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Grip Pressure with Wedge Play

Posted in: Swing Tips and Golf Fitness

Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
Go to Last Reply 272 Views 28 Replies 11 Likes
I'm working on improving my short game at the moment. I have a problem of inconsistent wedge play - usually dropping the ball short. I use a very loose grip on all my clubs in general including my wedge game because to me its been about feel. I can use power if I need to but I guess I'm confused on how much power and how does it "feel" in terms of muscle memory etc. Some of my fellow players tell me that I should use a firmer grip on some of wedge shots. I'll be happy to hear from all of you on this. My current wedge setup is; PW - 47 degree Callaway X Prototype AW - 52 Callaway Jaws 12 degree bounce SW - 56 Callaway Jaws 16 degree bounce LW - 60 Callaway Jaws 13 degree bounce
armygrunt47 Professional Champion
# 16 2/8/2012 9:20:35 AM
My short game has really been good lately. I saw this on you tube and it worked for me. Pick a wedge, I use my 56 for just about everything. I placed a bucket at 10 yds and chipped to it until I was all over it. Then I moved back 10 yds. Now I am at 20 and still pitching shots right at the bucket. I kept moving back as my aim became better. When I got to 50 I was amazed at how easy I was still swinging the club but was still consistant. I still do this drill today, every day out in the yard. I started off hitting my 56 about 85 yds, now I hit it 95 yds at about 80%. This drill really paid off for me. I What happened was my overall ball striking became so much better. Best you tube video I've seen. I do the same thing except I use a broken iron shaft. I have distances marked all the way out to 150 so I can use everything up to my 8i.
Spiko Professional Champion
# 17 2/8/2012 10:45:12 AM
Holding the club lightly may be the biggest myth in golf (all that about a live bird and whatnot). Get a good grip on the damn thing and keep a good grip on it. COULD NOT AGREE MORE, I SQUEEZE OIL OUT OF MY GRIPS ON EVERY SHOT
tothetop777 Legend
# 18 2/8/2012 10:58:44 AM
For me, it depends on shot I am playing. Tight lie I tend to hold a little more firm to prevent to much bounce. A fluffy lie I tend to hold normal to light grip. In my opinion you need to do what feels best for you and what works best for you. There are a million opinions on this. Just find what works best for you. The key is to build the confidence between the ears and stick with it. When that shot comes up, you can execute it. You "can" make the shot. Can't means won't! JMHO
Robert Premeaux Jr. Professional Champion
# 19 2/8/2012 10:45:41 PM
honestly, i tend to grip the crap out of the club ... when i go too light, it always fails. and ironically i putt better when i use a death clamp on the grip. it's probably just me, but beware the "light" grip talk. one golfer's "light" is another's medium to strong. btw, armygrunt's reason for lightening the grip is dead on, but practice it first.
Robert Premeaux Jr. Professional Champion
# 20 2/8/2012 10:48:03 PM
I'll third Dandy's reply. Light grip pressure is B.S. Pros tell you they hold it lightly all day....BUT....they hit balls every day of their life. Their hands are immensely strong. Ever shook hands with a Tour pro? My buddy Rick, who played the Champions Tour, had ridiculously strong hands. That means what feels "light" to a pro is actually a very, very firm hold on the club for the rest of us who don't play golf for a living. Here's the thing. We're trying to pressurize the shaft into impact. That's how you get the ball to come off the club with real purpose. If you're not pressurizing the shaft, there's no telling which way that clubface is going to point when it meets the ball. And you can't pressurize the shaft if your connection between yourself and the club (your grip) is loose. Great quote from Jackie Burke Jr.: "I know Sam Snead says to hold the club like you're holding a bird. What Sam didn't tell you is that the bird he was holding was a damn hawk!" So go ahead and grip that thing. Don't white-knuckle it, of course (there's a limit to how tightly you should grip it)...but hold the damn club like you're about to hit something with it. Because, hey, you ARE about to hit something with it! I like to hit 95% of all my shots very firmly. Even short chips! I'm holding the club firmly and hitting the ball with some authority. That's how you get the ball to hold its line and spin the amount that you want. I control my distance using the length of my swing, my trajectory (ball position), and the club I'm using. That last point is the biggest one. EVERY high handicapper I play with doesn't use enough club, on any shot. And that applies around the green too. I see guys just grab their lob wedge for anything around the green, and they constantly come up way short. Nikhil, next time you go play, whenever you have a shot around the green, try this experiment. Whatever club you think you should hit, take one more. If you think it's a lob wedge shot, use your sand wedge. If it's a sand wedge, use your pitching wedge. Etc., etc. Pretty soon you'll learn what club you need to use to get the ball to the hole. ...and grip it firm. yes, exactly ... "light" for a dude like Nick Faldo, I promise you, was one of our death grips. same for Jack. you can't hit shots like they could hit holding the club loosely. i'd argue it's hard to grip the club too tightly. it can be done, but most of us aren't strong enough to outgrip a good swing (unless you're holding it off).
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 21 2/9/2012 5:07:07 AM
Guys keep the feedback coming in. Really good drill from saig55. I haven't played for about a week but will be playing some this weekend. Wil try to hit the range tomorrow for some practice. I should've learnt this game with my wedges first rather than driver. Swinging the short irons first gives us so much more control on the swing.
HIGH_LANDER Legend
# 22 2/9/2012 8:23:58 PM
Always a Firm Grip on all Clubs.Never a Loose Grip!..like they say: GRIP IT & RIP IT!
Robert Premeaux Jr. Professional Champion
# 23 2/9/2012 11:42:56 PM
My short game has really been good lately. I saw this on you tube and it worked for me. Pick a wedge, I use my 56 for just about everything. I placed a bucket at 10 yds and chipped to it until I was all over it. Then I moved back 10 yds. Now I am at 20 and still pitching shots right at the bucket. I kept moving back as my aim became better. When I got to 50 I was amazed at how easy I was still swinging the club but was still consistant. I still do this drill today, every day out in the yard. I started off hitting my 56 about 85 yds, now I hit it 95 yds at about 80%. This drill really paid off for me. What happened was my overall ball striking became so much better. Best you tube video I've seen. I need to be doing this. Thanks for mentioning it.
Mark Simmons Legend
# 24 2/10/2012 10:55:46 PM
There is a big difference between, loose, firm and the all too common 'death grip'. There is a classic tip that is very good. Hold a mid-iron in front of you tipped at about a 45 degree angle. Hold the club just firm enough to keep it in place. That is the pressure you want when taking your stance and initiating your swing. Swing speed and good contact is what makes the ball go. This grip pressure gives you enough control for consistent good contact and not so much that you'll have speed killing tension.
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 25 3/20/2012 5:16:34 AM
Guys its been some time since I started this discussion. I want to say that I had a turning point in my short game today. After getting feedback on here I realized that I had some wrong fundamentals with my chipping. I have been using a very loose grip on my chipping under the impression that I had/wanted "better feel". Fixed the grip but I also realized that I was "flipping" my hands which took a little time to understand and fix (well not yet but its on the mend). The interesting thing is that I've realized that flipping is a huge problem in my swing and its a key I can work on to eventually better my game. At least I now have a handle on whats causing some of the "randomness" in my ball striking. Well its a journey and thanks to all of you for "chipping in" with your input and feedback. I hope this discussion was as useful to some of you as it was for me.

