Can a grip make THAT much difference?

robrandalgz

2023 Budget Championship #CanyonCowboys
Albatross 2024 Club
Joined
Jun 13, 2017
Messages
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Location
White Mountains of AZ
Handicap
18.4
So, to preface, I've been trying to hit the range at least once a week. The snow has made that difficult but if the range is open, I go. To say that I've been struggling would be a major understatement. The past two times I've been to the range, you would think that I've never hit a golf ball in my life. It has been U G L Y ugly. Topped shots, fat shots, thinned shots, slices, hooks, worm burners, the whole gamut (except for shanks, thank God).

Yesterday was the first opportunity that I had to get to the range. I wasn't real excited about the prospect because we had a chance of thunderstorms and we had 45 mph gusts before I even left the house but I knew I had to get back out there and grind this thing out. I bought enough tokens for two buckets and headed to my little corner of the range. The session started just as I had thought it would.....army golf. The worst was the fact that I was chunking the s**t out of everything (something I rarely do as I typically don't take much of a divot at all....ever). I couldn't figure any of this out. I couldn't believe that I forgot how to hit a golf ball. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no stick but I can usually get a ball in play. Most of these shots were so awful that they wouldn't have even stayed on a golf course. My swing plane was so inconsistent that a guess was the best that I could come up with as to where the ball was going to go. I felt like I was swinging on plane but one shot left, the next right, and none toward my target flag. That's just not golf, and it's the reason I haven't played in over a month. I can't take a swing like that to a golf course. I refuse to do it to myself or any other golfer I may get paired with.

So, with my frustration level at an all time high, I set my clubs down and lit a cigarette. "O.K." I thought to myself "what can we try to just re-build"? Well, when I was learning to play this game, the person who taught me the basics started with my grip. Now, I "currently" play with an interlock grip. I have for years. It just feels more natural to me. But that wasn't the grip I was taught to begin with. I was taught the overlap or Vardon grip. I figured "what the hell. you've got nothing to lose, at this point". So, I gathered myself mentally to just start over. I laid a club down on the range (I lost my range sticks somewhere last season) lined it up to a little pitching hoop about 50 yard down range, took my "new grip" and just took some easy, even tempo practice swings. "Damn, this feels odd" I'm thinking to myself. After about ten practice swings I set a ball down and went to work. First ball? Swish, right into the hoop. "Bull****", I thought to myself. Set another ball down and swung. A yard to the right. The next, one hopped it into the hoop. "You've got to be freaking kidding me", I'm thinking to myself. I hit about four more balls toward the hoop. Not a single one was more than two yards off-line.

I'm beside myself at this point. No WAY that a grip change is going to transform my swing. NO WAY. So, I set my wedge back in the bag and grabbed my 7 iron. Now, to this point I was BARELY getting my 7 iron to bounce up to the 150 yard target green (on a GOOD stroke). I re-aligned my club on the ground to the 150 yard flag, set a ball down, made sure to focus on a nice tempo and let it fly. The sound, my goodness the sound. You know when you hit an iron flush and all you feel is the "tick" of the ball off your club (not that ugly mishit "thwack" but that beautiful "tick")? And, what's this? A divot IN FRONT of where my ball was? Well, there it was, and my ball just bearing down at the target. "That's gonna hit the God damn flag", I thought to myself. Nope. flew the green by at least 10 yards (now, keep in mind the wind that I had mentioned before. Thankfully, it was mostly at my back so it had less effect left to right). I'm in complete disbelief at this point. I continue with about 10 more balls with the 7 iron. I got a little quick with a few swings and the results were predictable but, for the most part these balls were flying right down my "intended" swing plane. My worst shots on a good swing where no more than 5 or 6 yards off my intended line. Unbelieveable. So, I grab my hybrid. Now, keep in mind, I NEVER use this club. It's nothing but a pull hook or straight push club, for me. Re-aligning my aiming club to the 200 yard target green, I think to myself "O.K., this will be the litmus test. I line myself up making sure to REALLY focus on tempo and I let it go. I freaking missile straight at the flag. Hit the green about three yards to the right of the pin and bounced over. I'm almost on the verge of new father tears, at this point. I can't even fathom that something so simple is making this much of a difference.

