Advice wanted

[Delh1982]

Just looking for any tips or advice possible, I have played golf on and off since a wee boy and have always used the cack handed grip and it worked to an extent , I played with this grip up until last year and got down to about an 18 and then stopped playing and sold all my stuff but this last few weeks I have got the hunger back but want to switch my grip , I have been in the garden swinging an old 3 wood to try and make it feel more natural to me , has anyone else had to do this , hopefully it will start to feel more natural over time

 

[ScienceBoy]

Lessons, lessons, lessons..

Really no substitute

 

[Delh1982]

Maybe I should give them a go

 

[Foxholer]

For this particular change, I don't believe lessons would be hugely beneficial - though perhaps 1 to establish and imbed the 'proper' grip might help.

I'd suggest that you are always going to have to be very dedicated about setting your grip!

You are in pretty good company though! Ben Hogan's originally gripped clubs 'cack-handed'. He turned out to be quite a good player!

 

[Ethan]

There are examples of players playing well cack handed, but these tend to be rare and are people who have exceptional feel and timing and who have grown up playing hurling or shinty.

The mechanics of the golf swing are complicated enough to get right in normal circumstances but even more so cack handed. It will take time, perhaps quite a lot of it, to switch, but it is worth doing. It will feel very very awkward and uncomfortable at first and you will probably be unable to hit the side of a barn with it, but persevere. There are training grips you can buy and fit onto a club and one of those might be useful for getting used to it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Golf-Traini..._sim_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TTEK5VBWRE71FTTM7HF

I think a lesson or two to get the grip right, but also to fix some of the other aspects, such as stance and shoulder alignment, right help.

 

[Delh1982]

Cheers for the advice , I haven't played for about a year , i keep going out to the garden and swinging , it all feels a bit stiff at the moment , i did have quite a good feel with the cack handed grip but i know that the switch is needed , i only intend to use the driving range untill it feels a bit more loose and i feel i have full control of what im doing

 

[ScienceBoy]

For this particular change, I don't believe lessons would be hugely beneficial - though perhaps 1 to establish and imbed the 'proper' grip might help.

I disagree, the body will compensate when things feel wrong. Once the grip is done other lessons will be needed to keep the swing in check as the grip beds in.

No substitute for a series of lessons. Always come back to check how a change is bedding in and fix any "over-corrections".

A really good example is my recent alignment change, it worked for a week or two then I went back to hitting right of target, turns out I had fixed one issue but now had an open stance, It was just my body trying to replicate the change and over doing it. Once spotted I was back to nailing it again with even more robustness!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I agree with Ethan that one of this grip trainers will help and even sitting with one on a club while watching TV will get you use to the hands in the right place and get it feeling more normal. Nothing will substitute hitting balls with an orthodox grip though and it will take time and effort. I would advocate a lesson once you start to get it feeling more natural

 

[ScienceBoy]

I agree with Ethan that one of this grip trainers will help and even sitting with one on a club while watching TV will get you use to the hands in the right place and get it feeling more normal. Nothing will substitute hitting balls with an orthodox grip though and it will take time and effort. I would advocate a lesson once you start to get it feeling more natural

100% this, I used the sofa thing when learning the game and it worked a treat.

 

[Delh1982]

Well , the new clubs came today and off to the range i went , 200 balls , and i just couldnt hit a thing even the driver was only going a 100 yards lol , so i gave in and just done what felt natural, my cack handed grip , i got down to 16 using this last year so i think im just going to stick with it , at the end of the day i only play for enjoyment not a living so it will have to do , when I switched back i was hitting the ball so well

 

[Deleted member 1740]

A mate of mine went from 14-6 playing cack handed, he's decided to change and he's currently doing ok bedding in the changes but still has some bad ones.

He's a leftie aswell.

 

[Delh1982]

I really thought i could do it but just cant at all , it actually hurts my right elbow lol

 

[Sats]

Grip is a matter of choice and comfort IMHO, I personally use a 10 finger or baseball grip because I am cursed with small hands.
What really matters is whether your shots are being affected by your grip, see a pro and then change if change is for the good of your game.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

loving the (one?) derivation of cack-handed - for right handed folk using the wrong (left) hand to wipe the cack (poo) from ones derriere when the right is used for eating