The season is about to get into full swing. How it goes is literally in your hands. But to hit it good you need to take care of the fundamentals and for me that starts with the grip. How you hold the club will affect pretty much everything in the golf swing, so if you want to hit good golf shots, which I can only assume you do, pay attention to where your hands are, not all the time obviously, only when holding a golf club.
1. GRIPPING STUFF
First of all, what the f**k does a strong or weak grip mean? The simplest answer is that it's more about precision and placement and less to do with how much pressure or power you can apply.
STRONG | More knuckles visible when you look down at the left hand (for right handed players), and less on the right. The left hand is more on top of the grip and the right hand is turned so it's more underneath. A strong grip, or at least a slightly stronger left hand, will give you the best chance of getting the club in a strong position in the downswing both in terms of loft and clubface alignment.
WEAK | Less knuckles on show in the left hand and the right more on top of the club. In my opinion, weak is exactly that, a weakness. It can lead to an open clubface with weakness in the loft. As a result you end up trying to manipulate the clubface at impact, i.e. flip the hands to square it up. Unless you have the pin point accuracy and timing of a trained assassin, it's really difficult to get this right and the ball will end up going anywhere but where you want it.
If you hit a big raking hook, strengthening your grip might not be the wisest of options, unless you actually enjoy losing golf balls and I'm yet to meet a golfer that does. But in golf (as in life), for me there's only one way to play the game and that's to stay strong!
2. STRONG IS #1
A great example of a strong grip and strength in the clubface is Dustin Johnson. His grip creates a bowed left wrist at the top of the swing. Some people could argue that this is shut. But they're wrong. Dustin Johnson is one hell of an athlete (I've heard he can slam dunk a basketball from 100 yards away from the basket, and I'm sure that's not an exaggeration), so he has the ability to go from this position, turn so hard through the ball and still maintain a strong wrist position throughout impact. The clubface remains stable, which is why he's regarded as one of the very best drivers of the ball in world golf. He hits an incredible, obscene in fact, strong fade which goes absolutely miles. So if you're ever in any doubt about why you should have a strong grip, just think Dustin Johnson does it, he hits it miles, and he's world #1.
3. Whatever the grip does during the swing, the club face will match
Think of the grip as a representation of the club face. If your hands are in a position that is difficult to maintain throughout the swing, it will be very difficult to consistently create a square clubface at impact. It's the first thing I look at if someone tells me they have a hook or a slice in their game. It's so often the cause of these bad shots, lost balls, and drinking 10 pints after the Saturday medal to drown their sorrows. Imagine the right palm as the clubface, especially in the downswing. If the right palm is going towards the target, then so will the clubface and guess what that leads to: straight golf shots, BOSH, easy!
4. Seize Control
The last thing you want is the grip moving around in your hands when you're trying to hit a golf shot. The game is hard enough.
A good test is to grip the club as you normally would and swing as you normally would in slow motion. Pay attention throughout the swing as to whether or not the grip moves or your hand loses full grip at any point.
It might sound a bit daft but it's something that I had done for a long time without realising....no wonder I was always fuming over losing balls left right and centre. Now I have my grip and the club under control, I never hit it offline, NEVER - it's the golf course that moves!
If the club isn't stable, it can be an indication that it was in an incorrect position in the left hand. One way I counter this is to feel more control with the grip (handle of the club) in the fingers of the left hand. This helps get the clubface in a stronger position throughout the swing and keep the club on a good path in the downswing. With the club in a 'strong' not 'shut' position on the way down, I can control the ball flight a lot more effectively with my body rotation and hand path. The clubface remains stable throughout...usually.
5. GRIP IT & RIP IT
Getting a good grip is something that can easily improve any golf game. Small adjustments with the placement of the hands can make a big difference when it comes to hitting the ball. As with any change, it can take time to feel comfortable or natural. In fact, to start off with it can feel bloody awful. It takes time but it will start to feel right at home....no seriously, have a go at just holding the club round the house, when you're sitting watching the TV. The more you get used to it, the more chance you've got of gripping and ripping it the way you want when it comes time to play.
WARNING | Do not however, swing the club in the house as I did when I was 9 years old, light smash, glass everywhere, Christmas ruined. The Howson Hippo cut down ladies 7 wood survived though and went on to serve me well, infact where is that club, might give it another go.
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