Club gripping problems

Practice
#1

Not sure if this is the right category…
I play with a very strong grip…which is great for my irons and wedges…helps me hit straight or baby fades. My big miss is a dead pull (due to the very strong grip I’m sure).

My issue…I have such a hard time hitting hybrids and driver (dead pull and pull hook). I’ve gone so far as to open the club face slightly at address…or even use a more neutral grip for those clubs. Neither is very consistent.

Anyone else manipulate the club face at address for certain clubs or change grip? Any cures?

I play my irons and wedges well enough that I’d love to find some consistency with the driver and hybrid!

#2

While the grip is definitely important to the face angle, there are so many other things going on with a golf swing that it’s hard to say exactly what a good fix would be for your particular issue. Best thing would probably be getting some video of your swing and getting it in the hands of a pro.
Outside of that, it’s probably the best bet to spend some time with those clubs in practice and figure out what tweaks you can make that will allow you to consistently create the type of contact you want. That might be changing the grip (something that is really hard for me personally) or adjusting ball position, setting up more open to the target line, etc. Have to find something you’re comfortable doing that way you can commit to the shot because if you’re up there expecting a big ugly pull-hook, then you’ll probably wind up with one.

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#3

Definitely not an expert, but I do struggle with this as well. Sounds more like your swing rather than the grip if the problem is truly a pull. A pull fade does play nicely, but the strong grip may be keeping you from the fade so a weaker grip or opening the face could help. It may be just that you need to swing from the inside like you’re probably doing with your irons. I know I have a tendency to sway more than turn with the longer clubs like the driver. Sometimes pulling my trail foot back helps. Sometimes I try to make sure I get my left shoulder behind the ball and swing to right field.

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#4

I have a strong grip and an inside out path. If there is room I open the face aim left and hit a push fade. Tight holes I open the face slightly and aim right and though impact I hold my wrists and don’t let them turn over hopefully hitting a straight to baby draw shot

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#5

I’ve managed my handicap to a 12-13 with a more neutral grip on my driver and aiming right with a moderate to large fade (ie…fade that can become a slice). Keep in mind I’m a lefty.

Moving to a stronger grip helped my iron game so much that I’d hoped it would help the driver and hybrids…but just the opposite.

Just looking for more consistency. Perhaps it’s time for another lesson…the club really bugging me is the hybrid. I just can’t hit the 4 iron really any different than the 5 iron…and can’t hit fairway woods…leaving a huge gap on most second shots since I’m only 230-250 off the tee.

#6

Assuming you have access to a decent instructor, a lesson is almost certainly going to be more helpful than any advice we can offer, having never seen your swing. In a perfect world, your driver swing and your 6-iron swing and your wedge swing should all feature pretty much the same mechanics. I’d really try to find a grip that can work with every club in the bag, turning your grip really strong sounds like a band-aid that helps correct a swing flaw.

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#7

Have you been fitted for your clubs? Just curious because I’ve seen players, like myself, that hit “standard” steel shafted irons decently, but then can’t hit hybrid, fairway or driver well. Obviously longer clubs can be harder to hit, but manufacturers have been making them even longer and lighter for years now and that isn’t always good for the average golfer.

The first driver I finally hit decently was built with a head about 10g heavier, shaft about 20g heavier and length about 1" shorter. My current driver is 44.5" and relatively heavy and so is my 3w and hybrid. I have a 95g shaft in my hybrid with a backweight and I see a lot of new hybrids have 65g shafts. To me it’s big jump to from an iron shaft that can be 100-130g to a hybrid shaft that’s 60-80g. I could probably do it with Freddie Couples’ tempo, but not with mine.

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#8

With my path I haven’t been able to hit any more than a 7i off the deck and can’t hit lower irons in the air enough. That was until last week when I creamed a 7i only to turn it over and see it was a 5i. Only from the fairway. Still only 7i from the rough. With a closed face for a hook I must be delofting my irons. Most of my iron shots are low hooks. Played really well yesterday setting a new record of 11 pars. Playing off 15.

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#9

I’ve been fit for my putter and irons (Mizuno jpx 900)…and play them at a +1 lie (I stand fairly close to the ball and upright).
I think the length of both the hybrid and driver (and lie) are more suited to a flatter swing. I did get fitted for the driver a few months back but was less than impressed with the fitter. He got me the loft, but basically told me to change my swing before doing anything else. Never talked about weight or shaft length.
I get it that my swing is nowhere near great, but can’t I find equipment that is close to helping? Perhaps shorter shafts?
Sounds like I need a good fitter and instruction…

#10

Anyone here tried a one length hybrid or at least a hybrid with a shorter shaft (like a 5-7 iron)?

#11

I think a fitter should fit your swing unless you tell him that you’re committing a lot of time to changing it. My fitter asked me and I said “I have a family and demanding job and I can only practice so much” so he fit the clubs to my swing, bad as it may be.

Again I’m not an expert, but to me, if I hit say my 6i well and it has a certain length, weight and MOI then my 4 hybrid should probably have a similar construction. I think it can be 1/2 even 1" longer than a standard 4 iron, but it still probably needs a similar MOI. The trend for most clubs have been longer and lighter, but that’s not always best for everyone.

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#12

Have you thought about the angle of the blade at contact. Maybe it is closed and causes low ball flight. Look at the grip and see how open, flat or closed the angle of the blade on the club.
May help.

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#13

I think instruction is definitely a good path forward… Someone you can discuss mechanics with, check your grip with and have them give you some drills to keep you swinging consistently.

I’ve had a good fitter tell me to fix my swing, and then adjust my driver to help me in the meantime… he was right, and I’m a better golfer (with more money) because of it… It’s definitely something worth listening to.

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#14

You said in the original post that you were hitting dead pulls and pull hooks with your driver and hybrid. That pattern comes from a swing path that is significantly outside-to-in, and a face that is square or closed to that path (left or further left of your intended target). If you’re doing that during a fitting, chances are that the fitter knew that he didn’t have the tools to really help you, you have to help yourself first. An “optimized” dead pull still isn’t really what you want.

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