Grip question: grip in the palm of left hand, fingers of right, is this ok?

[Qwiklap]

I have been grinding at golf -- at the age of 45. After a layoff of over 15 years (where I just had no interest), I joined club in 2016 -- and am officially a golf junkie now.

 

I have been grinding a lot - experimenting with things, and keeping what works. Last year early on -- I went from interlocking grip to 10 finger, and have never looked back as my ball became much easier to hit consistently. My handicap has plummeted from 36 (I could not break 110 at my course) to 24 last year, and will move to 21.5 in the next revision (I am now a mid-90s shooter my home course -- I my goal this summer is to break 90). If I could eliminate/reduce mishit chips and three-putts from my game -- I would probably be already breaking 90. In other words, ball striking has become more of a strength than a liability.

 

As I have gotten better -- my issue has become fighting a hook and pull hook with irons. My grip is pretty neutral with my left thump straight down the shaft to the club head, but my right hand slightly strong. I am now at a point that I find I strike my best when I am squaring the club with my turn, and my hands "feel" they are along for the ride. I.e., when I strike poorly -- I am often fighting a "flip" feeling.

 

I read (in "The Big Miss") where Hank Haney got Tiger to start holding the club more in his palms to try and eliminate the big miss left and flipping. I tried it recently, holding the club in the left hand more in the palm -- but still the same overall hand position, and my right hand still has the grip in the fingers. So the left hand has the club much more in "line of health" as opposed to the "heart line" (see attached diagram). So far -- my consistency has gotten better, and I am holding the club much more square to closed in my backswing (with a bowed left wrist at the top). I plan to keep working on it to see what happens.

 

This is a very different than the grip as explained in Hogan's Five Lessons (which is what I previously did). Any thoughts on griping the club more in the palm of the left hand? Is this something of a more modern grip style?

 

I use Lamkin UTx mid-sized grip if this matters (lately adding an extra tape wrap under the right hand). My glove size is M/L Cadet if that matters.

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

 

[mudge]

Nothing modern about gripping the club in the left palm and right fingers. Here's what Hogan wrote back in 1948:

 

"The club in the left hand runs diagonally across the palm."

 

"This picture clearly shows that the grip in my right hand is definitely in the fingers."

[Qwiklap]

Nothing modern about gripping the club in the left palm and right fingers. Here's what Hogan wrote back in 1948:

 

"The club in the left hand runs diagonally across the palm."

 

"This picture clearly shows that the grip in my right hand is definitely in the fingers."

 

Well -- using this illustration from the Five Lessons book. I would say that the club now rests in even more in the left palm than Hogan recommended, with the meaty part of the Lifeline more or less now directly on the top of the grip.

 

I would say 1/2 to 1 grip width further up than this illustration shows.

 

 

 

 

[mudge]

I'd expect that sort of adjustment to decrease wrist mobility.

[Qwiklap]

I'd expect that sort of adjustment to decrease wrist mobility.

 

Yes ... possibly, I think that may be the point. But I do find I can still bow the wrist easily at the top of the swing.

 

Here is the excerpt from the Hank Haney book "The Big Miss" that got me thinking about this. Others grip in the palms as well (like Bryson DeChambeau).

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

Basically, I believed Tiger would be better off with one more safeguard against the big miss. I'd found that pros who suffered from driver wildness invariably held the club more in the fingers. In my case, I'd altered my grip so the club was more in the palms. I had gotten the idea from studying Moe Norman, a Canadian whose competitive career had been hampered by his autism but who was legendary for the repetitive accuracy of his shots. Norman's swing was notable for its relative lack of hand action.

 

I'd noticed that when I held the club out with just my left hand, if the grip was in the fingers, the clubhead would quiver and shake with any change in grip pressure. But when I held it in my palms, the club was much more stable and would barely twist.

 

Grip changes are huge decisions for pros, because in the short term they're uncomfortable and greatly affect feel. So I told Tiger, "Look, I just want to show you something. Just keep an open mind and try it for me, OK?" He looked at me skeptically. I demonstrated the grip I wanted him to try, then put his left hand on his 5-iron and showed him how I wanted him to hold the club more in his palm. He immediately said, "I can't do this." I quickly said, "Yeah, I know it feels weird, but just try it." He took the new grip, placing his right hand also with more of his palm, and waggled the club. "There is no way," he said. I repeated my urging, putting a ball in front of him to hit. He got over the ball and complained, "I can't even c0ck my wrists." I said, "Just hit one." He stood over the ball for a longer time than usual, then swung. The sound of the impact was distinctive. Tiger's shots always made a great sound, but this was even more "flush." The ball flight was ideal as well. Tiger was visibly astounded that he'd hit such a perfect shot with such an uncomfortable feeling. He looked at me and said, "Show me that grip again." I put his hands on the club, and he once again said, "I can't hit the ball with this grip." I answered, "You just did." He hit two more shots solidly and went, "Wow." After about a dozen more balls, he looked at me and said, "I'm going with it."

