I switched to a strong single action grip and..

[Jim Kobylinski]

The most damaging advice within the book is the information on wrist conditions and grip.

While a novel idea, still believing in the notion of "hinging."

 

[Deadly_Scope]

The RIGHT WAY to classify the golfer's hold on the club.
5. What is relationship of the back of the left hand to the clubface in degrees?

With regards to the back of the left hand as a reference to anything, the hand is wrapped around a cylindrical grip and as the hand closes around it, the metatarsals curve around that grip and are not laid out flat. This invalidates the back of the hand as a whole in terms of being a directional reference point, you have to be more precise or doom yourself to TGM imprecision.

 

[birly-shirly]

I've not no particular issue with using the back of the leading hand as a reference point - but I struggle when it comes to classifying the grip as strong, neutral or weak on that basis.

If I set the back of my left hand parallel to the ground, holding a club with the leading edge parallel to the ground - which I take to be the definition of "neutral", then my left hand grip is just horrible. I can hardly square the club to the ball. I'm not talking about struggling to adjust to a grip change, I'm talking about not being able to see ANY knuckles on my left hand and having my thumb set either straight down the grip but LEFT of centre, or having it angled diagonally across the top of the grip.

I don't have large hands, but I wear a regular glove. My usual grip shows 3 knuckles, and I've always assumed that with larger hands I would show fewer knuckles. 2 is playable and 1 sets my left thumb right at 12 o'clock on the grip - but none of these is close to neutral by the "back of the hand test". For me at least.

EDIT: I should add that, the way the Strong Single Action grip was explained to me, the SSA made little or no sense to me either. The rationale seemed to be one of applying force to the club along a line from the very backside of the top of the grip to the clubhead sweetspot. But then, we know by now that we're not applying force via the grip to the clubhead sweetspot at impact. Not necessarily a bad looking grip, but I didn't agree with the reasoning for it.

 

[Burner]

With regards to the back of the left hand as a reference to anything, the hand is wrapped around a cylindrical grip and as the hand closes around it, the metatarsals curve around that grip and are not laid out flat. This invalidates the back of the hand as a whole in terms of being a directional reference point, you have to be more precise or doom yourself to TGM imprecision.

So, you hold the club in your feet,huh?

I think, perhaps Matthew, that you might mean Metacarpals. These are the long, rigid, bones in the back of the hand.

Now, simply form a fist and see how flat the back of your hand truly is - and remains, even when you grip a golf club.

The wrapping around you refer to is the job of the Phalanges - being the three bones that give structure to the fingers.

 

[Dariusz J.]

[...] the hand is wrapped around a cylindrical grip [...]this invalidates the back of the hand as a whole in terms of being a directional reference point

Not a word less, not a word more. Very well said.

Cheers

 

[Deadly_Scope]

So, you hold the club in your feet,huh?

I think, perhaps Matthew, that you might mean Metacarpals. These are the long, rigid, bones in the back of the hand.

I'm sure your delighting in the fact that I mixed up two similar terms... I am actually human.

However, it still doesn't detract from the fact that I actually still know the placement of the bones in the hand without looking it up in some book or over the internet like you probably did. It certainly doesn't invalidate the facts that the back of the hand as a whole is not a reference alignment.

But since we're criticizing Burner, at the very least I don't think that the right forearm should point down here.

Because that's where it will be if both hands were 'vertical/vertical' 'turned to the plane' and 'no right wrist cock'. Do you realise just how stupid you sound when you say such stupid things?

Stupid book...Stupid people.

 

[Brian Manzella]

More than a word more....

With regards to the back of the left hand as a reference to anything, the hand is wrapped around a cylindrical grip and as the hand closes around it, the metatarsals curve around that grip and are not laid out flat. This invalidates the back of the hand as a whole in terms of being a directional reference point, you have to be more precise or doom yourself to TGM imprecision.

Not a word less, not a word more. Very well said.

You are correct in saying that using the back of the left hand would not be precise.

But....

The reason is all "matching" or "10° strong" grips are NOT created equal. Golfers have the club in ALL SORTS of places and angle in the left hand, and have all sorts of different hands.

But...

If the SAME GOLFER, with the SAME placement and angle in the left hand, checks their grip this way, IT IS PRECISE!!!

And on the real world lesson tee of Brian Michael Manzella, Where I BABY-SIT every gripping of the club...

It works damn well.


By the way...everybody cocks their right wrist.

 

[Deadly_Scope]

While a novel idea, still believing in the notion of "hinging."

In certain applications like angled hinging with putting... sure.

In terms of the way the hands work through impact with a full stroke it is highly inaccurate.

 

[dannyc]

Stupid Book.

Damn.

sorry, brian. i wasn't trying to make your head explode!

i was only trying to help clarify how much "stronger" the op's grip was.

i definitely agree there are much better ways to classify the grip.

 

[JonWil]

Nope, Hogan put it in the gap. "A word more about the little finger of the right hand. While it has been approved practice for quite some time to let the little finger ride sort of piggyback on top of the left forefinger, I would really advise you to hook that little finger in the groove between the forefinger and the big finger. It helps to keep the hands from slipping apart. It also gives me the good feeling that my hands are knitted vigorously together." Hogan-Five Lessons

Matt,
Tried this on the range today. No more blisters - first time ever!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!