manzella.... neutral???

[dashfan87]

So... for a while now I have thought that I had the "manzella neutral" grip down pat... not so much, at least I don't think.

the other day I was out playing with my dad and after a hard faught 42 on the front, we get to the 10th hole a 310 yard dogleg right par four, where i squib a 3 iron (which I never have a problem hitting) off of the teebox... I precede to send an 8 iron (instead of working it right) left... into the bushes.

now I'm dropping and sitting 4, my dad has nailed the green in 2, sitting 6 feet from the hole, when I remember something I believe Kobylinski said about practicing 30 yard shots while weakening the grip, so I weakened my grip, and pulled the trigger from 30 yards out. landed 4 feet and stopped dead.

next hole, 140 yards, and I hit a 9 iron there... winds in my face so I grab the 9 anyway get up there, and because I already had a "stellar" front nine I try something i normally wouldn't mid round... I weakened my grip again, and absolutely blasted that thing, perfect contact, beautiful divot... never felt anything like it before, and I have had some good ball striking days... next hole, blasted a 7iron from 175 out, middle of the green... i did it because i usually hit a 6 iron there but the results from the previous 9 going far in the wind made me think about how far the next shot would go. last hole we played (we skipped a few dad had to make it home) I blasted a drive 310, with a baby fade... it felt so right!!! but the grip feels so freaking weak at address, however when the swing starts, i feel like I know exactly where the clubface is the whole time... something I NEVER felt with the old grip.

what is going on? please explain this to me.

btw,
yesterday took my pwedge to the park, where we walk our dogs, and hit a few shots, one I stepped off at 160 yards

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

sounds like the weak grip is bringing the face into the ball at a better angle for your path; you might have been fighting a too closed face.

 

[dashfan87]

sounds like the weak grip is bringing the face into the ball at a better angle for your path; you might have been fighting a too closed face.

So how come guys like zack jhonson and boo can play the super closed clubface?

what path am I on?

and,

I know before, if I rotated (dont know the correct terminology, just going off what it feels like) my wrists through the shot, with my grip before, I would have been hitting super hooks, or pulls, or just beeming it off the blade...

with this grip, I feel like I can bring the club down and really relese through the shot, so much so, that I really hit down on it (another thing I felt I couldnt do with the grip before)

 

[holeout]

So how come guys like zack jhonson and boo can play the super closed clubface?

what path am I on?

and,

I know before, if I rotated (dont know the correct terminology, just going off what it feels like) my wrists through the shot, with my grip before, I would have been hitting super hooks, or pulls, or just beeming it off the blade...

with this grip, I feel like I can bring the club down and really relese through the shot, so much so, that I really hit down on it (another thing I felt I couldnt do with the grip before)

I think you had too strong of a grip, swung right too much, and had to hold it off so you wouldn't hook the crap off of it. With a weaker grip, you can now swing farther left, really rotate/release through the ball. You are also probably able to snap your kinetic chain better this way; sometimes trying to hold off a hook keeps your left/lead arm glued to your chest for too long.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

So how come guys like zack jhonson and boo can play the super closed clubface?

what path am I on?

and,

I know before, if I rotated (dont know the correct terminology, just going off what it feels like) my wrists through the shot, with my grip before, I would have been hitting super hooks, or pulls, or just beeming it off the blade...

with this grip, I feel like I can bring the club down and really relese through the shot, so much so, that I really hit down on it (another thing I felt I couldnt do with the grip before)

They hit down enough and have a path/clubface alignment that allows them too.

 

[dashfan87]

They hit down enough and have a path/clubface alignment that allows them too.

I feel as if Im hitting more down than I was before.