, but it’s a bad matchup for what I’m trying to do with my swing. Everyone is different.
 
Muchmore18 said:
Yep, Simone suggested that to me a couple years ago. Ball striking and flight both improved immensely (since my normal shape was close to a slice). Helped me keep the face square at impact
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This is kinda where I am hoping to get. Seemed to reduce my face angle a degree or two on average after the adjustment which was a few degrees open before
 
I couldn't tell you how many times over the years I've tried to strengthen my grip, left hand or right hand or both hands. Every time I do it it works for a short while, then doesn't .

I probably need to stick with letting my hands grip the club as if they would if they were hanging naturally at my side.

I think my problems, grip wise, may stem from just getting sloppy/lazy with my grip, especially the last 3 fingers of my left hand. I may get too firm with the thumb and fore finger and too soft with the last 3 to keep the club enough through the swing.
 
I've posted a story about when I met up with Tommy Bolt around 1988/89 while in Florida after having a hustler bail when I wouldn't be his Pigeon. I caught up to Mr. Bolt and his party on about the 5th or 6th hole. At the time I played a 'power fade'- controlled, but could be a bit wide. I was doing okay- even got a couple of 'nice one's' from him. Lots of fun and banter all around. A few holes after the turn, I kind of let one drift a bit too far right. Tommy mentioned that maybe I should strengthen my grip a bit to get my hands to turnover a bit quicker. "But don't do it now- wait until you go to a range...".

So, on the next hole, I strengthened my grip a bit 'too' much and promptly quacked one into the swamp on the left.

"Son, what the hell did I just tell you!?... DON'T DO IT NOW..." With a big, sh*t eating grin on his face.

"I had to try it..." "Yeah, and now you're hitting three off the tee!". We finished up with me trying REAL HARD not to do it and wait til later.

After the round, I went over to the range and started to give it a try. After a few minutes, he came by and saw me and asked to see how I was doing.

"Yeah, that's a bit too much with both hands... Put your left thumb about 1 O'Clock and your right thumb between 2 and 3 and don't swing as hard. Plus- your clubface is open, work on aligning it better". He sat and watched for maybe 10 minutes and we just chatted a bit while I worked on it. He wished me luck and went on his way.

Needless to say, I became a drawer of the ball after than. with much more fairways hit and a bit more roll out. Except now I'm still trying to get that feel back of that nice easy swing with a soft draw... <sigh>
 
late in 2021 I was having issues and it was all in my grip. The two "V's" were pointing opposite of each other and that was causing issues. I fixed it by moving to a strong grip (stronger than my previous grip) but more importantly getting both V's pointing to my right shoulder. From there I want to see two knuckles max on my left hand and adjust my right to match the V. It has done wonders for me and while it has not eliminated the left to right (my OTT issues), it has made my ball striking more consistent and allowing me to focus on my swing issues knowing my grip is set properly.
 
I learned with a fairly strong grip. Not Zinger or Zach Johnson strong, more like Jack or Freddy
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I tried weakening it for a while with mediocre results.
Recent lesson just had me get my right hand a little more on top ( weaker ) to get the "V"s aligned and pointed at my right shoulder a little more
 
Yeah it was a big help for me. I used to have a very weak grip and after changing to a strong grip I was hitting much better shots and less slices. I have weakened it a bit over the last few years but when I’m struggling off the tee I go back to it
 
My fitter made the same suggestion late in the year, and when I went out the next round it straightened a lot of things out for me personally. I need to drill it into my noggin early this year to make sure it sticks.
 
Yes, I have. It is hard / unnatural for me to grip the club properly (stronger grip) but it is the first step toward me having better results.
 
Yes. I went from a rather weak left grip that helped contribute to a wicked slice and now have a rather strong left hand grip (not brendan steele strong, but still strong). I would grip a club at home while watching TV at home throughout the week. Repetition is the best way to ingrain grip/setup change (as well as lots of other things).
 
Years ago, in my first golf lesson he made me strength my grip.
Throughout the years it must've gotten stronger and stronger, with the 'V' pointing right of my body.
My last lesson my instructor made me weaken it so the 'V' is pointing at my right shoulder, which is still strong, but so alien from my point of view.
A few weeks since that lesson, the adjusted grip feels a lot better. And have less draw sidespin with more control.
 
I don't change my grip between irons and drivers. My grip had gotten weak as I struggled with some things and I strengthened my grip last year which was really getting it back to where it used to be. I may have gotten a bit too strong at one point.

It is hard to change your grip. I keep some clubs in my office and I spent a lot of time working on the new grip and getting comfortable with it.
 
when i first started weak grip was the plague, really threw my swing and results off Tightened that up and the results are instantaneous. Quite a big change for a small adjustment. Wish I had the pictures from the lesson.
 
Chef23 said:
It is hard to change your grip. I keep some clubs in my office and I spent a lot of time working on the new grip and getting comfortable with it.
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truer words rarely written

I think it is part that it represents a change but also grip changes force a re-imaging about what the golf swing is supposed to be. Doing it as a mid-handicapper takes 6 months. A pro at a corporate event changed my grip last May; I'm still learning. Put me on a new learning curve. Is helping me but a major investment.
 
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