Your Grip Can Influence Your Shot!
Are you struggling with consistency in your golf game? One often overlooked factor could be your grip.
In today's blog, we go over a practice session with Ted Oh and Leila, a dedicated young golfer who has been playing golf for ten years and has a promising handicap of 2.3. Despite her impressive distance with irons, she faces challenges keeping her shots straight due to inconsistent grip.
Introduction
Leila's swing path has remained consistent but her grip changes frequently, a common issue among younger players that is influenced by growth and equipment changes. Growing up, Leila has always used men's clubs and adjusted her grip to accommodate for the size of the clubs. Due to the adjustments and adapting to larger clubs, Leila maintains an old habit of gripping with her right hand slightly underneath, although her hands have grown. This habit has affected her shot consistency.
To correct this, Ted emphasizes the importance of a proper grip alignment. He guides Leila to position her right hand more on top, aligning the V shape formed by her thumb and forefinger on both hands, towards her right shoulder. This adjustment, helps ensure a square clubface at impact, promoting straighter shots.
This grip also promotes a strong grip which encourages shaft lean, leading to a more square club face.
Test shot:
If her grip is underneath, she'll flip the club more, which would cause the ball to travel left.
How to practice or ensure you have the correct grip?
By holding the club in front of you, you can check your grip and confirm the two "V's" are pointing to the correct position, to which you can then bring the club down and setup for your swing.
Oftentimes, when golfers miss a shot, they believe it's the path or that they're flipping it, when it can be as simple as a bad grip. In Leila's case, when she makes a mistake, it's not that her swing changes, but it's her grip that does. By adjusting her grip position and keeping it the same through the round, she can gain consistency.
Conclusion
For any golfer, from beginners to seasoned players like Leila, mastering the grip is crucial for achieving greater accuracy and distance. As Ted Oh demonstrates, refining this fundamental aspect can make a significant difference in your performance on the course.