Nina Caldwell
Golfers often make the mistake of obsessing over backswing planes or hip rotation while neglecting their grip on the club. This can cause mishits, duck hooks, and slices. To fix this, golfers should adopt a neutral grip, keeping their hands straight on the golf club to apply the club face squarely to the ball. Additionally, golfers should focus on their wrist action and body rotation to improve their swing. For slower swing speeds, softer balls can provide more distance, while faster swing speeds require harder balls for optimal distance.
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What You'll Learn
Avoid gripping the club too tightly
Golfers often obsess over backswing planes or hip rotation while ignoring how they hold the club. However, gripping the club too tightly can ruin your swing. To avoid this, it is important to find the right grip pressure for you. Think of grip pressure on a scale of one to ten. Most golfers grip at an eight when they should be at a four. Sam Snead famously said it was like holding a small bird – tight enough that it won't fly away, but loose enough that you won't hurt it.
To find the right grip pressure for your swing, you may want to try a drill. Make your grip so loose that it feels like the club might fly out of your hands. Then, hit a few balls. They will probably go farther than your normal swing because power comes from speed, not tension. This drill will help you find the right grip pressure for your swing, which may be different from someone else's.
Another way to find the right grip pressure is to have someone try to pull the club out of your hands. Adjust your grip pressure until the club pops out of your hands when they yank on it. This will help you find the right grip pressure so that you can develop the proper grip pressure for your swing.
Finding the right grip pressure is important because it affects distance, ball flight, and swing mechanics. If you grip the club too tightly, your body cannot achieve maximum coil, and you will not be able to get a complete release and a full extension at the golf ball at the time of impact. This can lead to mishits, duck hooks, and slices. By finding the right grip pressure and avoiding gripping the club too tightly, you can improve your swing and your overall golf game.
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Keep your hands straight on the club
Keeping your hands straight on the club is crucial for achieving a neutral grip, which can help you hit the ball squarely and improve your game. Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
First, it is important to understand the role of your grip in your golf swing. A good grip frees up the remainder of your swing, helping you maximise power and clean up your impact position. It allows everything in the swing to happen naturally. Conversely, a poor grip limits your swing, making it harder to return to a neutral position at impact. It can also affect the clubface's movement at impact, causing mishits, duck hooks, and slices.
When gripping the club, focus on using your fingers rather than your palms. Start by gripping the club with your left hand first. Allow your arms to hang limp and notice the alignment of your hands, wrists, and arms. Then, grip the club with your left hand in the fingers, ensuring the golf grip crosses through the fingers diagonally. The grip should exit between your pinky finger and the pad of your left palm. This gives full freedom of movement to your wrists, which is essential for power in the swing.
Next, align the club face with your intended target. With your right hand open, align the palm with the shaft parallel to the club face. Place your right hand on the club, overlapping the ring and middle fingers of your left hand. Ensure your right thumb and index finger create a "V" shape, pointing towards the middle of your torso or sternum. This establishes an athletic grip, with your hands working together in the swing.
It is important to find a grip that suits your natural motion and anatomy. The traditional advice of pointing the "V" created by your thumbs and forefingers towards your rear shoulder may not work for everyone. Experiment with different grips, such as the interlocking grip or the overlapping grip, to find what feels most comfortable and natural for you. Remember, the goal is to achieve a neutral grip that allows you to apply the clubface squarely to the ball.
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Rotate your body properly
To fix your golf pro feel, you must focus on rotating your body properly. This is a key element of hitting a powerful draw and will help you to avoid missing a shot to the right.
Take your stance with your butt up against a chair. Make a swing and feel the pressure on the chair shift from both cheeks to the right, back to both, and then to the left as you pivot back and through. This will help you to understand the importance of rotating your body properly.
To achieve a powerful draw, you need to keep the clubface square to your swing path. This is achieved through proper body rotation. Clear your left side, enabling your right side to power through and hit the ball without needing to flip your hands. Both arms should be fully extended, ensuring your rotation is the driving force behind the swing.
From the top, move your left side low and around your body, letting your knees separate. You should feel like you are squatting. This generates more speed and power.
The traditional teaching has been to rotate hard through impact, keeping the hands in front of the club and the wrists firm. However, this is not ideal. Instead, focus on unhinging your wrists and getting the trail wrist to flex and the forward wrist to bend through the hitting zone. This will help to square up the clubface at contact and add clubhead speed.
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Keep your left wrist flexed and less cupped
Keeping your left wrist flexed and less cupped is an important aspect of playing golf. The wrist and club-face are connected—when one moves, the other follows. A cupped wrist, also known as extension, occurs when the top of your hand moves towards the top of your forearm, opening the club face. This can lead to a slice, which kills your total distance, makes it hard to hit fairways, and results in a weak shot.
To keep your left wrist flexed and less cupped, you need to focus on your grip. A weak grip, where the lead hand is more on the side of the handle, can cause your wrist to cup. To avoid this, you should adjust your left-hand grip so that it is in a neutral or slightly strong position. This means moving your left hand more over the grip so you can see more of your knuckles. This grip change may feel awkward at first, but it will lead to a better swing.
It is important to practice this grip change so that it becomes muscle memory. You can do this by working on it at the range, rather than during a game with your friends. You should also be mindful of how tightly you are gripping the club. Most golfers grip too tightly, which can ruin your swing. Try holding the club more loosely—loosely enough that the club might fly out of your hand. This will help you generate more power in your swing, as power comes from speed, not tension.
By focusing on your grip and keeping your left wrist flexed and less cupped, you can improve your swing and hit the ball farther and straighter. This simple change can help you become a better golfer and lower your score.
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Unhinge your wrists
The wrists play a crucial role in achieving power and consistency in your golf shots. The goal of a proper wrist hinge is to ensure that you can get your club into a square position at impact. The wrists control the clubface and influence the positioning of the club at the top of the swing, which in turn affects the transition to the downswing and where the clubface is at impact.
An early hinge means the wrists begin setting by the time the club is parallel to the ground. This suits golfers with a more compact, rotational swing and can simplify the motion. It works well for stronger players with good speed but may limit overall swing length and power.
A later hinge means the wrists stay passive longer and only begin setting near the top of the swing. This pattern is favoured by many pros, including Tiger Woods, for added extension and fluidity. It promotes a wider arc and smoother transition, helping generate speed through proper sequencing.
To work on unhinging your wrists, try this drill: Take one swing where you feel like you don’t hinge your wrists until the top of the swing. Then, take another swing where you set your wrists almost immediately after taking the clubface away from the ball. The difference in these two swings will likely feel huge, and one or the other may make it easier for you to get a square clubface at impact.
Remember, it's the arm speed and forearm rotation that allows the wrist to unhinge; it's never a conscious effort to do this.
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