grip change: persevere?

[marty4]

Guys,

I recently went for a lesson to address a lot of issues, mainly hitting the ball right 80% of the time. After 10mins on the launch monitor the pro changed my grip to over lap grip. Spent the rest of the lesson with this grip and no change, but wasn't expecting results right away.

I've since been to the range 3 times since, hitting around 250 balls and now 100% of them start right and go further right, not one was on target. Is it just a case it will get worse before it gets better and pesevering and then it will click?

Just wondering if anyone has been here?

Cheers guys.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Spoke to one pro who reckons a grip change could take about 10000 balls before it became natural

 

[Rooter]

i would stick to what your pro said, keep working on it until your next lesson. even small changes take a long time to either work or feel natural/comfortable

 

[Cheifi0]

I changed my grip last winter, from strong to neutral and it still isn't totally natural now. I feel comfortable taking my shot but there is sometimes a tendency for my grip to slip towards a stronger position. I have started to be more vigilant in checking my grip so that it doesn't revert back to old ways. Just keep at it. The first couple of months can be awful but eventually muscle memory will take over.

 

[mefromhere]

If the pro has got your grip right then it's the swing that needs changing to stop it going right. I don't think I will have hit 10,000 full shots in my life to get a grip feeling natural so surely that figure can't be right as it doesn't feel particularly alien whatever I do?

 

[Foxholer]

What was your previous grip? Baseball? Interlock? Cack-Handed?
Did the Pro state why you should change to overlap? Did you ask him why?

 

[marty4]

Yes, he said he didn't think i was releasing the club so changed from interlock to overlap as he said its easier to release the club with overlap grip. The grip doesn't feel unatural but was hoping to see some results but no doubt i'll need more than a grip change..

Cheers.

 

[Foxholer]

I'd suggest you persevere for a couple more range sessions and if the problem is still there go back to the Pro. This sort of chng is a very significant one but shouldn't be one that takes an enormous amount of effort to pply (if it does, then it's un-natural imo). I could never get on with the Interlock but it only took a couple of sessions to get used to the Overlap/Vardon (from Baseball/Ten Finger).

It's quite possible that a simple tweak will achieve the desired result, so if the Pro happens to be nearby, it could be worthwhile just checking. It could be that you right hand/forearm is sneaking underneath your left - which will result in pushes - and a slight change in thought might help. When that happens with me, I think of a Tennis down-the-line topspin but that can have the effect of rolling the wrists with some, so needs care in application.

Good Luck!

 

[G_Mulligan]

Yes, he said he didn't think i was releasing the club so changed from interlock to overlap as he said its easier to release the club with overlap grip. The grip doesn't feel unatural but was hoping to see some results but no doubt i'll need more than a grip change..

Cheers.

yes quite possibly he wants to change the grip first and then change the swing once that feels more natural. He probably should have explained that to you though to make sure you stuck with it.

 

[louise_a]

I had a grip change last winter, nothing major, I only had 2 fingers of my right hand on the shaft and he changed it to 3 fingers, It took quite a while to get used to but now I don't think about.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I'm going through something similar at the moment.

Over the last year, my grip has been getting increasingly strong to compensate for my in-to-out swing path, however that's become a vicious circle, i.e. the stronger my grip, the further from the inside I need to come in order to square the club face.

So, I'm moving to a more neutral grip, although still slightly stronger than neutral. I've been practicing picking up a club with the new grip as many times as I can each day. Went to the range to hit balls with the new grip for the first time on Monday and to start with I couldn't hit a thing! However, after about 30 balls, it started to get better. I was certainly making a better connection but hitting a push fade, which logically makes sense - my swing path is still in to out, but now with a more neutral grip the club face is slightly open to the target line. Mixed in with these shots were a good few shanks, however, I'm not put off. With a fundamentally sound grip I can make changes to my swing to correct my problems rather than having to have all my flaws in a finely balanced state of equilibrium!

It was so nice to be able to get the ball up in the air so effortlessly - now to persist with the grip and start to work on changing my swing path to square things up at impact. Fun and games! Although it feels like a bit of a step back in some respects, and I'm sure I'm going to have some absolutely stinking rounds over the next couple of months, I'm absolutely certain the end result is going to be worth it.

I'm also revisiting all my other fundamentals, posture and alignment in particular. These things are so easy to get right, there's not really any excuse for not doing it given I am committed to improving.

Anyway, on to my question. I'm playing a corporate golf day next Friday, if I spend a few hours at the range this weekend and also a couple of sessions midweek next week, will I be able to avoid total humiliation next Friday??!

 

[sawtooth]

"With a fundamentally sound grip I can make changes to my swing "

Well said.

I dont see the point in making swing changes when the grip is not right. Start with the grip make sure its perfect and kick on from there. Otherwise its a bit like building a house on sand. Interlocking or overlapping it doesnt matter - whatever is most comfortable and make it neutral.

 

[One Planer]

I had my first lesson in April this year.

The first thing my pro looked at was my grip.

He was happy with me using an interlocking grip, just asked me to tweak my right hand slightly and that was it.

Trust what your pro says and work at it. It will take a little time but will eventualy feel more natural.

Or

Buy a Leadbetter grip trainer and fit it to a spare club

 

[marty4]

Went to the range today grip feels better but still going way right. I use burner 2.0 irons but always felt these irons felt a bit heavy and hard to control so thought i'd take along my old wilson ultra 45 irons because i always felt they were lighter and easy to control so thought i'd compare. Burners seem half an inch longer and the grip is thicker shaft is also more upright than the wilson. Anyway i hit a few shots with each and noticed i hit the wilsons with a lot less spin so ball going to the right is hugely reduced maybe due to the wider sole on the wilsons, and felt it easier to release the wilsons maybe due to the thinner grip..

This maybe all in my head but maybe i'm more suited to a more game improvement club with a wider sole. The burners are great clubs but not sure if i have picked up a set of clubs that have been adjusted, or i really need a more forgiving club, anyway i think i'll bring my wilsons along to my next lesson and compare on a monitor to see if i'm talking a lot of s**t.

Cheers.

 

[Region3]

It may or may not have anything to do with it, but it can be harder to release the club properly if the grip is too big for your hands.

 

[Oddsocks]

"With a fundamentally sound grip I can make changes to my swing "

So so true, so many swing faults can be traced back to a grip issue,
M

 

[CMAC]

"Good golf starts with a good grip" Nick Faldo




The pro who said 10,000 balls to make a grip change is just a ridiculous thing to say to an AM, that would be years to most 2-3 games a week players

 

[Deleted member 15344]

"Good golf starts with a good grip" Nick Faldo




The pro who said 10,000 balls to make a grip change is just a ridiculous thing to say to an AM, that would be years to most 2-3 games a week players

Why is it ridiculous ? He said that's how long it could possibly take to make it feel natural not change the grip

You can change the grip over a couple days but it could take 6 months plus to make it feel natural

 

[CMAC]

Why is it ridiculous ? He said that's how long it could possibly take to make it feel natural not change the grip

You can change the grip over a couple days but it could take 6 months plus to make it feel natural

How long would it take you to hit 10,000 balls at the rate you currently practice? then tell me it's not ridiculous

 

[Deleted member 15344]

How long would it take you to hit 10,000 balls at the rate you currently practice? then tell me it's not ridiculous

Again some people might take a year to make things natural

The body learns in different ways

It would take me about. 3-4 months to hit that many balls - maybe half to swing the club that much.

Pros prob do that in about 2 months

So making something feel natural could take that long so yes I don't think it is ridiculous

But he is only a pro giving his opinion - what does he know