Grip Pressure

[Big Johnny69]

Now I know you aren't supposed to have a death grip on the club. But just wondering if everyone uses equal grip pressure in each hand? Or do you have one hand that has just a little more pressure than the other one?

Playing today, and hitting some shots out to the right. And thinking back, I recall barely holding onto the club with my right hand. So I started putting a bit more pressure on the club with the right hand and sure enough the balls started going straighter. I remember doing this a while back, but I guess I just got lazy again.

[Old Man]

Are you a righty or good ole lefty as us normal folks?.

[Big Johnny69]

I would be a right handed golfer.

[Old Man]

so it would be like baseball where if you grip firmer with the bottom hand the head of the bat (club ) comes around faster thus squaring up the face at contact.

[Old Man]

I have the other effect too much pressure on the bottom hand and pull the ball sometimes.Or when trying to kill it,over use the leading hand and slice it like crazy thus getting some well deserved large laughs from my playing partners.

[harbacostal]

I like to try to concentrate on holding on with the top hand...I rehearse the impact position just prior to swinging. Get a good feel for where I would like the bottom hand to be. Then I swing....and try to get that hand back where I'd like it...Of course I am a right handed guy swinging left handed clubs so my dominant hand is on the top...

[The Saint]

I think you've just gotten used to the helicopter grip and forgot everything else

Now I know you aren't supposed to have a death grip on the club. But just wondering if everyone uses equal grip pressure in each hand? Or do you have one hand that has just a little more pressure than the other one?

Playing today, and hitting some shots out to the right. And thinking back, I recall barely holding onto the club with my right hand. So I started putting a bit more pressure on the club with the right hand and sure enough the balls started going straighter. I remember doing this a while back, but I guess I just got lazy again.

[Big Johnny69]

I think you've just gotten used to the helicopter grip and forgot everything else

Hahahaha, very funny. Sure, hit a man when he's down.

And btw, the helicopter is not a grip, it's a type of swing......at least get it right.

[Txxxxxxx]

The bottom hand on the grip is supposed to be there for the ride so to speak. 90%, if not more of your pressure should come from your top hand.

[leftylucas]

That makes sense Geoff as I had trouble hooking the ball and my teacher pointed to my individual hand grip pressure and counselled me to hold on to my front hand twice as much as my back hand and whammo, no hooks.

[BC MIST]

Now I know you aren't supposed to have a death grip on the club. But just wondering if everyone uses equal grip pressure in each hand? Or do you have one hand that has just a little more pressure than the other one?

The sole purpose of the hands is to hold onto the golf club. If a golfer can do that with a light grip, great, if not, hold on more tightly.

In my too many years of watching golfers I have come to the brilliant conclusion that many golfers are much better players than there scores indicate, because their grip loosens or because of their grip, the wrist alignment at transition, changes. To be more consistent, the grip must NOT slip and the wrists must NOT change position and so the golfer should hold the club firmly enough to prevent the above.

Moe Norman said, " I draw blood with my left and my right is wet spaghetti." This sounds good and perhaps something that might help the rest of us, except Moe was LEFT handed. His pulling action with a dominant lead hand was one reason why he was so good. Ben Hogan was left handed, too. One can see that because most of us are right hand dominant, that our grip pressure has to be different and so there are no hard fast rules that should be followed. Just don't let it slip.

[bazooka Don]

Future gadgets, can you see someone coming out with a new golf grip that if your grip is too tight a beeping noise occurs. This would give you a chance to step back relax the tension a bit and grip it rather than choke it. Then again can you imagine reaching the back of your swing plane and alarms start going off. Bad idea.

[Hacker]

Why is it that too much grip pressure is bad? Does that prevent a proper release through the ball? I always hear that gripping it too tightly is bad, but I don't recall the reason why....

[Big Johnny69]

Why is it that too much grip pressure is bad? Does that prevent a proper release through the ball? I always hear that gripping it too tightly is bad, but I don't recall the reason why....

Tension restricts the body from moving freely.


Example:

Grip a soft ball as hard as you can and tense your arm up as much as you can, now throw the ball. It won't go very far.

Now grip the softball with a lighter grip and take the tension out of your arm. Now throw. I guarantee the ball will go farther.

The same principle works for the golf swing.