GW_Sept.pdf

INSTRUCTION1IMaintain a solid and consistent gripwas hitting it terribly in practice whenI got to the final stages of EuropeanTour Qualifying School six years ago.I rang my coach the night before thefirst round and we immediatelyidentified the problem.I had a history of fidgety hands on thegrip. My long, skinny fingers werealways moving and affecting mybackswing. With no steady grippressure I was getting cupped andclosed at the top of the backswing.I was all over the place.I’ve always struggled to get myfingers comfortable on the grip and it’ssomething a lot of golfers with largehands have problems with. When I wasa teenager I went two weeks withdouble-sided tape on my grips.I couldn’t move my hands once I’dgripped the club, but we came up witha better solution on that phone call.I finished 5th to kick-start my careerand this is the drill that helped me.Promote a solid and consistentgrip pressure by holding a pieceof card between the thumb andfinger of the left hand.Keeping the card in position throughout my swing stopsmy hands from moving and maintains a consistent grippressure, improving my club control and backswing.September 2015 Golf World 81