I start working the rest of my bag with some mixed results but I can tell that I'm getting freaking tired, at this point. I've got about 15 balls left and I haven't touched my driver, yet. So I grab some tees and tee up a ball with the driver in hand. Dud after dud, after dud. The odd thing is that during my previous struggles, the driver was the only club that I was hitting "well". Now, I can't hit a single ball with that club in my hands but, with the new grip the rest of the bag seems to be "money". At this point, I've chalked it up to the fact that I'm dead tired and I'll re-visit the new grip with the driver at the next range session but, right now, I'm walking on air about the thought that I've got something to work with that is somewhat repeatable.

So, here are my questions to the forum: Which grip do you use? Have you always used your current grip? For those that have changed grips, did it ever have THAT much effect on your game. I'm really interested to hear what grip some of our lower handicap players use and why?

TLDR version: I changed my grip, it changed my swing. Who would have thought?
 
I’m not a low handicap player, but each time I’ve struggled with less than optimal shots, it’s usually a combination of me standing too close to the ball and my grip pressure is too tight. I’ve switched between the interlock and overlap with varied success but ultimately stuck with the interlock because I felt like the overlap had me thinking the club would fly out of my hands during the swing.

Grip pressure will cause more issues than you think. Tension is real in a golf swing and the more we struggle the more tense we get and it makes things worse imo.

It could be the overlap grip helped reduce the grip pressure and thus “freed” up the swing a bit.

Hopefully @Tadashi70 can chime in and provide a better explanation from a teaching perspective.
 
I’m not a low handicap player, but each time I’ve struggled with less than optimal shots, it’s usually a combination of me standing too close to the ball and my grip pressure is too tight. I’ve switched between the interlock and overlap with varied success but ultimately stuck with the interlock because I felt like the overlap had me thinking the club would fly out of my hands during the swing.

Grip pressure will cause more issues than you think. Tension is real in a golf swing and the more we struggle the more tense we get and it makes things worse imo.

It could be the overlap grip helped reduce the grip pressure and thus “freed” up the swing a bit.

Hopefully @Tadashi70 can chime in and provide a better explanation from a teaching perspective.

the tension has been REAL the past couple of times at the range, no doubt. So real that I actually get a mild case of anxiety an the way there because I'm praying, the whole time, that things will be different this time. So, there's a ton of validity to your point. Maybe the grip change made me shift my focus a bit and stopped me from overswinging (which I know has been an issue because my lack of distance has, lately, has been a MAJOR disappointment in my last few sessions) even though I KNOW that a smooth, effecient swing will gain me more yardage. I just can't get out of my own head sometimes when my 7 irons is flying 125 yards. I'm an idiot, I'll admit it.
 
I hope it remains as a turning point and you continue to strike it good SS. When the weather warms up don't let a bad range session keep you from playing a round. I have had terrible range sessions and played the next day just fine. I have also had a great range session and played like hot garbage haha. Keep a positive attitude and your game will come around.
 
I can only offer my experience, that if my grip pressure is up, my whole swing gets tense and turns to junk. It’s usually one of those things I never realize in the moment, but instead on the ride home as I try to figure out why I played soo badly.
 
One other thing that I forgot to mention: I've heard, from the time I started playing golf, that you have to have your hands in front of the ball at impact to create lag, and thus spin and distance. Now, everytime I've tried to execute this elusive, magic, golf elixir move I either chunk the sh*t out of the ball (literally hitting 4-5 inches behind the ball) or I top the crap out of it. I've never been able to "feel" my hands ahead of the clubhead at impact, creating that beautiful divot in front of my ball and solid, center faced contact. What I've always felt when I made really nice flush contact with the ball has always been a result of an almost "cast" at the last second at the ball. It feels great when I pull it off but the reliance on perfect timing makes it impossible to do with any consistency. I've had rounds where it held up for the majority of the day but it eventually fails, at some point.

Yesterday, I could actually feel my hands ahead of my clubhead at impact and I don't remember a time when I hit so many balls "flush". I actually felt like a freaking golfer for the first time in a long time. I'm just praying that this isn't some fleeting experience and I go back to the range only to struggle again and look for a new "fix". For right now, though, I feel really good about my swing for the first time in a long time.
 
