Thought I wanted to change my strong grip to neutral - till I read something by tiger

[TourBound3617]

too weak for a neutral grip?

I'm a junior and I used to have a really strong grip and a laid off type swing. I've since gotten on plane, and decided to neutralize my grip so that I was neutral, square, and on plane. This, I thought, would make my swing much easier to diagnose and fix. No little unecessary moves or quirks. Then I read that Tiger used to have a strong grip when he was young because he wasn't strong enough for a neutral grip. I'm not sure I totally understand this.

I've been working on squaring the clubface with my new grip, and when I make sure I'm on plane and my left arm is pinned to my chest, I've been able to start doing it a little more. I know theres been posts on strong vs. neutral grip, but I always thought it was about ability to square the clubface from mechanics, not just physical strength. Do you think I should wait to try a neutral grip when I'm older? Obviously I'm not as strong as Tige r, even though I look like it :cheesy:

[TourBound3617]

[acegolfer]

Are your misses hook?

Neutralizing the grip a little bit cured my hook mishits.

[TourBound3617]

my problems aren't really fighting a hook/slice. Its more inconsistency in swing plane and ballstriking

[Eag1e]

Am I virtually the only person alive who hits bigger and bigger slices as my grip gets stronger?

It's starting to seem that way.

[TourBound3617]

[quote name='Eag1e' date='20 July 2010 - 07:54 PM' timestamp='1279670054' post='2589071']
Am I virtually the only person alive who hits bigger and bigger slices as my grip gets stronger?

It's starting to seem that way.
[/quote]


I actually had that problem before. I think its that the stronger it is, the more you [i]hold it off[/i] to try to subconsciously keep it square which might hurt you.

[Sgt_Snuffy]

[quote name='Eag1e' date='20 July 2010 - 07:54 PM' timestamp='1279670054' post='2589071']
Am I virtually the only person alive who hits bigger and bigger slices as my grip gets stronger?

It's starting to seem that way.

[/quote]

I have actually managed to place my left hand completely on the backside of the club with the right hand so faR under that it was almost on the front and still managed to slice. It more path than face. Fix that first.

The consistency bit doesn't mean grip. There are a lot of factors that can hurt that area. What is the
normal miss?

[clearwater]

[quote name='TourBound3617' date='20 July 2010 - 07:00 PM' timestamp='1279666834' post='2588982']
Then I read that Tiger used to have a strong grip when he was young because he wasn't strong enough for a neutral grip. I'm not sure I totally understand this.
[/quote]

That's ok...I don't totally understand this either.

[phillypete]

In my swing I find the placement of the right hand controls how the club rolls into the ball.

[RingerPro]

[quote name='Eag1e' date='20 July 2010 - 03:54 PM' timestamp='1279670054' post='2589071']
Am I virtually the only person alive who hits bigger and bigger slices as my grip gets stronger?

It's starting to seem that way.
[/quote]

No. In fact you are in the majority.

The usual compensation for a strong grip is to pull the left arm and shoulder open which helps to keep the face open longer. The problem is that the path then becomes more outside to in. Outside to in with a clubface square or even open to the target will result in a fade or slice to the right of the target. The stronger you grip it, the more you must hold the face open.

Youngsters benefit from this because they are lacking in upper body strength. They rely more on body turn to "pull" their arms around. Their flexibility leads to the body being very open at impact. The only way they could offset this was to close the clubface. Almost the exact reversal of reasoning but same result.

[Eag1e]

[quote name='Sgt_Snuffy' date='20 July 2010 - 07:11 PM' timestamp='1279674716' post='2589220']
[quote name='Eag1e' date='20 July 2010 - 07:54 PM' timestamp='1279670054' post='2589071']
Am I virtually the only person alive who hits bigger and bigger slices as my grip gets stronger?

It's starting to seem that way.

[/quote]

I have actually managed to place my left hand completely on the backside of the club with the right hand so faR under that it was almost on the front and still managed to slice. It more path than face. Fix that first.

The consistency bit doesn't mean grip. There are a lot of factors that can hurt that area. What is the
normal miss?
[/quote]

My normal miss is non-existent, haha. For the most part I control the ball well. The problem is that what I would consider my normal miss - a good sized push with a bit of a fade on it - is almost always followed by a large hook as a result of overcompensation. I really don't have a normal miss; I don't miss much but when I do it can go either way.

[quote name='RingerPro' date='20 July 2010 - 07:36 PM' timestamp='1279676219' post='2589274']
[quote name='Eag1e' date='20 July 2010 - 03:54 PM' timestamp='1279670054' post='2589071']
Am I virtually the only person alive who hits bigger and bigger slices as my grip gets stronger?

It's starting to seem that way.
[/quote]

No. In fact you are in the majority.

The usual compensation for a strong grip is to pull the left arm and shoulder open which helps to keep the face open longer. The problem is that the path then becomes more outside to in. Outside to in with a clubface square or even open to the target will result in a fade or slice to the right of the target. The stronger you grip it, the more you must hold the face open.

Youngsters benefit from this because they are lacking in upper body strength. They rely more on body turn to "pull" their arms around. Their flexibility leads to the body being very open at impact. The only way they could offset this was to close the clubface. Almost the exact reversal of reasoning but same result.
[/quote]

Seems like everything I've read on WRX puts me in the minority. But anyhow, maybe that's my problem when I start blocking shots when I get uncomfortable and get the feeling of being over my head in a round where I'm under par. I do think that I probably gradually tighten my grip as the day goes on if I'm playing really well to start, which I especially notice with my putting stroke. I guess I do that as a reaction to being in such a strong position, feeling like a tighter grip will give me more control and keep me in position to maintain my under par status.

[Sgt_Snuffy]

If you can go from push fade to hook with no grip change then I would say grip is the last thing to look at.


If its a push hook then there is something in that overcompensation that's really throwing the path off. Ide be looking at every other part of the body trying to sort that out first.

[Eag1e]

[quote name='Sgt_Snuffy' date='20 July 2010 - 08:24 PM' timestamp='1279679051' post='2589367']
If you can go from push fade to hook with no grip change then I would say grip is the last thing to look at.


If its a push hook then there is something in that overcompensation that's really throwing the path off. Ide be looking at every other part of the body trying to sort that out first.
[/quote]

Well, I do occasionally push hook. At least, occasionally enough for me to be positive. It's entirely possible that when I "overcompensate" it's almost always a push hook, but in these cases it's small enough for me to be unsure whether it's aim or a push hook. And by small enough, I mean it's potentially starting 10-15 yards right, assuming that by starting I mean it'd end up 10-15 yards right at the very end of the ball flight.

I have no idea, really. It only happens with my 3w. My misses with my 4i are always a hook. My 3i misses are always a large pushfade. My 3h/4h misses vary from day to day but are consistent within that day, though recently it seems it's been more consistently edging out the duck hook as a possibility each day and going to a push fade. It's only with the 3w that I can hit two push fades, one duck hook, two hooks or push hooks (see previous paragraph), two small pushes, a thin straight piercer that loses about 10 yards overall and carries only about 190 (yes, that low and piercing that it rolls 60 yards), and six absolutely perfect shots... all in the same day. Now that I think about it, that's usually my exact shot spread with the 3w over the course of a day. It's not consistent when each shot comes up but it's almost always that exact spread.

FYI: the above includes what I actually miss with, once I get to the 5 iron I'm about as consistent as you can imagine. :\