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

Go to Last Reply

272 Views 28 Replies 11 Likes

I'm working on improving my short game at the moment. I have a problem of inconsistent wedge play - usually dropping the ball short. I use a very loose grip on all my clubs in general including my wedge game because to me its been about feel. I can use power if I need to but I guess I'm confused on how much power and how does it "feel" in terms of muscle memory etc. Some of my fellow players tell me that I should use a firmer grip on some of wedge shots.

I'll be happy to hear from all of you on this. My current wedge setup is;

PW - 47 degree Callaway X Prototype
AW - 52 Callaway Jaws 12 degree bounce
SW - 56 Callaway Jaws 16 degree bounce
LW - 60 Callaway Jaws 13 degree bounce

armygrunt47

Professional Champion

# 16 2/8/2012 9:20:35 AM

My short game has really been good lately. I saw this on you tube and it worked for me.
Pick a wedge, I use my 56 for just about everything. I placed a bucket at 10 yds and chipped to it until I was all over it. Then I moved back 10 yds. Now I am at 20 and still pitching shots right at the bucket. I kept moving back as my aim became better. When I got to 50 I was amazed at how easy I was still swinging the club but was still consistant. I still do this drill today, every day out in the yard.

I started off hitting my 56 about 85 yds, now I hit it 95 yds at about 80%. This drill really paid off for me.

I
What happened was my overall ball striking became so much better.

Best you tube video I've seen.

I do the same thing except I use a broken iron shaft. I have distances marked all the way out to 150 so I can use everything up to my 8i.

Spiko

Professional Champion

# 17 2/8/2012 10:45:12 AM

Holding the club lightly may be the biggest myth in golf (all that about a live bird and whatnot). Get a good grip on the damn thing and keep a good grip on it.

COULD NOT AGREE MORE, I SQUEEZE OIL OUT OF MY GRIPS ON EVERY SHOT

tothetop777

Legend

# 18 2/8/2012 10:58:44 AM

For me, it depends on shot I am playing. Tight lie I tend to hold a little more firm to prevent to much bounce. A fluffy lie I tend to hold normal to light grip.

In my opinion you need to do what feels best for you and what works best for you. There are a million opinions on this. Just find what works best for you.

The key is to build the confidence between the ears and stick with it. When that shot comes up, you can execute it. You "can" make the shot. Can't means won't!

JMHO

Robert Premeaux Jr.

