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Andrew
4th December 2004, 09:50 PM
NO sexual pun intended.

I am interested to know if others regularly grip down the shaft on shots. When I try to do this I tend to turn the shot over, probably because I'm staying closed through impact.

Is anyone out there who is doing this successfully & what tips they might have.

Andrew

Speirsy11
4th December 2004, 09:52 PM
I do this all the time on my wedge shots. I started doing it after reading the Dave Pelz Short Game Bible. I find that it helps with distance control a lot more then trying to just adjust my shoulder turn or arm swing. It allows me to make my normal turn and hit it a different distance.

Speirsy11

McMw
5th December 2004, 01:59 AM
I only grip down if I need to go with one extra club....

makes no difference whatsoever to me...whether I hit a full 8 or a grip-down 7iron (it's spose to carry the same, but lower)....

I think it's more of a sense of control over the shot...



if you pull a lot of the grip-down shots, primarily its becoz you're lazy with your hands at POI...causing the club to rotate too quickly thru the ball...try to firm up the wrist a bit, and make sure your club points to the target....

IMO of coz... :wink:

Andrew
5th December 2004, 02:38 AM
Thanx Mau,

What do you mean 'firm up my wrists'.

Do you mean don't release, or release more ?

Golfgirl
5th December 2004, 09:20 AM
Andrew,

Matt says that it is possible that you are pulling them because you are not making a complete backswing/shoulder turn... this may be quite subconscious.... and yes, it will affect your position at POI. Hard to say without seeing you play the shot....

Fishman Dan
5th December 2004, 01:27 PM
If you're gripping down, you're effectively shortening the club? Perhaps because you are 'reaching' for the ball, you are closing the clubface.

I tend to grip-down when i'm playing a 3/4 swing.

Andrew
5th December 2004, 01:51 PM
Andrew,

Matt says that it is possible that you are pulling them because you are not making a complete backswing/shoulder turn... this may be quite subconscious.... and yes, it will affect your position at POI. Hard to say without seeing you play the shot....

That's a good point, as I tend to try to steer the ball with a lot of those shots. The subconscious thing is probably true because I have more club than needed in my hands because I'm gripping down. If I make a full swing a 9i is only going to go as far as a PW, so I'm not going to fly the green.

S'pose the challenge is to make sure my right shoulder (I'm LH) touches my chin on backswing.

Thanx

McMw
5th December 2004, 03:32 PM
Thanx Mau,

What do you mean 'firm up my wrists'.

Do you mean don't release, or release more ?


I mean don't release as much....

kinda like a chip shot where you're holding the left wrist a little bit longer...

markTHEblake
6th December 2004, 10:42 PM
sounds like your decellerating. The tendency when people are choking down on the shot is to think you have to make a 'soft' swing.

When in fact the whole point of choking down is to make your normal full swing, sacrificing about half to 1/4 of a club.

next time, choke down as much as you like, narrow the stance a little, and rip it.

McMw
6th December 2004, 11:15 PM
not sure if u ever had the opp to watch Faldo win his 3rd BOpen or not...but he was hitting 3/4 shots all afternoon....it was brilliant to watch....