golf grip

Building Power In Your Golf Swing

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Every golfer I know wants to hit the ball farther. I have never encountered any player saying they wished they did hit the ball so far; everyone wants more distance. Over the 2021 season, I made some fundamental changes with my driver that increased my distance while keeping my accuracy. The changes I made are only the beginning, however I wish I had notice Annika Sorenstam’s tip earlier to help speed up my learning curve.

I changed several things with respect to my driver set up, however adopting the ‘less is more’ philosophy was by far the toughest change I made to my driver and fairway woods. With my new set up, I found that if I tried to swing fast at the ball, I would pull it left……consistently. Of course there is sweet spot between tempo and club head speed that we all seek and not trying to grip it and rip it is the first step. As I ran through my morning news feeds, I found this video that would have helped earlier in the season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYlg7lHzBvM

I tried placing my thumb over my grip to see how it felt. I took a few practice swings (no ball contact yet because my DIY driving net will not be set up until the new year) Sorenstam’s tip definitely forced me to grip the club looser. This, inturn, forced me to swing the club with less tension in my arms, wrists and hands. Hence, the natural ‘less is more’ golf drill.

Before I get too excited, I will need to hit balls to see if this drill will produce the results I am looking for in my golf swing. Moving forward, I will have to wait for a bit, but it is knowledge I can store and recall when the time is right. As you know from previous years of reading The Grateful Golfer, my off-season is the time I try to expand my knowledge and prepare my tools for my next golf season. Annika Sorenstam’s thumb over drill is a perfect example of my process that helps me keep me focused on ways to improve my overall golf game. As my golf journey continues, I am grateful for the time and access to knowledge that helps reduce my learning curve.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Choking Down On Your Golf Club

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

I have read many articles about choking down on a golf club to adjust distances to the green. This maneuver is often used in the professional rank and players who understand their normal yardages. I suppose it could be used by us regular players, but I think that just moving our hands without understanding what the results will be to the your ball’s distance and flight.

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Checking Your Golf Grip

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

I generally keep my grip as neutral as possible. Sometimes, when my attention wanders, my grip starts to shift towards the weak position. I am always looking for a way to quickly put my hands in the correct position. Now, I came across this a video that might help. I mentally went through the process described by Smash Factor and it looks like it will work. When you read this, I will be on the course giving this new process a try, so more information to follow on how it worked for my game.

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Fundamentals of Golf By Jack Nicklaus

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Understanding the basics of golf is more challenging that we think….or is it? Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer of all time, has a series of videos that discuss many aspects of how to play golf. His first video, which will be highlighted here today, is probably the most important of all because it sets the foundation for our natural golf swing. If you are a beginner, or even an experience player like myself, it is important to heed what Jack says because we can move to more advance aspects of the game with the proper fundamentals. And that leads to every golfers goal: lower golf scores.

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Taking A Step Back In Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Have you ever found yourself so focused on a specific aspect of your golf game that you forget to stick with what works? As a player who continually is trying to find golden nuggets in my game, I sometimes forget that I have built a foundation that works and should be at the forefront of all my adventuring. However, this is not always the case and the only real way to address this wayward path is to take a step back and refocus. It is not a bad thing, just part of the improvement process.

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