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Hi everyone,

This is my first post on the forums, and what a day to do it! Firstly, let me wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas.

I've only been playing Golf for around 4 months now. I'm 25 years old, and come from Scotland. My main area of concern is my grip. I'm right handed, and bought right handed clubs, obviously.

My problem is that I find it more comfortable to grip the club with a left handed grip ... this being my right hand at the top of the club, with the left underneath. As I understand it, the proper grip for a right handed golfer is to have their left hand at the top of the shaft, with the right underneath.

My approach to the ball is from a right handed golfer perspective, but I just find my swing more comfortable using the "lefty" grip .... however, I am worried this could have an effect on my game and my attempts to improve. I can strike the ball fairly well using my "lefty" grip, and have tried the "correct" grip for my approach to the ball (right handed perspective), but cannot get used to it.

Is the fact I feel more comfortable with a left handed grip going to affect my game and my attempts to improve? Should I ditch this left handed grip and re-educate myself to using the correct right handed grip. I also tried matching my approach to the ball to my grip (left handed grip and approach) and it felt wrong.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, and once again, Merry Christmas.

Regards,

Jamesie.

I would strongly advise you to use the "traditional" grip for a righthanded golfer. There is much about the golf swing that feels "unnatural" at first. Unlike other sports, the more conscious effort a golfer exerts, the firmer he grips the club, the harder he tries, the worse the results. One simply must ingrain the proven, successful, proper techniques through practice and develop one's "feel" for the game.

If you are ever to benefit from any instruction or instructional articles, you must use a traditional grip. Good luck! and Merry Christmas to you too!

I agree with valeogut. At first the grip and swing may be uncomfortable but if you think of this new feeling as the correct feeling then you will progress faster.

The traditional grips (vardon, natural and overlapping) allowes the hands and wrists to perform as a leverage system (axis or pivot point) releasing the club in a manner that is bassed on phisics.

The traditional grip is light in tenson so that the clubhead weight and the design of the head will square up through impact. The lesser tenson in the hands (grip) lets the clubhead weight help the player creat clubhead speed that creats distance.

The grip you feel "natural"with now is good for putting right handed. When the left hand is low on the club it restricts the release used to creat distance and helps keep the club head straight through impact which is great for putting.

Hi Jamesie,
Here are a couple of relevant threads:

"cack-handed grip"

Delofting driver

I have a couple of suggestions to help you decide which grip you want to pursue...as you probably know, most instructors insist that the hands be close together as one unit, a single hinge as opposed to a separated dual hinge. But just for the moment separate your hands, one at the butt of the grip and one down near the steel...you're swinging right-handed so if you separate the hands with the left hand low you might find it difficult to "release" the club head...now reverse the hands and see if that makes any difference. My personal philosophy is that a right-hander should aim with the left hand and hit with the right...now, that might not make much sense after saying that the hands should work as one unit. But try hitting one-handed and see which one has the greater power...if you're truly right-handed then that will be the right hand.

One other thing you might try is to borrow a left-handed 7-iron from a colleague and use the left-hand low grip and spend some time at the range, hit a bucket or two to see how that feels to you...who knows, maybe you're really a lefty!

Good luck, buddy, and welcome to GR.

Shade

Jamesie, Since you are right handed(throwing rightie), I would suggest to hit some balls with your right hand only 1/2 swing, just like throwing a ball side arm. Make sure you hinge your right wrist back toward your forearm and bend your right elbow. On the down swing throw the club head into the ball by letting your arm straighten. After impact it is vital to let your right palm turn over to the ground on the follow through. When you can hit it with one hand, then place your left hand on very lightly and make the same swing. You would throw the club faster with the right hand than backhanding with the left. Merry Christmas!

The way you are gripping is the way a young child will grip a club or bat. That tells us that it is a very natural way to do it. However, I would recommend that you persevere with a more standard grip as I have found when taking lessons from a pro that many aspects of grip, stance, swing etc do not initially feel right. Give it time and the standard or orthodox grip will be second nature to you. Good luck.

I would buy a cheap, used 7-iron and put one of those trainer grips on it and swing it until it feels normal.