Forming the top hand grip

[mickle_m]

Hi

A wee question when forming the grip, Shawn on his videos suggests holding the club like an umbrella(l love this analogy ). A question does the grip run from the root of the little finger to the root of the index finger?

In all his videos Shawn suggests running the shaft along where the fingers meet the palm, this suggest to me the top crease of the fingers as they meet the palm. However if l hold the club in this manner l smother hook \ top the ball, or in the case of my wedges l pull them a mile..

On the other hand when l hold the club along the roots of the left hand l have good solid contact with a wee push draw?

I know l am probably over thinking this but any opinions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks Michael

[Fore-player]

Not sure if this answers your question, but the "holding the umbrella" is to be used for your top hand (left for a right hander) so you would have the club at the "roots" of the fingers in your left hand. It takes some getting used to but it is well worth it. You CANNOT FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE ACU WITHOUT THE RIGHT GRIP. PERIOD. Took me 6 months to figure that one out. Try to find "living room discussions" or something like that on one of gary's blogs and they talk about grip, and its very informative.

If your pull hooking the correct grip then open the clubface a little at address before gripping...

My .02

[papahajek]

Here's a couple to get you WIG basics:

I'd rather not coach because there are many variables that can cause the problem you describe.
I can say that I had the same results and fixed it by moving the ball back in my stance.
Also I have found that Shawn's teaching is simple enough to learn quickly, but unique enough that taking bits and pieces can cause more problems.
I decided when the premium channel came out, to start from scratch and rebuild. I outlined my approach in a different part of this forum. My scores ballooned for a few weeks, but have dropped recently and I feel more confident because I play fewer "hit and hope" shots per round.
The above videos are a good place to start.

[mickle_m]

Hi guys thanks for reply's l have seen the videos and l believe l understand them, what l do is have the shaft run along the roots of my fingers rather than top joint , i guess l am asking if this is peculiar to me or other wiggers do this?

A guy called Mark Crossfield suggests the roots of the fingers too,

Mick

[Fore-player]

Thanks Mickie,

I guess then maybe we are getting lost in our respective views of the "roots" of the fingers. To me it is where the finger enters the palm. That is where the grip should be. I have seen Mark's video and for me it is exactly the same thing as WIG. The top joint is only for the index finger on the right hand (right hander). Like cutting with a knife. The rest the fingers hold the club at the "root". Does that make sense? I think if what Mark says makes more sense to you go with it. It is exactly the same thing as shawn just said a little differently.

[Fore-player]

yessss?? (dont worry, you are not the only one affected by my brain, it gets me too, and I am sorry you have to deal with it, sometimes I am surprised (pleasantly) that I was able to get my pants on in the morning!) When I said "The top joint is only for the index finger on the right hand (right hander). Like cutting with a knife." I was referring to the knuckle closest to the tip of the finger (1st crease from the tip?) . And how that only applies to the index finger of the right hand (right handers). After reviewing your posts above, I believe that yes the club should run just on the palm side of the roots of the fingers (except for the index of the right hand) and that in the left hand it goes from little finger to index finger. And on the right hand (right handers) if you have an overlap then it runs on the palm side of the ring finger and middle finger and then you form the "hook" with the index finger. I sincerely hope I have helped you and not muddied this all up, sometimes I am right on in how I say things, and other times I couldn't be farther off! Also, you do "wrap" the "middle" portion of the finger (between the 1st and 2nd crease from the tip) to secure the club in place.... I think I need some coffee!!

[mickle_m]

Coffee you say? l say beer lol

Yeah l think l follow you. My grip is pretty much as you so eloquently explain :-)

[Fore-player]

Beer sounds amazing right now (and I dont care that its before noon!)

And thank you.

[gcraig89]

On one hand Shawn is telling us to set up with the face of the club closed 30 to 45°. On the other hand the grip videos show him setting up with the clubface square. My question is, is the set up with a 45° Closed club face the result of rotating the hands to the left ( I am right in golfer) when setting up to the ball,or is it the result of having the grip set with a closed club face? I guess the best way to ask this question is as follows: does the back of the left-hand face target at set up or is it rotated so that it is pointing more upward making the club face square to the target? I hope this question is not too confusing the way I've asked It.

I asked Shawn about my inability to take a devot after hitting the ball. His response was that it could be caused by my grip. So that got me thinking and I started reviewing the excellent comments on this forum.
Gav

[mickle_m]

Think one thing we must all remember is that we are all individuals , if the club face is 45 degree shut and you can play good golf with it . then that is the grip for you. On the other hand if you can't play that way close it less, till you can.

Remember Shawn is trying to accommodate all levels of golfer in his video's, so l would think what is good for me does not necessarily mean it will be good for you?

