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 Who knew? “The grip is the foundation of the swing,” said Erik Horve, director of golf instruction at Tustin Ranch. “Without a good grip, the rest of the swing breaks down and a smooth motion is inhibited. If you’re not hitting the ball square on the clubface, it could be because of your grip. Whether you’re a beginner or have been playing for a long time, the first thing I look at with my students is their grip.” My grip was too weak, meaning my left hand was too far under the club, which hindered my forearms from rotating throughout the swing. That was painfully evident when Horve told me to grip the club with my left hand and hold it in front of my body with the toe up and left arm extended. He then told me to rotate my forearm to the left so the toe of the club pointed toward the ground. A contortionist — maybe — could have done it, but there was no way I could. I then switched to a stronger grip and was able to accomplish the task. “It’s a strange feeling to move your hands, and people who have been playing for a long time with an improper grip find it hard to change,” Horve said. “The priority for you is the grip. Your left hand is so weak on the golf club that it’s turned in the wrong direction. It has nothing to do with strength, but you have an open clubface at the top of your swing, which means the club will travel on the wrong path on the downswing and your forearms can’t rotate.” Goals and tips for maintaining a good grip include: • Hold a club in your left hand while relaxing in a chair or watching TV. This will get you comfortable with the proper grip. • Take half swings with an 8-iron to feel how a stronger grip helps square the clubface at impact. Don’t worry about distance. Just get a sense for what a good impact position feels like. • Even though a new grip might feel awkward at first, it’s important to keep your hands relaxed by not gripping the club too tightly. “The goal for you, or any golfer, is too feel a square clubface at impact,” Horve said. “That can’t happen with an improper grip. Once that becomes comfortable, things will more easily fall into place when we begin working on the swing motion.” Next month: The setup. Erik Horve can be reached at (714) 734-2104. Associate editor Al Petersen is working with Tustin Ranch director of instruction Erik Horve on reworking his swing. Actually, they’re starting from scratch — or starting over — since a lot of bad habits need to be corrected. We’re monitoring their progress. |
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