Grip pressure-----EUREKA!!!!

[HighlandLaird]

I have been playing golf for sixty years, had a very low handicap and won many amateur tournaments, but have really been struggling for several years. Not only had I lost a great deal of distance, which I put down to age (I'm 72) and tried many tricks to remedy this, from using very flexible shafts, to swinging heavy practice clubs and taking many lessons, but I have also been hitting many "fat" iron shots-------then it dawned on me! I ought to have known, as I have played golf so long, but desperation had led to me swinging harder and harder, and worst of all---gripping the club with a "death clutch".

I tried playing with a truly slack grip, and instantly regained thirty yards with the driver, and around 15 yards with each iron. The "fat" shots were entirely eliminated. All my previous efforts had been just a waste of time and money.

I recollect Sam Snead saying he gripped the club very gently, as though holding a small bird, and I now realise this is the best advice any golfer could get.

 

Anyone else out there found this instant cure for most golf problems?

[Sean2]

I watched a "Playing Lesson" on Golf Channel a couple of days ago with Sandra Gal. She couldn't stress this enough. On a scale of 1-10 she said she grips the club about a 3. 10 holding the club tightly.

She also mentioned holding the bird thing.

[DeadPoets]

Plenty of golfers do well having a firm grip

7 out of 10, etc

[Tony772]

A good deal of the clubhead speed (which is directly related to distance) comes from hinging the wrists. It's very hard to hinge your wrists if your hands and forearms are tense from gripping the club too hard. I grip at 3/10 at most.

[Seawhales]

This was my Eureka moment also. I am an advocate of the slicefixer model, and I could never "get" the rotation of the left forearm. I experimented with grip pressure, particularly in my left hand - pinky/ring/middle finger, and my right hand ring/middle finger. The more I isolated the pressure to those fingers, and the lighter I gripped it, the more my left forearm rotated open naturally and less I had to consciously think about doing it.

[joeunc]

I too have found that when I am so into "position golf" that my hands seem to squeeze a little too much as I am so mindful of is the wrist flat, is the plane right, are the arms in front etc...This always feels like I am trying to put the club into a certain spot.

If I take a deep breath, relax the shoulders and arms and lighten the grip, I seem to have effortless power as opposed to powerless effort.

[parmark]

[quote name='joeunc' timestamp='1404393981' post='9629515']
I too have found that when I am so into "position golf" that my hands seem to squeeze a little too much as I am so mindful of is the wrist flat, is the plane right, are the arms in front etc...This always feels like I am trying to put the club into a certain spot.

If I take a deep breath, [b]relax the shoulders and arms [/b]and lighten the grip, I seem to have effortless power as opposed to powerless effort.
[/quote]

Great point there too Joe! Thanks for reminder.

[AnserMePing]

Tom Watson was featured on Golf Academy the other evening, and he too emphasized the importance of a light grip. He took his club and held it i front of him and straight up in the air. He loosened his grip to point the club slipped through his hands. Tom stated that you want to hold that club just enough to keep it from slipping. He also added it was a good swing thought in the tee box - raise the club to check your grip, then lower the club to the ball.

I had a same light bulb moment few weeks ago, and my driving accuracy really improved, and distance seemed much more effortless. I'm not a long hitter but ball flight was more consistent. I think my grip is so light you could pull the club right from my hands during the back swing. I remember reading somewhere that your hands naturally tighten during the downswing, so the light grip helps you set the club and stay on plane during the take away.

Great tip!

[Lord Helmet]

[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1404379057' post='9628633']
I watched a "Playing Lesson" on Golf Channel a couple of days ago with Sandra Gal. She couldn't stress this enough. On a scale of 1-10 she said she grips the club about a 3. 10 holding the club tightly.

She also mentioned holding the bird thing.
[/quote]

I didnt hear a word she said.

[parmark]

But she looked good saying it!

[BillyZ2]

Can't say enough about a 'light' grip pressure. When you grip too hard your hands all the way to your shoulders become rigid. Loose hands allow for flexibility, which promotes accuracy and distance.

