No mention of the interlocking except the Vardon grip the hands are close enough to overlap or interlock. Isn’t the interlocking grip the 2nd most popular grip? – it is the grip I use

No mention of the interlocking except the Vardon grip the hands are close enough to overlap or interlock. Isn’t the interlocking grip the 2nd most popular grip? – it is the grip I use

A bad day at golf is better than a good day at work.

Live4golf,

That’s OK. But Vardon, interlock, semi interlock reverse overlap etc. are too much the same grip and make no difference to the average golfer. Work with some of these and you will learn something. The whole point of the article.

But my point is why did you choose that grip. I hope it has more thinking behind it than,” well if it is good enough for Jack and Greg it is good enough for me.”

Like saying, I play golf this way because me mate said so. Sad but true in the vast majority of cases.

I hope we can do better than that.

No mention of the interlocking except the Vardon grip the hands are close enough to overlap or interlock. Isn’t the interlocking grip the 2nd most popular grip? – it is the grip I use

A bad day at golf is better than a good day at work.

Live4golf,

That’s OK. But Vardon, interlock, semi interlock reverse overlap etc. are too much the same grip and make no difference to the average golfer. Work with some of these and you will learn something. The whole point of the article.

But my point is why did you choose that grip. I hope it has more thinking behind it than,” well if it is good enough for Jack and Greg it is good enough for me.”

Like saying, I play golf this way because me mate said so. Sad but true in the vast majority of cases.

I hope we can do better than that.

Little fat hands….it was the most comfortable grip for me when I started playing golf…I tried overlap and even Greg’s hybrid ‘interlap grip’ but alas my stubby little hands just did not feel right…so interlock it was for me.

The Baseball grip strikes me as probably being the easiest for most beginners to master – certainly in terms of keeping a flat left, and bent right, wrist. Not so easy to flip with it.

Once the basics of the FLW and BRW have been mastered then a movement to a more conventional (Vardon, overlapping grip, say) can be explored and, possibly, adopted. However, I remain to be convinced of the advantages in then making any such switch.

Discuss?

PS: I started out with an interlocking grip and moved to overlapping for comfort. Never even tried the Baseball grip!

That was half the point of doing that article, to get people to try new things out and see what happens.

We will do specific grips in motion pics and how to grip photos as follow ups to this lead in story which I thought was lots of fun.

Glad to see this thread got a life:)

Its funny how Hitting it Fat and Thin which is such a big deal for golfers did not get a million thread questions. Maybe they were just too well written by WT haha.

The Exaggerated Baseball grip (picture 3a) is a great way to teach Extensor Action.

Spike,

I would throw in thrust, plane, radius and lag-rhythm.

You guys have something coming.

If you don’t come out of your shell on grip what chance the important parts of the swing.

Paul,

Would you recommend, when a student is beginning, for the baseball grip and the exaggerated baseball grip that the shaft lie in the hollow or life line of the right hand?

Yes, that helps a heap. Just realised that looking at the pics. I will reshoot them with that in mind for the follow ups.

I’ve had a few people tell me to keep the 1st finger on the R hand in an extended trigger position and the R thumb a bit further around to the L (I normally have it on top of the club.)

What influence might this have?

Extended right forefinger would maybe help feel Pressure Point #3 sense lag – otherwise nada.

Right thumb way over left is just going to be a super weak right hand grip. OK if you tend more left than right but I would like to see someone do that and keep their right forearm on plane at an amateur level more than once in a blue moon at impact.

Beware the right forefinger and right thumb. Too much emphasis on these digits can ruin your swing.

The right forefinger, portion between palm of the hand and first joint, is a useful monitoring sensor of lag pressure. It is NOT a driving force; and therein the problems usually lie.

If you find you have problems then you may be gripping too tightly with these two digits and making them active in moving the club.

The cure is to practice with both digits off the club altogether until you establish control, then re-introduce them onto the club without letting them take control.

Play your golf with a soft right forefinger and right thumb grip.

I would reverse that rule for a new hitter.

Beware the right forefinger and right thumb. Too much emphasis on these digits can ruin your swing.

The right forefinger, portion between palm of the hand and first joint, is a useful monitoring sensor of lag pressure. It is NOT a driving force; and therein the problems usually lie.

If you find you have problems then you may be gripping too tightly with these two digits and making them active in moving the club.

