Many club golfers have a golf swing that is good enough to hit the ball straight with power but their hands let them down. Instead of powerfully releasing, or squaring up the club head at impact, poor hand action imparts a glancing blow across the ball resulting in sidespin and a loss of power. With a minor alteration to the grip a golfer can release the club powerfully into the back of the golf ball for maximum compression and straighter shots.
Release the Club
- There is nothing more frustrating for a teaching professional to see a club golfer with a good swing hit wayward shots knowing only a minor alteration to the grip would make all the difference.
- A good swing, or even an average swing, would hit straighter shots if the golfer griped the club correctly. In particular, this has to do with the right hand and the correct placement on the club of the thumb and index finger.
- It is these two digits that are mainly responsible for the release in the golf swing.
The Correct Grip
As the club comes into impact, even if it’s on the wrong path, it is ultimately the hands that dictate whether the shot flies straight at the target or deep in the trees. The worse the path is into the ball, the more the hands have to work. If the hands are in a good position, ready to act fast, a good shot is possible even with a bad swing. A good pair of hands ready to release the club at impact will often save the day.
To make the club respond quickly enough to make necessary adjustments, the index finger and thumb of the right hand have to be placed on the club correctly. The thumb is responsible for downward pressure during the release, the index finger for squaring up the blade. The better they are positioned the better they can do their job.
Grip Change to Make Hands Active for Release
- Look at the three pictures below to see the correct placement of the index finger and thumb.
- In first picture they are positioned correctly.
- In the second the thumb is not on the correct side of the shaft and too much on top, this will result in topped shots.
- In the third picture the index finger is too much on top and will not be able to square up the blade effectively.
Although these minor alterations are important, many golfers reading this article will not fully appreciate how vital they are. Imagine a javelin thrower in athletics, but instead of holding the javelin correctly, picture how well they would do if the index finger and thumb were not right behind the intended flight. They couldn’t possibly throw the javelin as well as if the index finger and thumb were on correctly.
Spend time checking your grip and make changes to release correctly. If you have found this article informative perhaps tou would like to try - Understand an Over the Top Swing - PGA Tip or Understand a One Piece Takeaway PGA Tip
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