Grip technique is by far the most significant (to the golf swing) fundamental.
Tour pros are constantly checking and rechecking, rehearsing etc... their grip technique. When a Tour player feels his/her swing is "off" chances are the first thing he/she checks his grip technique.
Grip technique influences the entire swing, including swing plane, swing shape, swing rhythm and tempo etc...
The late great world class player and instructor Tommy Armour wrote in his book that he wanted six months to teach and have the player learn a fundamentally sound grip. His point in writing this was that without a fundamentally sound grip technique making a consistently effective golf swing is much, much, much harder than need be.
Most of today's incompetent instructors spend about two minutes teaching the grip. Just about 100% of mid and high handicap players have a seriously flawed grip technique.
 
Grip technique is by far the most significant (to the golf swing) fundamental.
Tour pros are constantly checking and rechecking, rehearsing etc... their grip technique. When a Tour player feels his/her swing is "off" chances are the first thing he/she checks his grip technique.
Grip technique influences the entire swing, including swing plane, swing shape, swing rhythm and tempo etc...
The late great world class player and instructor Tommy Armour wrote in his book that he wanted six months to teach and have the player learn a fundamentally sound grip. His point in writing this was that without a fundamentally sound grip technique making a consistently effective golf swing is much, much, much harder than need be.
Most of today's incompetent instructors spend about two minutes teaching the grip. Just about 100% of mid and high handicap players have a seriously flawed grip technique.

I agree that a poor grip is one of the most common flaws I see with golfers. I’d guess 85% or more of mid to high index players could use some major adjustments to their grip.
 
I have a feeling you made all the difference by settling down and trying for that smooth tempo swing. Either grip would have worked. But because you THOUGHT it would make a difference, it did.


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Yes it can!
 
Grip technique is by far the most significant (to the golf swing) fundamental.
Tour pros are constantly checking and rechecking, rehearsing etc... their grip technique. When a Tour player feels his/her swing is "off" chances are the first thing he/she checks his grip technique.
Grip technique influences the entire swing, including swing plane, swing shape, swing rhythm and tempo etc...
The late great world class player and instructor Tommy Armour wrote in his book that he wanted six months to teach and have the player learn a fundamentally sound grip. His point in writing this was that without a fundamentally sound grip technique making a consistently effective golf swing is much, much, much harder than need be.
Most of today's incompetent instructors spend about two minutes teaching the grip. Just about 100% of mid and high handicap players have a seriously flawed grip technique.

Grip is fundamental taught at an early age to tour pros. It’s the last thing they adjust when their swing goes wonky. It’s like breathing to them just a stance and posture are as well.

Grip does effect the swing and a good grip is needed. The grip must match the swing as does the tension in your hands.
 
I have a feeling you made all the difference by settling down and trying for that smooth tempo swing. Either grip would have worked. But because you THOUGHT it would make a difference, it did.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There may be some validity to that point, my friend. I'm hoping the whole thing isn't fool's gold, for me, at this point. One thing I found encouraging is that I don't remember hitting that many flush shots in one range session in, literally, at least a year. The thing that sucks is I spent a majority of my session using the "old" grip and had wont myself out pretty good before I made the grip change so, at the end (though I was still hitting solid shots) fatigue was starting to affect the rest of my session.

I'm going to try and get out again this week and give it a go again and see if I get similar results. Fingers crossed.
 
Grip is fundamental taught at an early age to tour pros. It’s the last thing they adjust when their swing goes wonky. It’s like breathing to them just a stance and posture are as well.

Grip does effect the swing and a good grip is needed. The grip must match the swing as does the tension in your hands.

I'm interested, Panda. Which grip do you use and why?
 
I'm interested, Panda. Which grip do you use and why?

I learned with ten finger. Moved to overlap in college and switched to interlock three years ago.

I taught myself how to play and the ten finger is how most kids grabbed the club in my youth. My college coach saw that i had a tendency to leave the face open and switched me to an overlap. It helped and I became a very straight hitter of the ball.

Three years ago I was playing in the rain and needed more control. I went to interlock and had so much control over the club. Contact felt solid, ball flight didn’t have a great deal of movement and the club didn’t slip in the rain.
 
I also began with an interlock and played that way for 5-6 years since I'd started golf. When I switched to overlap, I saw an immediate improvement. Better distance, less right turn to my shots.

