United Hands!

By TG User

31 January 2008 03:42

Every day I perform my golf 'exercise drills'. Great for fitness and keeping the swing going during the cold winter here. About a month ago, after an argument with a Da dao (big knife, Chinese meat cleaver). I was left with a badly,down to the bone cut left forefinger. This was a decided blow to my daily swinging a club exercise routine.
After fashioning a finger splint from an ice cream stick and some sellotape(to stop the finger bending, and opening up the cut).I was back to swinging in no time. After about 5 days the splint was removed. Still painful and unable to take my usual over-lapping grip on the club. So, for comforts sake,the usual procedure was reversed and the LEFT forefinger was placed over the top of the Right little finger.Having putted on and off for years with a reverse over-lapping grip, it was almost immediately comfortable. The swing was great and balls were dispatched with gusto (chalk mark strikes on the sweet spot and the target were within totally acceptable limits)Great.Eventually the grip was reverted to it's former more normal mode. Whilst exercising, unconciously I reverted to the reverse over-lapping grip. Out of the blue, it was noted that when using my conventional over-lapping grip, the heel of the Left hand was lifting off the butt end of the club grip during the swing. It was noted this did not happen with the reverse overlapping grip. Call me a heretic, but the reverse over-lapping grip kept my hands in a compact unit. My right hand didn't overpower the left, my swing was appears totally un-affected. The Left forefinger snuggled gently on top of the Right little finger kept the hands as a single entity,with the added bonus of an increase in power. The grip is neither tense or tight and the club performs nicely. 

Even if you don't intend to try this grip change, give thought to using the technique to check if your  hands are performing effectively as a unit.

After all golf is an evolving game, and though it might seem heresy be mindful that, it is not how, but HOW MANY?

By TG User - Michael Henry