Bel
|
Home |
Driving Range & Miniature Golf |
Learning Center |Golf
Pro Shop Golf Tips Articles by Jay Perkins, PGA Professional  •ON THE GREEN• Article Three Leave that grip it, rip it technique to long hitters on professional tour The phrase "Grip it and Rip It!" was popularized by big John Daly several years ago. This notion comes from the idea of take your grip, set-up and just let it go. This idea is not all bad once you have achieved the status of a John Daly or Tiger Woods, but remember that these guys make their living doing this. They practice golf as many hours as you and I do our regular job during the week. For most of us a lot more goes into the process of getting set to hit a golf ball correctly. I personally like the idea of standing over the ball and letting your mind relax and focus on one swing thought vs paralysis by analysis. Getting set to swing a golf club involves constant attention to detail from the time a player stands behind the ball to identify his or her target line to going through their own personal pre-shot routine, prior to drawing the club back in the takeaway. Over and over as a teacher I see people trying to get all the pre-swing fundamentals correct and down to a routine, so it becomes less cumbersome to them as they approach the golf ball. This constant repertoire of minutia demands discipline and perseverance from the individual. Unfortunately what makes the process so difficult is the fact that we are human and subject to many variables on a day-to-day basis. If setting up to a golf ball and swinging a golf club were like turning on a computer and going to a particular program, this game would be much easier because everything would be pre-set and the steps programmed in, however, this is not the case. One day your grip feels like it was designed to be placed on a golf club, the next it feels like you have never done it at all. The reason is that you may be fatigued, stressed out or have simply not had time to practice. Whatever the reason, it's more than just "grip it and rip it". What I try to impress upon golfers is to practice at home and even at work as much as possible. If you dedicate only a few short minutes a day to some part of the swing, you will be amazed at the results once you get to the range to practice or on the course to play. As a matter of fact, practicing the swing in some fashion during the day can be quite therapeutic. Thinking about something that is recreational to you personally can actually be like meditating. If you are really focusing on one particular thing and it involves several facets like the set-up or stance, it is hard for your mind to think about other problems or worries. The golf swing can become a routine even though it has many parts as long as some time is dedicated to it and it is a fun activity for the golfer. The more you can practice these parts, even without a ball, it will help ingrain a feel so the next time you actually hit balls you don't have to think so much. Below I will give you a guideline to start working on the correct grip. As many times as I work on a grip position with a student he or she inevitably needs constant attention in this area of the swing. So don't take the grip for granted. It needs constant attention no matter what level of golf you play. In Nick Price's book "The Swing" he emphasizes how he always checked his grip no matter how confident he was with his game. Price emphasized how critical positioning of the hands were relative to the clubface, so the player did not have to make any compensating moves during the swing to make up for a faulty grip position. Now if the best players in the world do this don't you think it would be good practice for all of us to check our grips on a regular basis and make sure the positioning and pressure are correct? •Start with the left hand on the club handle and make sure you start forming the grip about 1/2 " or 1" below the butt of the club. Never hold the club at the very end. Place the club handle diagonally across your left hand so that it runs just above the base of the little finger and through the crook or last joint of the forefinger. You want to make sure that the handle of the club does not get too high in the palm. •From that position make sure as you wrap the fingers around the club handle that you maintain a feel as if the club handle is in the fingers more than the palm. When your fingers wrap around keep the gap between the forefinger and thumb closed up so it forms a "V". This "V" formed by the thumb and forefinger staying together is very critical to correct left hand positioning. •The "V" formed by the forefinger and thumb should point somewhere between your right ear and your right shoulder. •Once the left hand grip is formed you should be able to see at least two to two and 1/2 knuckles on the left hand once it is in the playing position. •The main pressure points in the left-hand grip are in the last three fingers of the left hand. •The right hand grip as you bring it in to place on the club bring it in parallel to the left and once make your connection either with the overlap, interlock or baseball (10 finger) grip wrap the remaining fingers around the club keeping the grip in the fingers. As the right hand goes on the club the left thumb should be covered and fitting just underneath the fatty base of the right thumb. The right thumb should lay slightly diagonal across the top of the club handle. There should now be a "V" formed by the right forefinger and thumb pointing also somewhere between your right ear and right shoulder. •Choosing the correct connection between the two hands is a matter of personal preference. The most preferred grip is the overlap and second most popular is the interlock. The baseball or ten-finger grip is used in certain cases where flexibility or strength is a problem. Your local PGA Professional can assist you with decisions on the proper way to hold the grip. •As far as overall pressure is concerned it shuld be as light as possible to create a soft feel in the hands and arms and yet strong enough to maintain control of the club during the swing. •The best way to think about positioning of the hands is that neither hand should be turned too far left or right on the club handle and the view from above once the club is in the playing position should be one of neutrality. Where both hands oppose each other and if opened up they should face each other almost in a clapping position straight up and down. •If you are left-handed simply reverse the above and the same key points apply in taking your grip. •The more you practice the correct grip the more it becomes familiar so you can tell if you get out of position. If you get out of position you will start making compensating moves somewhere else in your swing to adjust to the incorrect position of the hands. As you can see there is a lot more to the swing than to simply, "grip it and rip it.” It is not a bad idea once you have practiced it as much as big John Daly and the rest of the guys on the tour, so until then keep practicing! These articles were previously written for The Sporting Times. Jay Perkins is the golf columnist for The Sporting Times, a Harford County based sports magazine. Jay's columns can be found twice monthly in that publication. Harford County resident Jay Perkins is the PGA Professional at Bel Air Golf Center in Kingsville. Read more about Jay Perkins. More articles |
Your Complete Center for Golf
Home | Driving Range & Miniature Golf | Learning Center |Golf Pro Shop
3103 Belair Road, Kingsville, Maryland 21087-1016
Route 1 just below Mountain Road
410-817-GOLF (4653) | 410-817-4107 (Fax)