all in the grip

sweetswing

hello all ,first post.im playing golf 5 years now,joined a club in january and was given a handicap of 9 ,a bit harsh i taught ,12 or 13 would be more realistic .my play of late has been poor to say the least, so i decided to take a lesson, my jesus all he done was changed my grip the difference to my game is night and day ,now i have worked verry hard on the new grip . played the other day and shot 80 was so pleased i went out again and shot 82 . question is has anyone else taken lessons and seen dramatic changes so quickly?

milltown

Good to hear you got a result!

I'm still very wary of teaching pros myself. Seems almost everybody I know who goes for a lesson, the first thing the pro does is try to change their grip. My da put it very well after a pro changed his grip, he said it was like trying to write with your other hand. I have managed to correct my grip somewhat in the last year but there was discomfort, pain and frustration to begin with.

I have no desire to become a scratch golfer. If I could get to mid teens and not embarass myself when I go out I'd be happy. But most teachers seem convinced that there is only one good golf swing and try to deconstruct your swing completely, then rebuild it in it's entirety their way. I'd love to find a pro who would work with what I have rather than what he has.

ShriekingSheet

milltown wrote: »

Good to hear you got a result!

I'm still very wary of teaching pros myself. Seems almost everybody I know who goes for a lesson, the first thing the pro does is try to change their grip. My da put it very well after a pro changed his grip, he said it was like trying to write with your other hand. I have managed to correct my grip somewhat in the last year but there was discomfort, pain and frustration to begin with.

I have no desire to become a scratch golfer. If I could get to mid teens and not embarass myself when I go out I'd be happy. But most teachers seem convinced that there is only one good golf swing and try to deconstruct your swing completely, then rebuild it in it's entirety their way. I'd love to find a pro who would work with what I have rather than what he has.

I'm sorry I just don't get this. You're definitely not alone - I hear it from a few people. But what do you want? What do you mean by "work with what you have"?

The "correct" way to hold the club is not "correct" because it's just the done thing. It's correct because it's the easiest, most tried and tested way to bring the blade back to the ball square, hence hitting straighter shots.
Alot of people don't have such a grip and as a result the blade comes back pointing right or left of the target creating sidespin - a slice or a hook.

Yes, changing feels awkward at first but after one bucket of balls on the range, it feels much more comfortable. I really, really, really don't see your (or your dad's) argument with a pro not "working with what you have" if "what you have" is clearly not to your satisfaction.

Sure, there are unorthodox examples of people who you might say "worked with what they had"- cack-handed scratch golfers, Jim Furyk etc. But these are rare talents and to suggest that anyone should pursue their own improvement, disgregarding fundamental teachings is like saying to a budding young footballer "forget about all that training, here's a bottle of whiskey- it worked for George Best!"

ShriekingSheet

sweetswing wrote: »

question is has anyone else taken lessons and seen dramatic changes so quickly?

Yeah I think a lot of people when they get a lesson for the first few times and it fixes something basic but crucial can rapidly improve. It was certainly a blur for me from 20 down to around 10, then you need to start earning your improvement. Alot of guys my age at the time were similar.

Jasonw

I'm firmly convinced that it is all in the grip. Without it it is impossible to swing the club 'correctly'.

I started golf 4 years ago and was given a hcap of 16 which try as I might I could not play to. so I decided to get lessons. On the reccomendendation of a friend I went to Paul Keily in Cork golf club and asked him to give me 10 lessons (which I paid for in advance).

Before he gave me any lesson he asked to see my swing. I had a baseball grip at the time. he showed me how to grip the club correctly and told me to go away for 3 weeks practice with that grip even though it felt alien to me. When I felt more comfortable I went back and he started to build my swing.

3 months later I was down to 12 and the following season I made it down to 8. All in the lessons cost me about half the price of a new driver. best golf investment I ever made.

jimbling

Jasonw wrote: »

On the reccomendendation of a friend I went to Paul Keily in Cork golf club and asked him to give me 10 lessons (which I paid for in advance).

I know Paul, nice guy. Was chatting with him one night after probably the worst round of golf in my life. He started me on the path of total target orientated golf. Thinking about the swing is not for the golf course.
Knocked 6+ shots overnight.


I got one lesson from my other pro friend since I came back. First thing he said was We need to fix that grip. The change was so subtle but I could feel the effects immediately. Not necessarily in scoring but in general control of the club. It never feels loose or off balance.

stringy

it is all in the grip. I've tried to switch from interlocking to overlapping as i was wearing down the inside of my left middle finger, however I was pulling and hooking a lot from the stronger right hand grip, so have decided to go back to my safe interlocking grip

BombSquad

milltown wrote: »

My da put it very well after a pro changed his grip, he said it was like trying to write with your other hand. I have managed to correct my grip somewhat in the last year but there was discomfort, pain and frustration to begin with.

So your da went to a pro looking to change his technique and improve, the pro suggests a change & your da doesn't like it.
Was he expecting to pay 50 bucks for the pro to tell him that his swing is fine and there's no need to change?

Of course change is uncomfortable and frustrating to begin with. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take 2 steps forward. I've heard the whole "the pro tried to change my grip but I didn't like it so I quit the lessons" thing a million times. Change is difficult. As Shriekingsheet said you just have to suck it up and put the work in. Go hit a bucket of balls.

