stuck between grips a pro needed

hi ive recently started playing golf again and currntly using the base ball grip or ten finger grip as to which i hit an ok ball but with constent play i would improve the problem is my friend has said i need to change my grip as ill never improve on this grip as to which i disagree. now this is where it gets fun he then said ill ever beat him off of scratch which is bull i am very determined even if its mean hitting balls and pratising every night without him knowing haha . now would it be in my advantage to try change or just work on my base ball all advice welcome thanks people

hi
if you ask any pro golfer what if the first think the look at when looking at an handicap golfer and they nearly always say, "The Grip!!!"
when you talk of the great golfer like Hogan they say he had a great grip.
it is where the club joins the body and where you get all the feel from the club. if you have a faulty grip then you have to compensate but adjusting the body or arms. you don't see that many pro golfers with strange grips and not many with ten finger grips. most are the Varden and then how strong or week a grip is about if you need to turn over your wrists or not.
i do think you would be better getting a really good grip even if it means your game may take a few weeks to get use to it.
best of luck
bill

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thanks for the advice your probley right might just stick with it and try and get use to it. where in scotland are you .im in aberdeen. thanks for replying

hi
I'm in musselburgh about 200 yards from the oldest golf course in the world. some wonderful courses here in east lothian. mostly links courses.
use to work in Aberdeen at the tyne seal site with sub-sea offshore that was back in the 80s. had many a good night in union street and Joey Harpers was the best bar then.

cheers
bill

IMHO, the only legit reasons for using a baseball grip are if your hands are too small (like a little girls) to use a traditonal grip, or your hands are weak (like a little girls).

Are your hands small and weak like a little girls? Then by all means contiue using the baseball grip. You are doing the right thing.

If not, then go to a traditonal golf grip (interlocking or overlap.) There is a reason you don't see anyone (pro or amateur) who is even halfway decent using a baseball grip, and it isn't tradition.

It is vitally important that your hands work as a single unit. Essentially, your two hands turn into one hand when you grip the club. Any independent movement of either hand (which the baseball grip promotes) destroys your golf swing.

Honestly, when I see someone using a baseball grip I assume they either have weak, little girl hands or they are too dumb to know any better.

i started using a baseball grip 3 years ago when i started playing golf. but my reasons for doing so was this... I played squash. i'm right handed and if you have ever played squash you always try to hit the ball up. this results in your right up staying open.. because of this a traditional grip at the time was out of the question for me as i would do massive high slices. i needed the baseball grip to allow my hands to roll over when making a swing.

i taught myself out of this as my muscle memory improved.. however i don't have an overlapping or interlocking grip. if i do it feels to me the club will fly further than the ball. my grip is based on the overlapping grip and baseball grip.. it is still a sound grip and does not cause any technical faults in my game. the only difference now in my grip to a baseball grip is my hand and palm location on the club and my thumbs being at the right spot to allow for correct swing and club rotation.

sorry if this is a little long winded, but i want you to take some advice from this.... use your baseball grip until you start hitting the ball well, then ask a pro for correct thumb and hand position.. this will help more with consistency. and you will know when you need this help because your shots will be inconsistent even though your striking the ball clean.

hope this helps.

It dosn't matter what grip you use as long as it is comfortable to you. I have used all three and now use the varden grip, which is the interlock grip. Before that I used a 10 finger grip and there is really no difference unless you have small hands. It is how you hold the club and place your hands compared to center on the club, such as strong or week grip.

I'm undecided as to whether this post is indirectly insulting or not!

And there's far too many references to "little girls" for it not to worry me slightly.

I agree with Daviek.

I've used every grip imaginable in going on 50 years of playing, and can switch from one to the other. BUT, there is only one grip which is comfortable and functional at the same time for me, and I believe those are the important considerations in staying with your chosen grip.

For me, it's totally a case of the type of hands and fingers I was born with. I have medium sized hands overall, the palms are a good length, but the fingers are shorter than normal. My baby fingers are disportionately short. I have always been athletic and I'm overall really strong. I work on my hand strength over the years, so they are strong.

I have always had to install my own grips and stretch them, so they were thin, even the blue code Ping grips.

The Vardon and interlock work, but they cause problems I won't bore you with, and I can assure you I do take the grips properly. I've tried the double overlap, which a few players have used, Lee Elder and Jim Furyk (still does). I tried the baseball grip and it was OK, but I believe it encourages the bottom hand to some times take over. I thought it encouraged a hook for me. There have been some very good players who used it through their careers, one who comes to mind is Art Wall Jr.

There are players with huge hands or long fingers, such as Mickelson, Palmer, who could seamlessly use the Vardon grip for instance, even having to have extra wraps on the grips.

You may have caught the discussion between myself and JaySpin on another thread (I think it was "does 4 simple moves to better golf work?"). The grips we use is the reverse overlap and it works for us. I started using the RO grips over 30 years ago, and although I try the traditional ones on occasions the same problems come back. I mentioned the story about Steve Jones, who had to change to that grip after he mangled the forefinger on the left hand in a motorcycle accident, and he continued to have a good career after.

When you think about it, the left forefinger in the prescribed model grip is not meant to apply pressure on the club, it's the middle two fingers, so by having the finger rest off the club should not be a factor.

Ted

Ted and I seem to have lived in a parallel golfing life. I have similar hands to him and have used different grips over time, I have used the 10 finger grip and got on fairly well with it, it does promote more rotation of the wrists and is good for anyone who has problems with squaring the clubface but as Ted suggests can create hooks with some people, Moe Norman managed well with it though.

As I have got older I have a little arthritis in my fingers that can become a bit painful when I have played a lot so I now use mid-size grips that allow me to get a firm grip without closing my fingers so much.

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Best Regards
Brian

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