The cure is to practice with both digits off the club altogether until you establish control, then re-introduce them onto the club without letting them take control.

Play your golf with a soft right forefinger and right thumb grip.

Then what do you see as the driving force if it’s notthe thumb & forefinger? Curious.

Beware the right forefinger and right thumb. Too much emphasis on these digits can ruin your swing.

The right forefinger, portion between palm of the hand and first joint, is a useful monitoring sensor of lag pressure. It is NOT a driving force; and therein the problems usually lie.

If you find you have problems then you may be gripping too tightly with these two digits and making them active in moving the club.

The cure is to practice with both digits off the club altogether until you establish control, then re-introduce them onto the club without letting them take control.

Play your golf with a soft right forefinger and right thumb grip.

Then what do you see as the driving force if it’s notthe thumb & forefinger? Curious.

Home on The Range

As the Dart points out above, there are differences between hitting and swinging in relation to what I said.

I am not a hitter, just a hacker, and have limited knowledge of such. Dart, however, is a GSED and we should all heed his words of wisdom gained through detailed study and understanding of TGM allied to many years of experience on the front line of playing and teaching.

As far as my own “advice” goes, if you are swinging then the driving force of the club, the engine if you like, is a left handed pull on the handle of the club, rather than a right handed (forefinger/thumb controlled) push. Pull = swing; push = hit.

In swinging, the right hand supports and adds structure to the motion, rather than drives it.

Once the right hand comes into play, the emphasis changes from swing to swit to hit depending on the degree of right hand dominance.

Then what do you see as the driving force if it’s notthe thumb & forefinger? Curious.

Home on The Range

What Burner doesn’t know you need not worry about.

My best answer is arms are the source of power. Many will say different. But we need great power and the power control for finesse shots.

The pivot can supply heaps of mass(to spin a fly wheel as Homer says) but it is the arms and club that supply the velocity.

The hands are aware of the force being transmitted through them and that is where your attention should be. The trick is to keep it smooth till the finish.

Average players 18 tend to ease up to stop their slice A graders tend to add pressure to stop their hook.

If only they knew that.

Dart,

Agreed….the trick is to keep it smooth to the finish.

However, are the leg muscles not bigger than the arm muscles and can generate more power?

I have never ever seen a ball hit by legs. You want to watch leg amputees play this game. Legs provide part of the pivot platform and we need them for good balance and to maintain height. Leg bones connected to the hip bone etc.

So we need to see what our feet and leg actions are, in order to improve their coordination with the hips, shoulders and arms.

Dart,

Agreed….the trick is to keep it smooth to the finish.

However, are the leg muscles not bigger than the arm muscles and can generate more power?

Shony,

It depends on definition. P=1/2MV squared. Think of legs as the motor but the arms and club are the levers that make the gear box.

The body can only go so fast; but you can build a higher or lower ratio transmission for power control.

You can screw up the the power to a surprising degree.

By all means go with the legs but you will soon have to investigate leverage.

The interesting bit!

Dart,

I totally understand where you are coming from and agree to an extent, however, there are many ways or approaches one can take to help a golfer. There are also so many different teaching methods on the market thesedays and it is confusing for the average golfer. Trying to get the average golfer understanding the swing is the tough part and trying to be as basic as possible is the key more so. Go and watch a lady off 30 play golf and it is all arms, no power. Go and watch a lady play off 10 and there is a vast difference in their leg action. Why does the lady off 10 generate more power? They have better hand arm/hand action but their leg action is also much better. It is also the same when you think about male golfers. Simplicity goes a long way.
Happy teaching my friend…....

Shony,

The primary source of power comes from the hands and arms Lever Assembly. The amount of force you apply to those levers combined with the direction of that force can dictate how the legs can work in the golf swing.

The lower body is a support mechanism for all those angles and pressure…..a huge role to play, no doubt.

Shony,

How many Pro’s understand the golf swings and their development from learner to par shooter.

I know what you mean but those girls are not using their arms they are just moving them.

Like most people they use the arms so badly that they actually stall the engine that is the body is.

The better people use the arms the better they can use their body.

Then what do you see as the driving force if it’s notthe thumb & forefinger? Curious.

Home on The Range

What Burner doesn’t know you need not worry about.

Thanks for the concern mate but I’ll be the judge of what I worry about.

Home on The Range

You might have a fool for a judge.