 

And just like that, he did. He used the grip the next two rounds at Dallas, and though he shot 70-69 to finish in a tie for fourth, he never complained about it. It was the fastest Tiger ever accepted any change I ever proposed to him, and the astounding thing is that it was probably the biggest change we ever made. Even though it was a grip that cost him some distance because it slightly restricted his hand action, Tiger never complained about the sacrifice and continued to hold the club more in the palm the entire time I coached him. The whole weird way it happened remains improbable to me and is a good example of how Tiger was simply different. I can't imagine another player adjusting to a grip change so quickly.

[Billy Baroo]

Jack Nicklaus is a Left Hand Palm and Right Hand Fingers guy. I always would wear out a thumb imprint on my grip from using the short left thumb like Hogan. While it was great for hitting it long, I felt like I never really had control. A year ago, I decided to move to a palm grip where the club rests parallel to the wrist and in that health line that you point out. My left thumb now feels long and it peeks through after I place my right hand on, very much like Nicklaus or Dustin Johnson.

 

The palm grip gets your wrist more towards flexion and ulnar deviation automatically. This usually means a more shallow shaft and a flat left wrist.

[Qwiklap]

 

The palm grip gets your wrist more towards flexion and ulnar deviation automatically. This usually means a more shallow shaft and a flat left wrist.

 

This is my experience so far. More flexion/bowing at impact (and at the top). Better strike and perhaps more downward AoA and shaft lean.

[mudge]

I'd expect that sort of adjustment to decrease wrist mobility.

 

Yes ... possibly, I think that may be the point. But I do find I can still bow the wrist easily at the top of the swing.

 

 

I meant in the ulnar flexion / radial flexion sense. So it is an adjustment which depends on what hand action (or lack thereof) you're looking for.

[Scottie68]

For me, grip across left palm for irons (where I sacrifice a bit of distance for control), grip more towards fingers with driver for distance.

[vgidda]

Sir. If you are hooking and pull hooking it's because the 10 finger grip tend to an over active right hand turning the clubface over. Grip how you want but ease up on that strong right hand.

 

IT'LL RUIN YOU LADDIE!

[rainkingjr]

Thanks for starting this thread OP. Probably the thing I've been struggling with most nore recently is feeling more confortable with my grip. I saw this thread and remembered it at the range last week while struggling with the top of the bag. I decided to place the club more in my palm with my left hand and immediately felt like I had much more control. Needless to say, I'm sticking with it. My biggest issue with trying to grip more in the fingers of the left hand is losing control at the top and having to re-grip at times. I really think what it boils down to is there is absolutely no one size fits all way to grip a golf club considering we all have different hand size and shape. I wear a ML cadet glove. Have really strong hands with shorter/thick fingers. It makes sense to me that I'd need to grip it more int the palm of the left hand. Proof is in the pudding. I'm crushing my driver at the moment and finally feel free to go after it.

[NoTalentLefty]

I tried the Nicklaus method of grip today which I abandoned because of the modern teaching of top hand in fingers . My accuracy improved and no loss of distance. I’m not for sure why I left the older method in the first place. Actually didn’t lose the grip today as I’ve struggled in the past.

[kasting333]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:07 PM, NoTalentLefty said:

I tried the Nicklaus method of grip today which I abandoned because of the modern teaching of top hand in fingers . My accuracy improved and no loss of distance. I’m not for sure why I left the older method in the first place. Actually didn’t lose the grip today as I’ve struggled in the past.

I was a good college golfer and evolved into a weaker grip as a better player. 
 

After college I had about a 5 year hiatus bc of the putting yips then came back to the game playing more casually. I’ve been using a much stronger grip, both left and right, bc that’s the teaching these days and I was fighting a block miss. 
 

-The stronger grip seems to have encouraged a cupped left wrist in transition and a big left miss occasionally or a tendency to flip. 
-While the weaker grip has encouraged a flat wrist at transition and impact, but does allow for that occasional block miss. Also a shorter swing.
 

The weak grip feels more solid to me and easier to recreate the feel at transition and at impact which has resulted in better contact and better ability to deliver the club at different speeds . I’m working on figuring out a way to reduce the big block miss 

Edited October 5, 2022 by kasting333

[SEP1006]

If you really want to improve and have more club face control. Try the Jumbomax grips. I switched to the Jumbomax Ultralight XL's 7 years and will NEVER go back.

 

Think about it, in what other sport / game do you have such a small handle. Not baseball, hockey, tennis, raquetball, badminton, ping pong and etc.