Simple Advice by Paddy

[wagolfer7]

I think these are great for just about any level of golfer.  Really easy to get lost in the details, sometimes some simple concepts can help too.  

 

Hope everyone has a good 4th of July weekend!  Shoot low everyone.  

 

 

[nlk10010]

Yea, I saw this yesterday. I'm not a fan of these kinds of "clickbait" titles, but the "Chest" tip might help me.

 

I also saw another Padraig video where he insists that keeping the trail hand on TOP of the grip is key. He insisted people who are used to weakening strengthening the trail hand are crippling their game. He goes on to say that if you are not used to trail hand on top ("V" straight up or slightly rearward) you might hit some bad shots at first but you will benefit immensely by sticking with it.

 

Again, who knows? I've tried EVERYTHING, except not listening to every tip I happen to find on YT. 

Edited July 4 by nlk10010
Because I'm a dumba**. Occurred to me while I was lying in bed last night that I made this stupid error. Apologies, fixed now.

[Nickb333]

Ha! I tried that weaker trail hand today. Hit some nice little effortless fades on the range. Didn’t transfer to the course past 2 holes. What a mess. And I shanked almost every chip. 
 

I know I know…

[ShortGolfer]

I use the same grip for my lefty 52* gap wedge.  Saves me from learning another grip.  Warmed up with half a dozen swings on the chipping green waiting for the course to open.  🙃

[Nickb333]

6 hours ago, Nickb333 said:

Ha! I tried that weaker trail hand today. Hit some nice little effortless fades on the range. Didn’t transfer to the course past 2 holes. What a mess. And I shanked almost every chip. 
 

I know I know…

Thinking this through, the club did seem to flow quite freely. So perfect… another rabbit hole to bugger. 

[bcjim]

11 hours ago, nlk10010 said:

Yea, I saw this yesterday. I'm not a fan of these kinds of "clickbait" titles, but the "Chest" tip might help me.

 

I also saw another Padraig video where he insists that keeping the trail hand on TOP of the grip is key. He insisted people who are used to weakening the trail hand are crippling their game. 

Isn't trail hand "on top" of the grip already weak? How would anyone weaken it from there? Maybe I'm misunderstanding. 

[RayPlan]

30 minutes ago, bcjim said:

Isn't trail hand "on top" of the grip already weak? How would anyone weaken it from there? Maybe I'm misunderstanding. 

Trail hand just keeps going around counterclockwise until the thumb is on the underside.

 

Artist's rendition of the ultra-weak trail hand:

[bcjim]

21 minutes ago, RayPlan said:

Trail hand just keeps going around counterclockwise until the thumb is on the underside.

 

Artist's rendition of the ultra-weak trail hand:

But nobody does that.  Do they?

 

Quality digital artwork there. 

[RayPlan]

5 minutes ago, bcjim said:

But nobody does that.  Do they?

 

Quality digital artwork there. 

Probably not, but you never know with golfers.

 

Truthfully, I was goofing around, but imagine dialing that position back clockwise somewhere between this hyperbolic extreme and one where the trail thumb is on top of the grip.

[nlk10010]

2 hours ago, bcjim said:

Isn't trail hand "on top" of the grip already weak? How would anyone weaken it from there? Maybe I'm misunderstanding. 

 

No, you're not misunderstanding, I'm an idiot (can't play golf either). Sorry, meant strengthening, post is fixed now.

[Shilgy]

23 hours ago, nlk10010 said:

Yea, I saw this yesterday. I'm not a fan of these kinds of "clickbait" titles, but the "Chest" tip might help me.

 

I also saw another Padraig video where he insists that keeping the trail hand on TOP of the grip is key. He insisted people who are used to weakening strengthening the trail hand are crippling their game. He goes on to say that if you are not used to trail hand on top ("V" straight up or slightly rearward) you might hit some bad shots at first but you will benefit immensely by sticking with it.

 

Again, who knows? I've tried EVERYTHING, except not listening to every tip I happen to find on YT. 

I didn’t watch the video so will ask….was he saying grip on top on the backswing more so than at address?  Too many roll the wrists going back so the trail hand gets under when it should be more on top.

[nlk10010]

18 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

I didn’t watch the video so will ask….was he saying grip on top on the backswing more so than at address?  Too many roll the wrists going back so the trail hand gets under when it should be more on top.

 

No, IIRC he was saying that at address, the trail hand needs to be on top of the grip, not rotated clockwise. FWIW he also says that the lead hand grip doesn't really make much of a difference. Who knows?

[TheDeanAbides]

I usually love Paddy, but the finish idea isn't quite true. I've seen loads of golfers fake a good finish, hold it and watch the ball sail off into the right trees. 

 

[sundaypins]

23 hours ago, bcjim said:

But nobody does that.  Do they?

 

Some players will go overboard toward the front side of the handle for delicate shots around the green, or maybe not so much overboard from further out allowing the face to open a bit. 

Edited July 5 by sundaypins

[ShortGolfer]

You should plan on learning a new swing for chipping the ball.  It is a mistake to re-use or adapt the same swing you use for distance.

I play best with three entirely different swings for driver, irons, and chip shots.  My iron shots is a high fade/straight shot to hit/hold greens.  The driver is a long loopy draw for distance.

I want precision with my chip shots, not distance nor height.

Edited July 5 by ShortGolfer

[sundaypins]

2 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I usually love Paddy, but the finish idea isn't quite true. I've seen loads of golfers fake a good finish, hold it and watch the ball sail off into the right trees. 

 

 

But it is great advice for juniors and beginners swinging in balance.   Once they learn how that works and feels, they may decide to utilize that awareness by going to the edge of imbalance while still launching the ball properly.  

 

 

 

[Nickb333]

On 7/3/2025 at 10:05 PM, Nickb333 said:

Thinking this through, the club did seem to flow quite freely. So perfect… another rabbit hole to bugger. 

Nope. I’m done with a weak trail hand for one simple reason. My arms naturally hang with my lead hand in a strong position. I find it nonfunctional to conflict the two.

[PedronNiall]

On 7/5/2025 at 3:42 AM, TheDeanAbides said:

I usually love Paddy, but the finish idea isn't quite true. I've seen loads of golfers fake a good finish, hold it and watch the ball sail off into the right trees. 

 

 

Agreed. A balanced finish, which he mentions is what players should be after, is the result of proper sequencing. We used to do hold the finish stuff as juniors and it did nada to fix or help locate the issues that were keeping it from happening to begin with. Happens on its own with a good swing, no need to practice, exaggerate, or hold it.