Always closing club face, even when picking up club

[Reverse_righty]

Left handed golfer here, right hand dominant. 
 

Currently battling pull-hooks on every iron and driver swing. For as long as I can remember, the second I pull an iron out of my bag it wants to close. When I try to grip the club I naturally make it closed. 
 

Has anyone dealt with this level of extreme closing on the grip even before address?  I have never had a very comfortable interlock grip in terms of feeling the club face but all my hand want to do is turn the club face in and close. 
 

 

[RobertBaron]

Is the grip rolling closed as you wrap your fingers around it?

 

If so, I’d hold the shaft firmly square with your trail hand as you wrap the lead hand around the grip. 
 

basically countertwist the shaft with the trail hand as you wrap your lead hand fingers/ palm around it. 

 

or set it more open in your lead hand to allow for some grip roll as you take your grip. 
 

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by RobertBaron

[Reverse_righty]

5 hours ago, RobertBaron said:

Is the grip rolling closed as you wrap your fingers around it?

 

If so, I’d hold the shaft firmly square with your trail hand as you wrap the lead hand around the grip. 
 

basically countertwist the shaft with the trail hand as you wrap your lead hand fingers/ palm around it. 

 

or set it more open in your lead hand to allow for some grip roll as you take your grip. 
 

 

that’s exactly the issue. Grip just wants to roll closed the second I attempt to wrap my fingers around it. 
 

Appreciate the advice, will give it a go. 

[Zitlow]

If you fully release the club both arms should be extended just past impact. The downswing happens in a flash, if you're thinking about the component parts you slow down your reflexes. 

 

 

Take your grip and stretch out your arms in front of you, the face should be square. If it isn't square adjust your hands until it is square. 

 

 

 

 

[MC21]

On 6/16/2023 at 6:24 PM, Reverse_righty said:

Left handed golfer here, right hand dominant. 
 

Currently battling pull-hooks on every iron and driver swing. For as long as I can remember, the second I pull an iron out of my bag it wants to close. When I try to grip the club I naturally make it closed. 
 

Has anyone dealt with this level of extreme closing on the grip even before address?  I have never had a very comfortable interlock grip in terms of feeling the club face but all my hand want to do is turn the club face in and close. 
 

 

I've been dealing with this all year! I ended up putting ribbed grips on my clubs and do this - https://golf.com/instruction/adam-scott-golf-grip-trick/

 

I find that if it feels like my bicep is pointed upwards when gripping it that I don't shut it as much and then I have to focus on maintaining the grip with the last 3 fingers of my trail hand. If I regrip it at all I roll it back shut subconsciously. 

[dfeldss]

I'm a lefty golfer but righty dominant, and i have issues with the pull hooks as well. I don't close the club face when i grip, but i do shut it down at release pretty hard i think.

 

Wonder if it's something to do with the lead hand being dominant

[Reverse_righty]

1 hour ago, dfeldss said:

I'm a lefty golfer but righty dominant, and i have issues with the pull hooks as well. I don't close the club face when i grip, but i do shut it down at release pretty hard i think.

 

Wonder if it's something to do with the lead hand being dominant

That’s always been my wonder as well having opposite dominant hand position.
 

I have thought the trail hand being dominant was an easier body mind connection to the club face as a push movement where as for me, trail hand drag for club face is odd feeling. 

[Valtiel]

On 6/17/2023 at 4:52 AM, Reverse_righty said:

that’s exactly the issue. Grip just wants to roll closed the second I attempt to wrap my fingers around it. 
 

Appreciate the advice, will give it a go. 

There are a number of different possible reasons for this, but the main thing IMO to start with is the understanding that most if not all things that happen that we feel like we have no control over, or that want to happen automatically, are necessary compensations that our subconscious is employing. The primary reasons are likely:

1) The comment "I have never had a very comfortable interlock grip". Grip comfort is key, and if you're uncomfortable then your ability to control the clubface is likely somewhat compromised, meaning you're unable to square it up under load and your brain is trying to cheat towards having a shut clubface to compensate for this discomfort. 
2) Swing faults that require extra clubface manipulation to save. This can run the gamut but usually comes down to either path issues (excessively from either direction, in or out) which can come from many places, or an excessive rolling open of the clubface in the backswing requiring the equal and opposite shutting in the downswing. 
3) Alignment issues. Most people align quite poorly and an excessively shut alignment position can trigger a subconscious closing of the club in relation to your body in an effort to keep it pointing more towards the target you *think* you're aligned with but aren't. 

All of these can be diagnosed pretty easily. #1 just requires a shot of your current grip face on. Setup a phone camera with a timer or get someone to take it for you, needs to be fairly close up so details are visible. The others will require video of your swing, either on the range or on the course (no living room practice swings) and preferably from a down the line view. From there it would be easy to diagnose the remaining possible issues. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Valtiel

[KMeloney]

16 hours ago, dfeldss said:

Wonder if it's something to do with the lead hand being dominant

 

I'm not sure that this matters in this scenario. I'm a righty who plays righty and is very right-side-dominant throughout the swing, and I have suffered with this gripping/closing issue forever. Now, I also have largish, thin hands, and so I think I don't get the same purchase on the grip like others with meatier hands do. I have to start with my lead-hand fingers more under the grip when gripping the club, and that still puts my left hand on the club pretty strong as my hand wraps over.

 

I'm considering trying out midsize grips to see if it keeps the clubface from wanting to roll shut by the time I set the club behind the ball.

Edited June 21, 2023 by KMeloney
spelling

[dfeldss]

2 minutes ago, KMeloney said:

 

I'm not sure that this matters in this scenario. I'm a righty who plays righty and is very right-side-dominant throughout the swing, and I have suffered with this gripping/closing issue forever. Now, I also have largish, thin hands, and so I think I don't get the same purchase on the grip like others with meatier hands do. If

 

I'm considering trying out midsize grips to see if it keeps the clubface from wanting to roll shut by the time I set the club behind the ball.

 

I don't necessarily think it's the main culprit, was just kind of thinking out loud. 

 

I love my MCC+4 midsized grips. Next regrip i may even throw a couple extra wraps too

[Zitlow]

I'm a 180lb lefty weakling who plays righty and if you want to know the truth I can't throw a football out of my shadow with either hand. That doesn't mean I can't hit a golf ball hard. 

 

Both sides of the body work in tandem. When you step to your right foot you are in balance and your body weight is supported by your right foot, leg and hip as your left side swings. Then your left foot, leg and hip become the support and balance as the right side swings. 

 

Simplistically speaking in the golf swing we step to the right foot in the backswing and the left side swings, in the downswing we step to the left foot and the right side swings. 

 

A pretty simple concept to grasp, what complicates things are the hands and arms situation. 

[Ri_Redneck]

Hand dominance or which handed you are doesn't matter. What is causing this is your grip is too light at address and you need to increase your grip pressure when aligning the clubface. I had this problem for years because they always told me to hold the club lightly. But in my mind "lightly" was WAY too light! If you consider how tightly your hands get at release just to hold onto the club going near 100 mph, it will make sense.

 

BT