[BenHoganSlam1953]

A thing to note about Sam Snead's comment is that many players from his era mention that he had very, very strong hands. So when he says to hold a club like a small bird it is all relative. We just need to find what works for each of us. If we consider a 2/10 allows the club to slip through the hands than my fingers are about a 4/10 and my right palm pressing down on my left thumb (I play right-handed) is around 5/10.

[diehllane]

If I gripped it at 3/10, I'd be worried about losing the club if I caught the ball thin.

[NoTalentLefty]

All this says is golf has many ways to get good results. Lighter grip or a firmer grip depends on ?? Who knows. I have heard both expounded on and it seems to come down to the individual.

[Oldboy]

Grip pressure has been something ive been working on lately. Ive always fought the "piccolo" grip and having too much play in the handle at the top of the swing so ive always gripped the club tighter and tighter leading to tension in the wrists and forearms. As with a lot of things with the golf swing being counterintuitive im trying to grip the club with less pressure and not worry about having too much play in the handle at the top and the perceived lack of clubface control. Still a work in progress and hard to trust

[enigma2k]

What's important is that your index finger and thumb on both hands are completely loose in order to have a soft wrist. Martin Chuck talks about this in his grip video on Youtube. (BTW Martin Chucks videos on grip are the most detailed videos you can find on how to grip the golf club correctly on YouTube)

[Precis1on]

I had the same moment. Was able to keep my swing speed and even gain speed while keeping my grip very light. I couldn't get my driver ss over 100 mph by trying to swing the club with a death grip. I went back up to 107 with a lighter grip pressure. Effortless power and much better balance.

Overall it allows me to naturally rotate my left arm on the downswing. I thought that a lighter grip would cause me to become too flippy, but it was the complete opposite. Natural rotation, natural release.

[wmblake2000]

[quote name='Precis1on' timestamp='1404710927' post='9650339']
I had the same moment. Was able to keep my swing speed and even gain speed while keeping my grip very light. I couldn't get my driver ss over 100 mph by trying to swing the club with a death grip. I went back up to 107 with a lighter grip pressure. Effortless power and much better balance.

Overall it allows me to naturally rotate my left arm on the downswing. I thought that a lighter grip would cause me to become too flippy, but it was the complete opposite. Natural rotation, natural release.
[/quote]

Hmmm. I wonder if this light grip pressure and forearms is the essence of 'effortless'. Maybe.

[Smash Factors]

Every now and then at the range I will see a club slip out of someones hand and fly down the range.

Hmmmm....wonder why?

"Hold it like a bird as not to injure it but firm enough so it can't fly away."

[Par Fore]

I too am a strong believer in light grip pressure. I think what is equally as important is having a constant grip pressure. Having a nice light grip pressure at the beginning of the swing does no good if you try and choke the life out of it at transition.

[Precis1on]

[quote name='Par Fore' timestamp='1404766573' post='9654387']
I too am a strong believer in light grip pressure. I think what is equally as important is having a constant grip pressure. Having a nice light grip pressure at the beginning of the swing does no good if you try and choke the life out of it at transition.
[/quote]

Agreed. I almost feel like I'm going to lose the club in transition sometimes with the lighter grip, but no issues so far, even swinging in deep rough. A transition as relaxed as your grip at address should equal a good downswing (given all of your mechanics line up ).

[Ewmcdade]

I think there should be a happy medium. You are going to unconsciously tighten your grip up before striking something; your body is smart like that.

That said, you don't want a death grip during your takeaway either.

You can't tell me the best way to swing a hammer is to pretend you're holding a bird.

[Smash Factors]

I've heard a few different grip pressure ideas throughout the years.

I've heard to have pressure of about 2 or 3 during the backswing, then switch it to 9 or 10 during the downswing.

Others say to keep it consistent throughout the whole swing.

One thing to consider is that the grip technology has changed a lot. Some of these Winn or Golf Pride grips are so tacky now it changes how you apply grip pressure. You can hold it looser and feel that it's firmly in the hand. Older grip styles like the Lamkin Cord don't feel as tacky so you might feel like you have to grip it tighter.

[RBImGuy]

same pressure held during whole swing.
one can say as long the shaft and club head can move freely with impedence your doing it right.
[b]adding pressure during the swing is a sign of compensation.[/b]

[golfho50]

How do you know if you are adding pressure during a swing? Also i was wondering
if there was any device that can measure grip pressure?

