Coming To Grips...

The first thing that you do in the morning is probably to brush your teeth, look yourself in the mirror and sometimes get a shock looking at the man in the mirror. A revelation of what has become of you over time. Stay calm and get a grip on your life! You'll be doubly shocked if it is during World Cup season and I know some of you who are so used to multi-tasking may even be brushing your teeth while doing some other business. Just make sure you are not brushing the toilet bowl in your half awake/asleep stupor. That job is left to the wife when she is unhappy with you - using your tooth brush to clean the toilet bowl and then not telling you about it! Husbands beware!

Some of us brush our teeth like scrubbing the toilet floor while others are gentle and brush gingerly. Gentle is always the way to go even if you are having an argument. Likewise, when using your utensils when eating. You hold on to your chopsticks or fork and spoon gently. If some of you are holding to your eating utensils the way you grip your golf clubs, you will surely starve to death! Ironically, one of the most fundamental basics of golf which can unwittingly have a profound impact on your game is the grip. Some golfers also find it difficult to change, adjust or do it right all the time. 


So lighten up and hold on to your grip firm but not tight as tension created in your muscles would hurt your swing. Tension in the muscles can result from a life-choking grip which in turn lead you to apply force in the swing which turns it to ball-banging and hammering than swinging. Hold on to the grip of a club as if you are holding a bird. Squeeze it too hard and the bird dies and when the bird dies your outcome dies with it. Imagine that you are holding a bird between your palms and gripping it to death will have bird shit oozed out all over your hands. Next imagine that your entire club is like a rope and when swung properly without tension, the rope whips through the ball. Same thing when you use a cane for whipping.

Most golfers do not take care of their clubs or even clean them and if this is not the case it means they have been playing too much golf and the dirt and grime were fresh from yesterday's game. Others who do may completely neglect the grip end which is often taken for granted. A cork grip like the one just below is more durable and offers a better grip but it has a harder feel and will also wear out the glove quicker.

The alternative is to get rubber grips which some might prefer but is a little more slippery when wet. Top brands of grips include Golf Pride, Lamkin and Winn and they have continuously been introducing all kinds of better grips to the market for your replacement or as part of the stock grip when new models of golf clubs are being introduced. Some like Winn has a very soft one which feels really good as you could actually feel a slight soft depression when you grip it but it wears out faster due to its texture and compound.

The grip is your only contact point of the entire club when you are wielding it in a swing. Not many would think that it is an important component of the club as usually mentioned were club heads and shafts but it is really more important than you know as it directly affects your performance because one that is too thick or thin will alter the result of your play. That is why club-fitters measure your hands for the appropriate grip size when they fit you. It is from this end - the grip end that allows you to get any sensation or feed back from a shot, how the ball was impacted and a proper feel of a shot from the club face and this includes all clubs from drivers, woods, hybrids to irons. Even for your wedge and putter. Your shaft will be the conductor to get the feel transmitted to your finger through the grip.

Golf Pride is a world leader in golf grips and they got its name when one of the founders while filling up gas for his car saw an oil brand name called Gulf Pride and thought it was a cool idea to call theirs as Golf Pride. Original grips were made from leather strips harking back to the days of hickory shaft wrapped around the butt end of the club and so they got a big break when slip-on grip we have today was introduced. Rubber grips became immensely popular for obvious reasons as they are more durable, less slippery due to more traction and friction with tiny groove patterns all over and also found to soften the otherwise harsh feel when the club impacts the ball helping as a shock absorber. It was reported in a Darell Survey that 79 of 96 players in the 2010 Masters had used Golf Pride grips on their clubs.

During normal usage and play let's say once weekly, golfers may need to replace their grips once a year or so depending on their condition. Heat can harden it, dirt trapped on it and oil can make them more easy to slip or the rubber may just break down due to the elements and through wear and tear. Those of you who have experienced playing after the rain and had their club slipped out of their hands would know that a wee bit of slip have a very profound effect on the end result and will turned into many many yards of mishit when searching for the target. 


Sometimes, in a round when you are not hitting as usual (meaning good unless your usual is bad), do give yourself a check on your grip. It could simply be you have been gripping wrongly - strong, weak or neutral or just gripping too tight creating tension to the muscles. Having a strong or weak grip is not a description on how tightly you are holding the club. In a strong grip, you will see three knuckles of the back of you left palm when you look down whereas you will only see two knuckles in a neutral grip. A strong grip will produce a draw shot (right to left flight). To relief tension in your arms, release and regrip your hold before swinging. Work on your grip as it can bring benefits to your game. Get a grip on your life and get a good grip on your club then grip it and rip!

Golf as in life, play as it lies.