Today, a change in grip (and set-up) still manages to offer its rewards. 2 years ago, I realized that I was gripping the club with short thumbs. Short thumbs will lead to more freedom for the wrists to hinge but it can also lead to a handsy swing with more action where not wanted. That was my issue, too much hand action particularly at the top of my swing.

I just lengthened my thumbs down the shaft a bit and instantly I felt a better connection and my swing felt more efficient.

The set-up part of it was just to release tension in my right elbow at address (I'm RH) to the point of a very slight sag to it. This encouraged a better takeaway for me, helping my right elbow to hinge properly. Prior, I found that it remained kind of straight for too long during takeaway into the backswing.
 
I also began with an interlock and played that way for 5-6 years since I'd started golf. When I switched to overlap, I saw an immediate improvement. Better distance, less right turn to my shots.

Today, a change in grip (and set-up) still manages to offer its rewards. 2 years ago, I realized that I was gripping the club with short thumbs. Short thumbs will lead to more freedom for the wrists to hinge but it can also lead to a handsy swing with more action where not wanted. That was my issue, too much hand action particularly at the top of my swing.

I just lengthened my thumbs down the shaft a bit and instantly I felt a better connection and my swing felt more efficient.

The set-up part of it was just to release tension in my right elbow at address (I'm RH) to the point of a very slight sag to it. This encouraged a better takeaway for me, helping my right elbow to hinge properly. Prior, I found that it remained kind of straight for too long during takeaway into the backswing.

Interesting. I've heard of "short thumbs" but I've never really understood what it meant and, to be honest, I'm not even sure now (with the clubs in my truck) which technique I actually play with.

Thanks for the post, WMac. Much appreciated.
 
I learned with ten finger. Moved to overlap in college and switched to interlock three years ago.

I taught myself how to play and the ten finger is how most kids grabbed the club in my youth. My college coach saw that i had a tendency to leave the face open and switched me to an overlap. It helped and I became a very straight hitter of the ball.

Three years ago I was playing in the rain and needed more control. I went to interlock and had so much control over the club. Contact felt solid, ball flight didn’t have a great deal of movement and the club didn’t slip in the rain.

The switch is interesting to me. I understand the rain/wet aspect but you mentioned with the overlap grip you were a straight hitter of the ball. So, other than the "wet factor" I gather that the interlock grip makes it easier for you to shape your shot, correct?

The reason that I ask is that "shaping the shot" is, I think, the last thing in the world that I should be focusing on and (as I high handicap) I should be working, right now, on just hitting that ball straight (which from what I saw yesterday, I was having much more success with the overlap grip).

Thanks again, in advance, my friend.
 
The switch is interesting to me. I understand the rain/wet aspect but you mentioned with the overlap grip you were a straight hitter of the ball. So, other than the "wet factor" I gather that the interlock grip makes it easier for you to shape your shot, correct?

The reason that I ask is that "shaping the shot" is, I think, the last thing in the world that I should be focusing on and (as I high handicap) I should be working, right now, on just hitting that ball straight (which from what I saw yesterday, I was having much more success with the overlap grip).

Thanks again, in advance, my friend.

I could shape it with all grips I’ve used that is due to learning on my own about how the face shaped the ball depending on its angle. I feel that the interlock grip gives me even grip pressure and really keeps my right hand pushing into the left thought impact. The overlap gave me more of a feeling that I was making contact with the back of left hand. I still have this feeling but now the right hand is in play with the push.
 
Interesting insight into the interplay of the hands. I've always wondered, because I'm a right handed person playing golf from the left side, what role my right (dominant) hand has had in my swing, it's plane, and working/overworking the club face has had on my swing and vice versa for my left hand. For example, I can't throw a ball/rock/etc with my left hand to save my life so I'm not even sure what role my left hand is playing in my swing if I'm being 100% honest.. But, I've swung from the left since I was old enough to even remember grabbing a bat (my uncles, who were huge Sal Bando fans, made sure of that from the time I was about 3 years old). I've tried swinging from the right side and nothing (and I mean NOTHING) feels natural or comfortable from that side, to me. So, I suspect just from that aspect alone, that I'll experience challenges that the average golfer doesn't deal with. Or maybe it's nothing. I have no idea, to be honest.
 
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