Holding it too close to the end

[Maninblack4612]

I have a habit of gripping the club at the very end of the grip, have done for years. I have also been plagued by shots which go left, hooks with the long clubs, pulls with the short ones. A pro, a while ago, told me to grip further down the shaft but didn't explain why & I didn't do it. Today, at the range, I tried gripping down the shaft and, magically, the pulls & hooks almost vanished. It felt as if, with some of the grip protruding past the hands, it was preventing the wrists turning over.

I'm going to try this out on the course on Saturday. Anyone else had this experience?

 

[Crazyface]

I think I do this. But doesn't holding the stick down the shaft just make it lesser club and therefore easier to hit?

 

[nickjdavis]

I think I do this. But doesn't holding the stick down the shaft just make it lesser club and therefore easier to hit?

No. It means you are holding it correctly and it is the club it always should have been!!

We are only talking half to three quarters of an inch at the most here that would typically protrude beyond the heel of a players upper hand.

 

[jim8flog]

Most grips are tapered and are much thicker very close to the butt end.
Gripping with the pad of the hand below this bulged area ensures a more consistent grip through the hand.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Just read the title……..what are we talking about?

 

[ADB]

Just read the title……..what are we talking

Get your head out the gutter, he’s just saying by gripping down the shaft and holding closer to the head it seems to improve control and avoids the wrists turning over….just needs to try it in public on Saturday

 

[Klimski]

That went south quickly

Anyway, regarding the question, I do think that gripping down a bit may strengthen the left hand a bit, preventing flipping the club. Weakening your right hand in the grip could also work (look up some YT video's on correct grip). I tend to turn it over also when I don't check my grip... sorry I'm giggling now... jeez.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Very active hands here, lots of pulling and tugging left . Not so much with irons but nasty with driver. I’ve always choked down the grip on the driver, when driving is bad, right hand index finger and thumb will be off the grip and on the shaft. Feels like I have better control of the club in the back swing which prevents me from re-gripping during the swing and turning the face in. It’s not the ideal solution but I really struggle to weaken the grip, been fighting it for a few years now.

 

[sjw]

So, just to recap... grip further up the shaft towards the head and not only is it more comfortable, but it's less prone to shooting off left or right?

 

[Maninblack4612]

So, just to recap... grip further up the shaft towards the head and not only is it more comfortable, but it's less prone to shooting off left or right?

Works for me. Well, we'll see tomorrow.

 

[KenL]

If only you’d listened to your pro!

Play well tomorrow.

 

[Maninblack4612]

If only you’d listened to your pro!

Play well tomorrow.

If only! One pro I went to would show me a "before" video of my swing fron 4 years ago & say "looks familiar". I was paying him to tell me the same thing over & over again.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

Play regularly with a lad who’s gone pro and he was practically holding the end of the grip, so like many things in golf, I don’t think there’s necessarily one correct position to hold the club

 

[CountLippe]

Could just be that choking down a bit means you're not stood too far away from the ball.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Tried it on the course today & it works for every club including, surprisingly, the putter. Missed very few left & hit a lot of shots close to the pin. Deffo more control, as expected, but there didn't seem to be any loss of length & the club definitely wasn't turning over on impact much at all. Very encouraging.

 

[clubchamp98]

As the grip gets slimmer you will release the club better and not hold on to it.

 

[sunshine]

Sometimes gripping it at the end creates an optical illusion that the shaft is much bigger, especially if a petite lady with small hands is doing the gripping.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Tried it on the course today & it works for every club including, surprisingly, the putter. Missed very few left & hit a lot of shots close to the pin. Deffo more control, as expected, but there didn't seem to be any loss of length & the club definitely wasn't turning over on impact much at all. Very encouraging.

I've been doing this the last couple of weeks, something had to change.......I'm definitely holing more, hitting my putts straighter. The one thing I am struggling with is distance control though. Not short, blasting them past. I find it harder to control when holding the putter at the very top of the grip. One problem solved, another created. Definite improvement though so worth persevering with.

Have you found the same with the putter or not?

 

[Maninblack4612]

I've been doing this the last couple of weeks, something had to change.......I'm definitely holing more, hitting my putts straighter. The one thing I am struggling with is distance control though. Not short, blasting them past. I find it harder to control when holding the putter at the very top of the grip. One problem solved, another created. Definite improvement though so worth persevering with.

Have you found the same with the putter or not?

I would say that 75% of my misses are left. Last time out, I think I only missed one that way & it was a right to left borrow.

On long putts for me, what works is to have a couple of practice swings while looking at the hole, then do the exact same swing at the ball. Makes a lot of difference.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I would say that 75% of my misses are left. Last time out, I think I only missed one that way & it was a right to left borrow.

On long putts for me, what works is to have a couple of practice swings while looking at the hole, then do the exact same swing at the ball. Makes a lot of difference.

90% of my misses are right. Between us, what a putter we would be . This has stopped that, also made the misses closer.

On pace, it feels as though I have lost a bit of control. The added pendulum of holding at the top has made the head move freer through the ball, good for hitting straight, not so good for pacing. I just need to work on it