Grip Question - Strong lead hand/neutral trail

[GGTTH]

I recently had a lesson where the coach changed my lead hand grip. He told me to go to 4 knuckles visible from the top down at first, then adjust from there. We settled on 3 - 3.5 (or at least what looks like it to my eyes). So as I understood it, I was still aligning myself at the target with my body but with the feel that I am swinging more out the way (i.e in to out). The reasoning for this was that my clubface at some point between first parallel on the back swing and downswing it was opening up a touch and he reckons this is what caused the flipping motion at impact that I have at an attempt at squaring the face. He reckons it was my grip that was causing it. Whilst I was aligned properly, the feel or thought for me was to pick a target with my eyes right of where I wanted the ball to go and swing to there. In effect creating this 'V' shape of the shot infront of me - where the left part of the V is my alignment, and the right part of the V is where I'd focus my eyes. In essence this is creating that 'face to path' visual in my mind when visualising the shot.

 

The results from this stronger lead hand were amazing. I was hitting baby draws everywhere, I gained clubhead speed, I struck the ball better, my low point control was good averaging 3-4 after the ball. I gained distance presumably because of the increase in clubhead speed and strike. Club path was consistently between 1-3 in to out. We did some approach shot testing on Trackman and I hit every green asked of me. I've been playing and practicing with this and and my approach play on Arccos has improved by 2.0 strokes. It's great. It doesn't seem to be getting worse, and the miss is one I just leave slightly to the right of where I want the ball to end up. It's the best I've ever hit my irons. As a 11 handicap, approach play was always my weak point - this alone is probably going to get me down to single figures. It works - but is it going to last?

 

Just wanted to share a game-changing experience I had recently. It's a shame its November and not summer time!

 

 

[Ri_Redneck]

I play with the same grip and you should find a place to practice over the winter so you don't lose the feeling.

 

BT