Learn a new language and the first thing you'll learn is how to say "hello, my name is X". Learn to drive and the first thing you'll learn to do is start the car. The grip is usually the starting point in every golf lesson because it's important.

So there is always a chance that a professional will comment on your grip. You're paying him to do it afterall...

jampotjim

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

I'm sorry I just don't get this. You're definitely not alone - I hear it from a few people. But what do you want? What do you mean by "work with what you have"?

The "correct" way to hold the club is not "correct" because it's just the done thing. It's correct because it's the easiest, most tried and tested way to bring the blade back to the ball square, hence hitting straighter shots.
Alot of people don't have such a grip and as a result the blade comes back pointing right or left of the target creating sidespin - a slice or a hook.

Yes, changing feels awkward at first but after one bucket of balls on the range, it feels much more comfortable. I really, really, really don't see your (or your dad's) argument with a pro not "working with what you have" if "what you have" is clearly not to your satisfaction.

Sure, there are unorthodox examples of people who you might say "worked with what they had"- cack-handed scratch golfers, Jim Furyk etc. But these are rare talents and to suggest that anyone should pursue their own improvement, disgregarding fundamental teachings is like saying to a budding young footballer "forget about all that training, here's a bottle of whiskey- it worked for George Best!"

I agree mainly with you on the fact there is certain things that are just right - i.e the fundementals which the likes of Furyk have it's just they have a different way of getting the clubface square at impact...

As the pro I am going to currently put it he wants to ensure that my clubface is square the 6 inches before and after impact and how it looks around that really doesn't matter a whole lot.. I am not a technical golfer who knows the in's & outs of a swing and never have been and this sits very well with me as does this pro's way of thinking...

ShriekingSheet

jampotjim wrote: »

I agree mainly with you on the fact there is certain things that are just right - i.e the fundementals which the likes of Furyk have it's just they have a different way of getting the clubface square at impact...

As the pro I am going to currently put it he wants to ensure that my clubface is square the 6 inches before and after impact and how it looks around that really doesn't matter a whole lot.. I am not a technical golfer who knows the in's & outs of a swing and never have been and this sits very well with me as does this pro's way of thinking...

Yep, it's a fantastic way to view technique. Funnily enough, my pro, who was an one of these God-given natural talents himself, said pretty much exactly the same thing to me last year in one of our first few lessons.

I was recounting a few of the things I'd been coached on years ago, particularly the position at the top of my swing, and saying how I always looked good at the top but was never strong through impact. He just remarked, "sure you don't hit the ball up there...". And yeah, we spend the bulk of any lesson working on the impact area.

Like yourself, I was decent and a bit lower as a kid. But despite the break of a couple of years, and the fact that I went to a top coach years ago, I do feel i'm going to be better than I ever was quite soon. My scores are heading that way anyway. And I'd put it down in part to this kind of more sensible approach to lessons and a new-found appreciation of the basics.

PhilipMarlowe

Just wait 'till the hex gets you tomorrow sheet after a comment like that

ShriekingSheet

Licksy wrote: »

...

Licksy, I don't know what you're talking about. I read nothing

Mister Sifter

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

Licksy, I don't know what you're talking about. I read nothing

Sheet, will you mark my card... i don't want him near it!!!!

ShriekingSheet

Graeme1982 wrote: »

Sheet, will you mark my card... i don't want him near it!!!!

F*ck the pair of ye

ibanez777vbk

im right handed but grip like a left handed player ie left hand underneath right hand,ive done this for years. its comfortable and can create a powerfull whip style swing,its unorthadox but effective

FlawedGenius

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

I'm sorry I just don't get this. You're definitely not alone - I hear it from a few people. But what do you want? What do you mean by "work with what you have"?

The "correct" way to hold the club is not "correct" because it's just the done thing. It's correct because it's the easiest, most tried and tested way to bring the blade back to the ball square, hence hitting straighter shots.
Alot of people don't have such a grip and as a result the blade comes back pointing right or left of the target creating sidespin - a slice or a hook.

Yes, changing feels awkward at first but after one bucket of balls on the range, it feels much more comfortable. I really, really, really don't see your (or your dad's) argument with a pro not "working with what you have" if "what you have" is clearly not to your satisfaction.

Sure, there are unorthodox examples of people who you might say "worked with what they had"- cack-handed scratch golfers, Jim Furyk etc. But these are rare talents and to suggest that anyone should pursue their own improvement, disgregarding fundamental teachings is like saying to a budding young footballer "forget about all that training, here's a bottle of whiskey- it worked for George Best!"

Thats a brilliant post, talked alot of sense, 100% agree !

billy3sheets

I had a lesson last week from our pro. 1st thing he changed was my grip. It wasn't really bad as I had lessons in not too distant past, but my left thumb was too extended and being clamped by my right palm, restricting flex of my left wrist. Very small change but I could feel the difference in the wrist at the top of the swing immediately.
He didn't say it was the only way to grip it, but he explained the reason behind it so I'm happy with that.
I don't care if it's frustrating to begin with. I know from past experience that you've gotta try to absorb what he's telling you and adapt to it & it will eventually pay off.