Professional Champion

# 19 2/8/2012 10:45:41 PM

honestly, i tend to grip the crap out of the club ... when i go too light, it always fails. and ironically i putt better when i use a death clamp on the grip. it's probably just me, but beware the "light" grip talk. one golfer's "light" is another's medium to strong.

btw, armygrunt's reason for lightening the grip is dead on, but practice it first.

Robert Premeaux Jr.

Professional Champion

# 20 2/8/2012 10:48:03 PM

I'll third Dandy's reply. Light grip pressure is B.S. Pros tell you they hold it lightly all day....BUT....they hit balls every day of their life. Their hands are immensely strong. Ever shook hands with a Tour pro? My buddy Rick, who played the Champions Tour, had ridiculously strong hands.

That means what feels "light" to a pro is actually a very, very firm hold on the club for the rest of us who don't play golf for a living.

Here's the thing. We're trying to pressurize the shaft into impact. That's how you get the ball to come off the club with real purpose. If you're not pressurizing the shaft, there's no telling which way that clubface is going to point when it meets the ball. And you can't pressurize the shaft if your connection between yourself and the club (your grip) is loose.

Great quote from Jackie Burke Jr.: "I know Sam Snead says to hold the club like you're holding a bird. What Sam didn't tell you is that the bird he was holding was a damn hawk!"

So go ahead and grip that thing. Don't white-knuckle it, of course (there's a limit to how tightly you should grip it)...but hold the damn club like you're about to hit something with it. Because, hey, you ARE about to hit something with it!

I like to hit 95% of all my shots very firmly. Even short chips! I'm holding the club firmly and hitting the ball with some authority. That's how you get the ball to hold its line and spin the amount that you want. I control my distance using the length of my swing, my trajectory (ball position), and the club I'm using. That last point is the biggest one. EVERY high handicapper I play with doesn't use enough club, on any shot. And that applies around the green too. I see guys just grab their lob wedge for anything around the green, and they constantly come up way short.

Nikhil, next time you go play, whenever you have a shot around the green, try this experiment. Whatever club you think you should hit, take one more. If you think it's a lob wedge shot, use your sand wedge. If it's a sand wedge, use your pitching wedge. Etc., etc. Pretty soon you'll learn what club you need to use to get the ball to the hole.

...and grip it firm.

yes, exactly ... "light" for a dude like Nick Faldo, I promise you, was one of our death grips. same for Jack. you can't hit shots like they could hit holding the club loosely.

i'd argue it's hard to grip the club too tightly. it can be done, but most of us aren't strong enough to outgrip a good swing (unless you're holding it off).

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 21 2/9/2012 5:07:07 AM

Guys keep the feedback coming in. Really good drill from saig55. I haven't played for about a week but will be playing some this weekend. Wil try to hit the range tomorrow for some practice. I should've learnt this game with my wedges first rather than driver. Swinging the short irons first gives us so much more control on the swing.

HIGH_LANDER

Legend

# 22 2/9/2012 8:23:58 PM

Always a Firm Grip on all Clubs.Never a Loose Grip!..like they say:
GRIP IT & RIP IT!

Robert Premeaux Jr.

Professional Champion

# 23 2/9/2012 11:42:56 PM

My short game has really been good lately. I saw this on you tube and it worked for me.
Pick a wedge, I use my 56 for just about everything. I placed a bucket at 10 yds and chipped to it until I was all over it. Then I moved back 10 yds. Now I am at 20 and still pitching shots right at the bucket. I kept moving back as my aim became better. When I got to 50 I was amazed at how easy I was still swinging the club but was still consistant. I still do this drill today, every day out in the yard.

I started off hitting my 56 about 85 yds, now I hit it 95 yds at about 80%. This drill really paid off for me.

What happened was my overall ball striking became so much better.

Best you tube video I've seen.

I need to be doing this. Thanks for mentioning it.

Mark Simmons

Legend

# 24 2/10/2012 10:55:46 PM

There is a big difference between, loose, firm and the all too common 'death grip'. There is a classic tip that is very good. Hold a mid-iron in front of you tipped at about a 45 degree angle. Hold the club just firm enough to keep it in place. That is the pressure you want when taking your stance and initiating your swing.

Swing speed and good contact is what makes the ball go. This grip pressure gives you enough control for consistent good contact and not so much that you'll have speed killing tension.

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 25 3/20/2012 5:16:34 AM

Guys its been some time since I started this discussion. I want to say that I had a turning point in my short game today. After getting feedback on here I realized that I had some wrong fundamentals with my chipping. I have been using a very loose grip on my chipping under the impression that I had/wanted "better feel".

Fixed the grip but I also realized that I was "flipping" my hands which took a little time to understand and fix (well not yet but its on the mend). The interesting thing is that I've realized that flipping is a huge problem in my swing and its a key I can work on to eventually better my game. At least I now have a handle on whats causing some of the "randomness" in my ball striking.

Well its a journey and thanks to all of you for "chipping in" with your input and feedback. I hope this discussion was as useful to some of you as it was for me.

Participants