New grip and release update

It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged. During that time I've been experimenting with a new grip and release. The experiment, surprise, surprise, is proving very successful.

I should clarify grip and release.

The grip I am using is nothing more than a rather strong 3 to 4 knuckle grip (left hand rotated right, thumb more at the back of the shaft grip), with the lower right hand (right-hander) just slotted into the space created; not especially strong or weak.

The release refers to the way in which the torso, arms, wrists and hands, function on the downswing and through the hitting zone. I am using a body-oriented release, with very little conscious arm, wrist and hand action.

The effect of the strong grip (let's call it a strong grip - and I don't mean firmness of grip) is to predispose the club face to close fairly severely on the downswing. You can test the strength of the grip by taking hold in various positions and lifting the club to waist high. If the face closes without manipulation, the grip is strong. If the face stays square, the grip is neutral. And so forth for weak grips.

This predisposition for the club face to close without manipulation of the wrists or rotation of the arms is the key to a passive, or you could call it 'no nonsense' release of the club head. With a neutral or weak grip, the golfer needs to be far more conscious of releasing or rotating the club face closed at and through impact.

This is all very well, of course, but there are some difficulties and dangers in adopting this kind of grip and release, as I found out when I first tried it. Habits developed when using a weaker grip will have produced more active hands and arms, that is, the necessary movements to actively close the club face. Unless the arms, wrists and hands remain passive on the down swing, the tendency with a strong grip will be to hit low and left screamers - not conducive to good golf.

The learning process with the strong grip and passive is, however, relatively painless and quick. One of the main reasons for this is that the strong grip and body release takes a lot of the timing issues out of the picture. Somehow, the downswing seems simpler and more effortless and, assuming the no sway or lift principles are followed, contact with the ball seems crisper and cleaner. I'm still trying to work out why this is the case, but I'm not arguing with it.

I know that some advocates of the strong grip and body release have cautioned that players using this method need to be quite athletic and able to turn their body rapidly to avoid the smothers and lefts mentioned above. However, I don't think that there is necessarily much more speed or effort involved. As long as you turn through the ball and don't stall the body, the release works fine, and the ball goes straight.

Did I mention that this is one of the main reasons for adopting a strong grip and body release - a straighter ball flight - often a gentle draw, although subtle variations are always possible.

The other reason for adopting this approach, as far as I'm concerned, is a small but notice-able gain in distance, with woods and irons. This is no doubt partly due to elimination of the sliced ball, but also partly due to better ball contact.

In short, this approach is giving me far more confidence in my game. I am consistently shooting scores that are several below my typical or average score previously. I shot my best score ever last week and I'm now expecting to shoot close to that mark every round.

One final comment. I recommend this method for anyone who has been struggling with a slice their entire golfing life. It is definitely a way forward.

This is only about week 3 or 4 of the experiment, but the indications are that this method is a keeper.