An example of this is the way l build my grip, l cannot run the club along the top crease of my index and pinkie finger if l am to hit a successful shot. I simply cannot keep the face open.

Of coarse l may well be wrong in this opinion but l believe there are many ways to play successful golf.In my opinion, for what it is worth, Shawn makes it easier to do just that.

Michael

[Gary]

Hi Everyone,

This is what I know so far about the grip. Just a little more and different perspective that Fore-player has explained.

The lead/left hand grip, you hold the club in the fingers, where the fingers are joined at the hand, with the heel pad, that is part of the palm of the left hand, on top of the club. I use my left thumb, flatten and stretched, to apply pressure against the club. The more flattened my thumb is, the easier my right hand fits and over laps the left/lead hand. I hold the club like an umbrella or a suit case. Once I clamp down my thumb there is no movement in my left hand grip.

The right hand grip is a little more complicated. Right underneath the knuckle of the index finger of the right hand is where you apply grip pressure. The other three fingers leverage against that pressure point, against and underneath that knuckle. The thumb does nothing except sit on the side of the index finger. See minute 2:20 "Knife the Grip". In my opinion this is the most important point about the grip, that the right hand index finger knuckle is what makes this grip special. To clarify, the knuckle is the first joint that connects the index finger to your right hand. The other two joints of the index finger helps you to hook that index finger around the club. They serve no other purpose. You do not use them to apply pressure against the golf club. There only purpose is stretching the index finger so you can get access and pressure against that pressure point, the index finger knuckle. You use the other three fingers, the pinkie, ring and middle fingers of the right hand to apply and keep pressure against the index finger pressure point.

Again the grip is in the fingers of both the left and right hands, where they join the hand.

You do not use the tips of your fingers to apply pressure and direct the swinging of your golf club. This would immediately active your arms and you do not want this.

The snuff boxes of the right and left hands will always remain on top of the hand grip no matter the type of orientation of the club face of your grip. The grip it self will remain the same no matter the type of orientation of the club face; neutral, weak or strong. There is only one grip.

None of the above changes if you overlap, interlock or use the ten finger grip.

At the top of your backswing, it is the thumb of the left hand and pressure against the right hand index knuckle that support the club. See the start of the 6:00 minute mark of "Knife The Grip" video. If you have the club against the right hand index knuckle, you have just about zero chance the the club will slide between the right hand index finger and thumb. The right hand will be almost, but not quite, horizontal at he top of the back swing. Let's just say more horizontal than vertical. The hand will be more like at a forty five degree angle. Why, because the club is on top of the right hand and pressured against the index finger knuckle. Just imagine you are a waiter or waitress carrying a tray of drinks to a table, using just your right hand and shoulder and using your left hand just for balancing the tray. Also, look at "Baton Twirl" videos and see how the wrists and hands look and feel when you do this drill.

Because of the position of the right hand, the left hand will have a very small amount of cupping. It will be almost flat, but not bowed. The left hand will feel stretched and leveraged against your right hand. If your left hand has to much cupping, your hands will not release easily and properly during the downswing. But, it is almost impossible that you would have to much cupping of the wrists if your right hand grip is correct and the club is on top of the right hand and against that index finger pressure point.

At setup the club face could look closed to you, if you are using a strong grip orientation. Or it could look square. It depends on your setup and what type of shot you are attempting to make. It does not make a difference what the fashion show looks like at setup, the club face should be slightly open at the time it impacts the golf ball.

Thanks,

Gary

[mickle_m]

I understand exactly what you are saying, but if l make the grip as you (Shawn) say then l pull my short irons way left and cannot make contact

I make the grip like an umbrella but my grip does not run along the top joints (top crease?) it runs along the palm side of my index knuckle and that of my pinkie , the result are lovely baby draws and if l apon the face slightly tiny fades.

I am in no way questioning anybody's interpretation ; am really just interested to find out if anybody has similar fixes for the grip.

I play off a 4 handicap so it's not as if l don't know how to manoeuvre my ball around the course,

Michael

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When it comes to the grip in golf, Shawn's suggestion of holding the club like an umbrella is a great analogy. Regarding the placement of the grip, it generally runs from the root of the little finger to the root of the index finger. In Shawn's videos, he advises running the shaft along the area where the fingers meet the palm, which is typically the top crease of the fingers as they meet the palm.

However, you've noticed that when you hold the club in this manner, you tend to smother hook or top the ball, especially with your wedges. On the other hand, when you hold the club along the roots of the left hand, you achieve good solid contact with a slight push draw.

It's natural to overthink the grip in golf, but it's important to find what works best for you. It seems like holding the club along the roots of your left hand is providing you with better results in terms of contact and shot shape. Every golfer is different, so experimenting and finding the grip that gives you the most control and consistency is key.