USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
David Leadbetter training grip.
I have always had a base ball grip. I have also always had a fairly strong grip, which possibly leads to my bad shot, a flat snap hook. I also have the grip a bit too much in the hands, and not in the fingers. After 25 off years, I have decided to address this, and get a more neutral grip.
Now I could have lessons, but don't fancy it, and would never remember what I was shown. I could read books, but all this how many knuckles can you see malarkey makes no sense to me at all. Never has done. Neither having the 'Vs' pointed over my shoulders, or towards the nearest Kentucky fried chicken shop. It doesn't help.
So I thought one of those training grips might be an idea. The sort of grip with lumps and bumps, forcing your hands into what is presumably the right position. Well. the right position as determined by the grip designer, in my case David Deadbeater himself.
I have a spare 6i, a Mizuno MP52, which I bought for £4 a while ago, and I had my club pro fit the grip to this. I could have done it myself, but if I put it on not straight, then it would be pointless.
I got it last night, just prior to going out for a round, and so bunged it in the bag, so I could at least walk down the fairways brandishing it like a light sabre to get a feel for it. Left hand goes on fine. Could swing it left handed, no worries. Right hand? Complete mystery. I'm either from Norfolk, and have too many fingers, or my normal grip is far from normal.
Finally find a way to hold it, and it does feel very un natural. I try to reproduce this with my 'proper' clubs, and it is far from easy. Go back to the training grip, and it does promote holding the club more in the fingers, and the right hand is not as over to the left as I thought it might be. I try a few practice swings, and figure it could work. Step up to the ball, swing, and wow, what a strike. Plumb out of the sweet spot, slight draw, lovely. Get to the ball, defo not a six iron, so time to go live with the grip on my PW. Nope, block right, weak fade. Yuck.
Played 13 holes eventually. Every time I could hit the 6i, I did so, and every time flushed it. Most of my other shots varied from awful to vaguely ok (no change there then). My driver was by far the worst offender, but then I guess it would be. Did finally flush a 9i, and a 54 degree wedge, and hit one half decent drive.
I am going to persist with this grip, as I think it will be good in the longer term, and obviously it will take a few months to get comfortable with it. The strikes with the 6i were something else. I just need to carry this over into my other clubs.
If any one is thinking that the golf grip is overly complicated, I'd recommend this as a guide to reinforce what it should be like. You can buy an ex demo 6i from direct golf for £4, and the grip for another £12, and I think it's a good deal.
The alternative would be that I need a set of MP52s, and it wasn't the grip at all.
I have always had a base ball grip. I have also always had a fairly strong grip, which possibly leads to my bad shot, a flat snap hook. I also have the grip a bit too much in the hands, and not in the fingers. After 25 off years, I have decided to address this, and get a more neutral grip.
Now I could have lessons, but don't fancy it, and would never remember what I was shown. I could read books, but all this how many knuckles can you see malarkey makes no sense to me at all. Never has done. Neither having the 'Vs' pointed over my shoulders, or towards the nearest Kentucky fried chicken shop. It doesn't help.
So I thought one of those training grips might be an idea. The sort of grip with lumps and bumps, forcing your hands into what is presumably the right position. Well. the right position as determined by the grip designer, in my case David Deadbeater himself.
I have a spare 6i, a Mizuno MP52, which I bought for £4 a while ago, and I had my club pro fit the grip to this. I could have done it myself, but if I put it on not straight, then it would be pointless.
I got it last night, just prior to going out for a round, and so bunged it in the bag, so I could at least walk down the fairways brandishing it like a light sabre to get a feel for it. Left hand goes on fine. Could swing it left handed, no worries. Right hand? Complete mystery. I'm either from Norfolk, and have too many fingers, or my normal grip is far from normal.
Finally find a way to hold it, and it does feel very un natural. I try to reproduce this with my 'proper' clubs, and it is far from easy. Go back to the training grip, and it does promote holding the club more in the fingers, and the right hand is not as over to the left as I thought it might be. I try a few practice swings, and figure it could work. Step up to the ball, swing, and wow, what a strike. Plumb out of the sweet spot, slight draw, lovely. Get to the ball, defo not a six iron, so time to go live with the grip on my PW. Nope, block right, weak fade. Yuck.
Played 13 holes eventually. Every time I could hit the 6i, I did so, and every time flushed it. Most of my other shots varied from awful to vaguely ok (no change there then). My driver was by far the worst offender, but then I guess it would be. Did finally flush a 9i, and a 54 degree wedge, and hit one half decent drive.
I am going to persist with this grip, as I think it will be good in the longer term, and obviously it will take a few months to get comfortable with it. The strikes with the 6i were something else. I just need to carry this over into my other clubs.
If any one is thinking that the golf grip is overly complicated, I'd recommend this as a guide to reinforce what it should be like. You can buy an ex demo 6i from direct golf for £4, and the grip for another £12, and I think it's a good deal.
The alternative would be that I need a set of MP52s, and it wasn't the grip at all.
