How to progress?

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richf

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I am interested in your articles on the grip and the flat left wrist. I am a 2 h'capper and strike the ball pretty well. I am quite short (@5'7") and have always hit the ball right to left. Much less so now that I have a better takeaway from the ball and a steeper (on plane) backswing.
I do still have a tendency to hook the ball under pressure. :(
I sometimes wonder if being shorter means you are more likely to draw the ball due to the shallower swing plane (Ian Woosnam) but don't know if that theory would stand up to any analysis by someone who knows more than me.
When I check my divots at these shots, the divot is one line so my swing plane seems to be ok.
Therefore, can I deduce that it is my strong left hand that causes these hooks? I have tried the grip advocated here and hit some good shots but feel as if I really have to try hard to square the clubface. My shots seem weaker and higher. Some shots are straight but some are fades and slices.
Really, I am looking for some guidance to know if I am on the right tracks and if I am likely to get used to the grip even though it feels v. strange at the moment.
My gut feeling is that this is the main cause of my hooks - when I hit balls at the range I hit the ball great. As with most golfers, the trouble comes under pressure and I feel that is when the strong left hand becomes a weak link.
Does this make sense?
Anyway, thanks for any help - I appreciate the site and enjoy the discussions.
 
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denny.

New
Sounds like face is open with new grip. Don't cock right wrist--- bend it on back swing.On down swing get face to feel like pointing to ground.Ball should start rt. and draw.
 
Burner

Burner

New
Denny's advice is good but if your pre-Brian grip got you to playing off 2 then not too much is wrong.

You could just try moving the ball back half a ball width and you may have a square, as opposed to a slightly closed, face at impact. This could be better than reworking a sound swing to accommodate a new grip.

Failing which, just weaken your left hand grip a tad.
 
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richf

New
Thanks for the help - although I do hit the ball pretty well I would realy like to eliminate the "pressure hooks" that seem to creep in later on in a round. Despite the h'cap, I feel this is a really destructive shot that I tend to protect myself against when trouble is on left by aiming too far right and then missing the fairway right or hitting and even bigger pull.
With my old grip, when I did the exercise of holding the club at shoulder height and flattening the left wrist the clubface was very closed which I tend to feel must be causing hooks when my swing becomes too fast or hands become too active.
With the weaker grip, I have a feeling I will be able to commit more to shots without the fear of turning it over.
When I check the mirror, I am getting a pretty flat left wrist at the top but I feel I might be subconsciously holding off the release as that is probably the way I tend to play to avoid the hook.
The grip itself is starting to feel better when I hold the club and feels more solid and more as a single unit. It feels v strange when I start swinging the club and hitting shots but I guess this is normal.
It seems strange but with a neutral grip I tend to aim the club more to the right and aiming straight at the target seems to make the club look fairly closed. This is opposite of what happens with a strong grip because I always tended to aim left of the target.
Anyway, hopes this makes sense and thanks for the input. I will work on this for the next few months over the winter and see how it works out but I do feel that this is the way to go.
Thnx.
 
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densikat

New
Rich,
Stick with the new grip, Should fix the hooking woes.

I do not believe shorter people lean towards a hook. Check out Stadler and Parry two people who almost exclusively fade the ball. It's a bit harder for people of that build to get the club coming down from behind them a little.
 
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richf

New
Thanks densikat. TO be honest they are more nags than woes. What is apparent is that they do come when there is more pressure, ie first tee, late in round and on tight holes. I maybe only hit 2 a round but they can be really harmful to my score. The rest of the time I hit the ball really well. To me, this indicates a flaw that is in-built, that I am having to make adjustments for to keep under control. I would love to build a swing that is more able to stand up to pressure but then again, who wouldn't???
Thanks for the input.
 
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densikat

New
I think that's fairly minor if there's only 2 or 3 a round. Follow a group at PGA tournament and you'll see that many bad tee shots if not more. If you have a great short game, you can definately recover.
 
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richf

New
To be honest, I have more problem with my irons and fairway woods. I notice that it seems to be easier to preset the flat wrist at address with a forward press than to try and manipulate it during the backswing. Is this recommended? Should your hands always be in line with the ball at address or can you have your hands ahead of the ball. This seems to have the effect of closing the clubface but that is surely an optical illusion if the clubface does not move.

By the way, pitches and chips feel more crisp with the weaker grip so maybe this will actually help the short game - any thoughts?
 
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Eminem

Banned
quote:Originally posted by denny.

It is important that you do not aim right.Tension ,trying too hard can cause the timing problems.
Click to expand...

Really I thought you were mean't to aim at your target but after your advice ill aim anywhere and know its the correct thing to do.
 
Jim Cook

Jim Cook

New
Brian,
This forum is relatively new and very informative. This general discussion has come a long way fast. Your professional input and the discussion it generates is obviously a great help for those of us who are trying to take our quest to better our game seriously.

Unfortunately there are those who cannot conduct themselves as gentlemen and ladies. Fortunately they are far and few between, but they do exist. Rather than joining the conversation and offering their experience to help the general content of the forum they revel in mud in swill. The first time, perhaps they are having a bad day, but the second time ……

Brian, I respectively suggest that you flush this swill. Please do it without notice and make it final.
 
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Brian Manzella

Administrator
OK....

Em...PLEASE stop this NON-GOLF banter. It really offends a lot of people.

Everyone...Back to Golf!

you too em...you do have good golf (GOLF) posts.
 
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