Why is the correct grip so important to having a great golf swing? Grip determines the position of the clubhead at impact: open, closed or square. We want it square. That's why it’s the first step in building the Peak Performance Golf Swing.
If your forward hand (left hand for a righty) is rolled over to the right (strong), you’re going to hit bad pulls and hooks because, as you release the club through impact, you overcompensate, closing the clubface.
To “correct” the problem of hooks and pulls, you may decide not to release at impact. Do this and the clubface will remain open and you will either push or slice it.
As you’ll see in the video, you won’t have to experiment any more. Keeping your palms perpendicular to the ground squares the clubface. Problem solved.
Next, there’s your grip pressure. I always see amateurs grip the club too lightly. Somewhere along the way, someone has told you to hold the club like it was the leg of a baby bird or an open tube of tooth paste. That's terrible advice, in my opinion.
Think about it. In your downswing (we’ll be calling it your “forward upswing” soon) gravity is helping you pull the club down and get it accelerating along the target line. If you started your swing with too light of a grip, the “natural” thing to do is apply more pressure (a lot more pressure) or the club is going to go flying! So you end up practically strangling the club by the time you get to impact and you lose control.
Grip pressure in the Surge Swing is like a firm, confident handshake throughout the swing. On a scale of 1 to 5 (one being weak), you want to be at about 3, with both hands using equal pressure. You have little or no strain, and your grip will be “dynamically balanced.” I'll talk more about the importance of dynamic balance in an upcoming lesson.
I’ve seen this one small change begin to drop strokes from my students’ games immediately. Try it, practice it, get the feel of a #3.
Tomorrow I’ll reveal the next Major Mistake: wrist cock in the backswing.
In the meantime, if you want more information on how my students, including my son, two-time PGA Tour Champion DJ Trahan, maintain a longer, straighter and more consistent golf swing, check out my complete series of instructional videos right here at www.SwingSurgeon.com. These videos are available immediately via digital streaming. You’ll also be able to have both the digitally streamed video and a hard copy DVD of any title for an additional charge.
You can try everything out with this guarantee: if your game does not improve in 90 days, I’ll give you your money back, no questions asked.
I believe in the Surge Swing. So do hundreds of thousands of my students. Click here to check out our blog and jump right into our daily conversation.
See you tomorrow,
Don Trahan, PGA