Voyager EMH
Slipper Wearing Plucker of Pheasants
This Is My Secret
By Henry Cotton
“I reveal to you the secret of the golf swing. It lies in the control of the tension of each finger when gripping. This is the final action taken by every great player to govern the strength and direction of the shot. It is even used to control the arc of the swing.
What I reveal is the very heart of the swing for all players from beginner to ace.
Golfers tell how they grip the club, how they swing, how they waggle it at address and so on. But all these points depend on the tension of the individual grip of each finger.
By varying the tension the whole timing can be altered and the clubface kept more open or more closed, That is why I have always stressed that golf is 85% hands and arms,
I have worked for a long time on this secret, trying it out on pupils and friends, My suggestion to lots of golfers that they adopt a double-handed grip was made with the object of altering the individual tension of the fingers. This changes the distribution of power available and in turn governs the ability to gain better control of speed and the angle of the clubface at impact.
Whatever the type of grip used the tension of the fingers is the secret. This can be varied with training, but naturally strength counts because it provides a bigger range of tension. That is why hand exercise with a squash ball, cork, short heavy club or spring grips gives more scope for experiment when practising.
On those days when I am trying to play well the first test I make on waking is to clasp my hands together just to see if my fingers seem thin and strong. If they feel good I know I can play well. If they are thick and weak I am worried.
I hinted at this secret in one of my books. I made a claim about hooking and slicing which contradicted the usual dictum. But not a single comment was made, not a rustle anywhere. So I thought then that there was no point in telling any more for a while.
Until each golfer’s case is examined it is impossible to say that the third finger of the right hand, for example, is doing too much or too little gripping. But this particular finger is often ignored when talking of the grip. The thumb and index fingers are important, but the other fingers are very important.
The placing of the left thumb on the shaft affects the grip of the third finger of the right hand. So does the thickness of the grip. The position of the little finger of the right hand in an overlapping grip is important. This can change the whole swing, not only for arc but for power and timing.
I hope this disclosure will start more golfers on the road to the top. And I hope it will stop many people wasting time looking for a faulty arc, or pivot, when it is the tension of each finger that they should study.”
By Henry Cotton
“I reveal to you the secret of the golf swing. It lies in the control of the tension of each finger when gripping. This is the final action taken by every great player to govern the strength and direction of the shot. It is even used to control the arc of the swing.
What I reveal is the very heart of the swing for all players from beginner to ace.
Golfers tell how they grip the club, how they swing, how they waggle it at address and so on. But all these points depend on the tension of the individual grip of each finger.
By varying the tension the whole timing can be altered and the clubface kept more open or more closed, That is why I have always stressed that golf is 85% hands and arms,
I have worked for a long time on this secret, trying it out on pupils and friends, My suggestion to lots of golfers that they adopt a double-handed grip was made with the object of altering the individual tension of the fingers. This changes the distribution of power available and in turn governs the ability to gain better control of speed and the angle of the clubface at impact.
Whatever the type of grip used the tension of the fingers is the secret. This can be varied with training, but naturally strength counts because it provides a bigger range of tension. That is why hand exercise with a squash ball, cork, short heavy club or spring grips gives more scope for experiment when practising.
On those days when I am trying to play well the first test I make on waking is to clasp my hands together just to see if my fingers seem thin and strong. If they feel good I know I can play well. If they are thick and weak I am worried.
I hinted at this secret in one of my books. I made a claim about hooking and slicing which contradicted the usual dictum. But not a single comment was made, not a rustle anywhere. So I thought then that there was no point in telling any more for a while.
Until each golfer’s case is examined it is impossible to say that the third finger of the right hand, for example, is doing too much or too little gripping. But this particular finger is often ignored when talking of the grip. The thumb and index fingers are important, but the other fingers are very important.
The placing of the left thumb on the shaft affects the grip of the third finger of the right hand. So does the thickness of the grip. The position of the little finger of the right hand in an overlapping grip is important. This can change the whole swing, not only for arc but for power and timing.
I hope this disclosure will start more golfers on the road to the top. And I hope it will stop many people wasting time looking for a faulty arc, or pivot, when it is the tension of each finger that they should study.”
