Is Your Grip Leading to Over-swinging the Golf Club?

Mark Oswald
General Manager
The Highlands at Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ.
Marana, AZ
oswaldpga@gmail.com

More Information

Does your club go past parallel at the top of the backswing? Can you see the club drop down over the shoulder on your backswing or feel the club hit your shoulder during the backswing? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are over-swinging.

To help you control the club during the swing, let’s begin with your grip.  Does your left hand, (for the right handed golfer) extend beyond the end of the grip? If so, this is over-gripping which can easily lead to over-swinging.  You should be down on the grip where you can see the end of the grip extending beyond your left hand. Look at the grip; usually there is a line of some sort near the cap or end of the grip. The end of your left hand should be below the cap or line on the grip. This usually is about ¼ inch below the end of the grip. If you are gripped past the end of the grip you will allow grip movement during the swing. The club will pull away from the palm of your hand at the top of the backswing and can cause you to over-swing going beyond parallel and cause you to lose control of the club, effecting both direction of the shot and timing of your swing.  

Another area to look at is your glove, are you wearing out gloves in the palm after only a few rounds?This is also caused from the club moving or pulling away from the palm during your swing and the end of the grip wearing out the glove prematurely.  

Another problem in the grip that can cause the club to pull away from the palm and promote movement of the grip during the swing, is griping the club too much in the palm of your hand. The grip should be placed at the base of your fingers. If you grip the club in this position it takes much less grip pressure to keep the club in your hand and not moving around during the swing.

For more help with your golf game, contact Mark Oswald at oswaldpga@msn.com.