Can a good teaching pro really see, even with video, if one is holding club too tight, other than guessing by results of swing?

Thanks

[scotee]

[quote name='HighlandLaird' timestamp='1404377803' post='9628607']
I have been playing golf for sixty years, had a very low handicap and won many amateur tournaments, but have really been struggling for several years. Not only had I lost a great deal of distance, which I put down to age (I'm 72) and tried many tricks to remedy this, from using very flexible shafts, to swinging heavy practice clubs and taking many lessons, but I have also been hitting many "fat" iron shots-------then it dawned on me! I ought to have known, as I have played golf so long, but desperation had led to me swinging harder and harder, and worst of all---gripping the club with a "death clutch".
I tried playing with a truly slack grip, and instantly regained thirty yards with the driver, and around 15 yards with each iron. The "fat" shots were entirely eliminated. All my previous efforts had been just a waste of time and money.
I recollect Sam Snead saying he gripped the club very gently, as though holding a small bird, and I now realise this is the best advice any golfer could get.

Anyone else out there found this instant cure for most golf problems?
[/quote]

[size=4][color=#000000]Good post and a reminder for me as well. As another senior golfer I share some of your experience but not as much of your skill. I think that I have gotten away from that light grip for a couple of reasons. One, I just plain forget but more I think that with all the emphasis on rotary, pivot, big muscle controlled swings I may have confused the feeling of a light grip and oily wrists with a flippy crossover release. As a boy I had a ladies 2 iron that I could only hit well when I did just like you describe. If I kept a light grip I could hit that club high and far and it was a favorite for short par 4 holes and long approach shots. I am going to pay more attention to my grip and see if that improves my striking and distance.[/color][/size]

[Metalfab]

The thing that really helped me is watching Tom Watson say to hold the club out in front of you and let it slide through your hands. Then get the feeling right before it will slide through your hands and using the same grip pressure, lower the club down to waist level, holding it in front of you and that is the perfect grip pressure for you. In case the way I worded this doesn't make sense, I believe it was on one of the recent "playing with the pros" episodes. This thought really helped me. I especially tend to grip the club tight because I am missing the end of all my fingers on my left hand and don't want to throw the club at someone.

[Precis1on]

Pay attention to what the rest of your body does with a gentler grip, especially around transition. When I gripped the club harder in transition, it almost always equaled an early extension of some sort with very little space to move the club in the downswing. In short, my shoulders and core would tense up instead of creating space. This would cause my rotation to be slower and stunted.

Relaxing the grip helps me to have a relaxed body in the backswing and then a fluid transition and downswing with lots of space to move the arms. I had always thought that I had to fire the abs and glutes hard after transition, but that was only causing me to tense those muscles in transition, which causes me to not create any space. Relaxing through the transition also allowed my body to get into that coveted "squat" position that everyone raves about. However, it's not a position that I actively try to achieve, just something that happens now.

[jmlott]

I so wish I was capable of a light grip. I have the sweatiest palms known to man. Georgia summers are constantly sunny, 90+ degree, 90+ humidity weather plus my natural sweatiness.... that means anything less than 7/10 grip pressure and my club goes farther down the range/fairway than the ball. I've even had the club slip straight down at the bottom of the swing and stick straight out of the ground. I go through around 10 gloves per round.just to keep any grip at all. I've tried every sweat reducing spray, powder, etc on the market and nothing helps. I'm considering surgically attaching the club to my fingers.

[Smash Factors]

[quote name='Metalfab' timestamp='1404853103' post='9661713']
The thing that really helped me is watching Tom Watson say to hold the club out in front of you and let it slide through your hands. Then get the feeling right before it will slide through your hands and using the same grip pressure, lower the club down to waist level, holding it in front of you and that is the perfect grip pressure for you. In case the way I worded this doesn't make sense, I believe it was on one of the recent "playing with the pros" episodes. This thought really helped me. I especially tend to grip the club tight because I am missing the end of all my fingers on my left hand and don't want to throw the club at someone.
[/quote]

Good stuff.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9QDHF7kS9U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9QDHF7kS9U[/url]