Weaker grip causing shanks - why?

[Wormkiller]

I have a habit of my grip subconsciously changing to being either too strong or weak. I developed a bad hook so I worked with my pro to weaken my grip, which worked, but this has lead to a bout of the shanks. This pattern happened a couple of times now. Except for my driver, which I’m striking as well as ever.

 

What might be causing it? I really have to focus on hitting well inside the ball to strike it nicely.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Wormkiller

[N0rs3man]

You probably are lined up or swinging left of the target, your brain knows it has to open the face to square and with the weak grip you turn your pw into a sideways 60. 

 

Idk I'm a pretty big believer in neutral grip and feeling like your slapping the target with the back of your lead wrist. If you get that sensation then with neutral grip you cannot hit it too far off line unless you are really lined up bad.

[MPStrat]

If you are used to squaring the face with a really strong grip, the same swing with a weak grip will often deliver the hosel to the ball without other compensations. A weak grip requires matching wrist angles along with more handle twist to deliver the sweet spot to the ball.

[David69]

A weak grip makes you feel that the center of mass is in the hosel - not the club face - like a baseball bat or tennis racket. Ask me how I know this. You need to get a neutral grip and retrain your self to feel the club face so it will direct to the ball properly and close naturally. This video helped me with the "Sweet Spot Confusion" that Martin Hall explains. 

 

https://www.golfchannel.com/video/how-stop-hitting-golf-shots-heel

[MPStrat]

41 minutes ago, David69 said:

A weak grip makes you feel that the center of mass is in the hosel - not the club face - like a baseball bat or tennis racket. Ask me how I know this. You need to get a neutral grip and retrain your self to feel the club face so it will direct to the ball properly and close naturally. This video helped me with the "Sweet Spot Confusion" that Martin Hall explains. 

 

https://www.golfchannel.com/video/how-stop-hitting-golf-shots-heel

 

Martin has it right about the confusion part, but IMO the fix isn't to try to deliver the shaft more inside the ball, that's not going to work long term. Maybe good as a band aid on the course, but strikes will be terrible doing that if the clubface is still out of control. The fix is to get the clubface organized in the early downswing.

[Krt22]

Hooks are from a path issue, which many times is linked to an open face early in transition. Weakening the grip further can make it worse. Are you also hitting a lot of thin shots with little or no divot?

[Barfolomew]

Cause weak grips are the weakest of all grips...

[Mono]

it's likely from path - too far inside - check a few things - path too far from the inside exposes the hosel, and second it's possible that you have a late flip - these two things can work together

 

 

[gators78]

Weaker feeling position of the face at the top, probably a slight steepening move to feel it going square, then you need to back out of it to counteract the steepness. Voila, shanks. 

 

Edit: yes also exactly what @Krt22 said

Edited August 26, 2020 by gators78

[Wormkiller]

On 8/26/2020 at 1:45 AM, Barfolomew said:

Cause weak grips are the weakest of all grips...

 I dont have a weak grip, I just weakened by grip from a very strong position. Its still on the strong side, almost neutral now.

[Wormkiller]

On 8/26/2020 at 1:01 AM, Krt22 said:

Hooks are from a path issue, which many times is linked to an open face early in transition. Weakening the grip further can make it worse. Are you also hitting a lot of thin shots with little or no divot?

 

Not a lot of thin shots, but I feel like Im "scooping" more rather than striking down and hitting the ball first, then ground

[Wormkiller]

Worked with my pro again last night. Generally striking it clean again, but we worked on my set up which feels as though I'm a lot further away from the ball. Also worked on a more in to out swing which is giving me some nice draws, and keeping my head centred over the ball more on the downswing, as opposed to sliding. Amazing what one little tweak of the grip can do for every aspect of the swing. Not feeling totally comfortable yet, but knowing myself it will become comfortable to the point of exaggeration, then Ill start seeing the ball going right to left too much, then its rinse and repeat to get it going the other way - a cyclical process of learning.

 

One thing I'm finding with having regular lessons is that although Ill have bouts of not hitting the ball well still, these bouts dont last as long as they used to a couple of years ago.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Wormkiller

[Barfolomew]

14 hours ago, Wormkiller said:

 I dont have a weak grip, I just weakened by grip from a very strong position. Its still on the strong side, almost neutral now.

 

Go stronger and you'll have a strong grip... like me

Edited August 27, 2020 by Barfolomew

[Wormkiller]

On 8/28/2020 at 1:31 AM, Barfolomew said:

 

Go stronger and you'll have a strong grip... like me

Amazing advice

[Barfolomew]

12 hours ago, Wormkiller said:

Amazing advice

 

Stronger grips are more natural....

 

There is less rotation of club face from top of back swing to contact = more consistent

The position is stronger in power and more natural...Shawn Clement explains it well.  Any other instrument you would use a strong grip and not neutral like with a hammer or axe

 

[Wormkiller]

14 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

 

Stronger grips are more natural....

 

There is less rotation of club face from top of back swing to contact = more consistent

The position is stronger in power and more natural...Shawn Clement explains it well.  Any other instrument you would use a strong grip and not neutral like with a hammer or axe

 

Coming from a cricket and tennis background I would say the opposite is true.

[Barfolomew]

On 8/31/2020 at 11:59 PM, Wormkiller said:

Coming from a cricket and tennis background I would say the opposite is true.

 

If you got a bad hook going on don't try and put a band aid on it and make your grip weaker..... instead learn to hit draw, straight and fade with any grip whether weak or strong and fully understand the 3 methods to curve a ball then you'll be able to know what you did wrong when the ball doesn't fly the intended flight path...

Edited September 2, 2020 by Barfolomew