Okay, so, I messed around with my golf grip today, trying to get something closer to what Tiger Woods uses. Figured I’d jot down how it went.
First off, I watched a bunch of videos. Like, a lot. Everyone’s got their own take, but the main thing I kept seeing was a “strong” grip. Basically, that means your top hand (left for a righty) is rotated more to the right, so you can see more knuckles.
So, I started by just gripping my club like normal. Then, I rotated my left hand over, bit by bit. I focused on seeing those knuckles – aiming for maybe two or three. Felt weird at first, kinda like I was gonna hook the ball into the woods (which, honestly, I often do anyway!).
Next up, the right hand. The videos said something about interlocking, overlapping, or ten-finger grip. I’ve always been an overlapper (pinky overlaps index finger of the left hand), so I stuck with that. But I made sure my right hand was snug underneath my left, feeling like it was supporting the club.
Here’s where it got tricky. Getting the pressure right. Too tight, and my forearms felt like rocks. Too loose, and I felt like I had no control. I experimented with different levels of grip pressure. I settled on something that felt firm, but not strained. More pressure in the fingers, less in the palms – that seemed to work best for me.
Then, I started swinging. Just easy, smooth swings at first. Concentrating on keeping the grip pressure consistent throughout the swing. I noticed a few things right away:
- The club felt more stable in my hands.
- I felt like I could release the club more freely through impact.
- My ball flight was a little lower, and maybe a touch straighter (maybe!).
I hit about 50 balls on the range, just trying to groove the feel of the new grip. Some shots were great, some were awful. But overall, I felt like I was onto something.
Now, the real test: I took it out on the course. Played nine holes. And… it was a mixed bag.
- My tee shots were definitely longer. That strong grip seemed to help me load up power.
- My irons were a little less consistent. I think I was still adjusting to the feel.
- My short game suffered. I need to work on the feel around the greens.
Verdict? Definitely worth continuing to work on. The extra distance off the tee is a huge plus. I need to spend more time practicing with the irons and wedges to get the consistency back. But yeah, I’m sticking with the Tiger Woods-ish grip for now. Wish me luck!
