| Good iron play requires a good grip. | | | | can be likened to cracking a whip |
| Without such a grip it is virtually | | | | underhanded. A tremendous amount of |
| impossible to control your shots to the | | | | clubhead speed can be generated this |
| green and score with any degree of | | | | way, provided you have a proper grip on |
| consistency. Most golfers, particularly | | | | the club and are on the proper swing |
| beginners, fail to appreciate the | | | | plane coming into the ball. |
| importance of the grip and its influence | | | | On the other hand, if the club is not |
| on the over-all swing. | | | | gripped properly, you lose control at |
| After some 20 years of playing golf, | | | | some critical juncture in the swing and |
| both for fun and as a profession, | | | | the clubhead cannot be accelerated to |
| spending countless hours of thinking | | | | its maximum speed. |
| about the swing and how it should | | | | The Overlapping Grip. Although there are |
| function, and hundreds of other hours on | | | | many ways to grip the club, the most |
| the practice tee, I have reached one | | | | effective and widely accepted one is the |
| emphatic conclusion: No one who aspires | | | | overlapping grip. This grip promotes |
| to become a good golfer can do so | | | | excellent unity of the hands, allowing |
| without a correct grip. It is as simple | | | | them to function as a one-piece unit |
| as that. | | | | throughout the swing. The overlapping |
| I experienced trouble with my grip for | | | | grip places initial control in the left |
| years before I finally made a major | | | | hand and keeps it there throughout the |
| change in 1958. Prior to that time, I | | | | backswing and early in the downswing. |
| had been fortunate enough to win a | | | | The right hand then takes over and |
| number of tournaments, but I always had | | | | applies the power through the clubshaft |
| a tendency to hook the ball. The reason | | | | and clubhead. |
| was that I had carried my right hand | | | | Positioning your left hand on the club |
| under the shaft too much, invariably | | | | correctly is the first step toward |
| resulting in a closed face at the top of | | | | building a good grip. To obtain this |
| the swing. | | | | position, place the open palm against |
| In the fall of 1958, Paul Runyan, La | | | | the left side of the shaft and then |
| Jolla Country Club professional, advised | | | | close the palm and fingers around the |
| me to change my grip. He suggested that | | | | shaft This puts the shaft under the |
| I move my right hand slightly | | | | muscular pad and slightly above the |
| counterclockwise, or more on top of the | | | | roots of the last three fingers of the |
| shaft, to have the clubface more open at | | | | left hand. |
| the top of the swing. These changes were | | | | It is a little more difficult to |
| related, and it took me a month or more | | | | position your right hand on the club, |
| to become accustomed to this new | | | | because it is the overlapping hand. With |
| right-hand position. | | | | your left hand affixed on the shaft in |
| By moving my right hand more on top of | | | | the correct manner, extend your right |
| the shaft, there were fewer tendencies | | | | hand down to meet the left hand. The |
| to have the right hand exert initial | | | | palm faces toward the target, and the |
| control during the backswing. The right | | | | center of the palm fits snugly against, |
| hand merely rides on the shaft, thus | | | | and over, the thumb of the left hand. |
| allowing the clubface to remain square, | | | | Now close the fingers around the shaft |
| or slightly open, as the body is turned | | | | allowing the little finger to overlap |
| away from the ball. Also, this new grip | | | | between the forefinger and middle |
| prevented my right hand from taking over | | | | finger. Actually, the little finger sort |
| too soon at the start of the downswing. | | | | of hooks around the middle knuckle of |
| In the golf swing, the body movements | | | | the forefinger, creating a firm yet |
| generate the power and the hands apply | | | | flexible union of the hands. |
| it through the shaft and clubhead with a | | | | Now it is just necessary for you to go |
| terrific lashing action of the right | | | | out and practice. |
| forearm and right hand. This movement | | | | |