Midsize Grips

[BigJim13]

Holy Cow! The end of last summer I grabbed my 8i and threw a Lamkin Midsize grip on it to try. My tendency has always been to get to wristy in the takeaway, yank the club inside and come over the top. When I put the midsize grip on the first thing I noticed was the head felt lighter. Keep in mind the midsize grip is about 12g heavier than a standard grip, so there was some counter balancing going in.

Anyway my OTT tendency leads to weak pushes and fades when I am off. I won't say it's been a cure but it has helped. My contact got better, flight and distance control got better. I won't say it was a magic billet and I can still come OTT with the best if them, but it has helped.

I put one on my driver and 3w today and WOW what's feeling! I feel like I can really whip the club through the impact zone.

I can't see myself going back at this point to standard grips!

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

I don't doubt it, considering you wear a size 16 shoe. Might need a few extra layers of tape too.

I tried some mid sized grips when I first started playing. I hated those things. But my hands probably look like baby hands compared to yours.

 

[BigJim13]

I don't doubt it, considering you wear a size 16 shoe. Might need a few extra layers of tape too.

I tried some mid sized grips when I first started playing. I hated those things. But my hands probably look like baby hands compared to yours.

See that's the funny thing, I never felt like I have large hands. Apparently I was wrong. I have never felt such a positive change in play and how I feel over the ball with any equipment change I have ever made!

 

[azgreg]

Large feet and large hands means...............................















Yep, large shoes and large gloves.

 

[eclark53520]

I really like Midsize grips as well. I hit hooks with regular sized grips typically...

 

[nututhugame]

Jim, when you say over the top do you mean outside to in approach to the ball or that you bring it back so drastically to the inside that you come over the top of that line on the way back down, which could still be an in to out approach to the ball? Hope that makes sense to you. It was argued before that bringing it back to the inside automatically meant that the path to the ball was out to in and I disagree. It is possible that although you go over the top of the path you took bringing it back, you still have an inside approach to the ball.

That said, what worked for me to stop the out to ins was the drill where you put a ball or tee or just some object a little behind and to the outside of the ball you're trying to hit so that it'll be right in the way of an out to in swing. Do that with about two buckets and before too long you will get really sick of hitting whatever object you put in the way and you'll be tucking that right arm in no time. Then you'll start hitting draws and thinking it's really awesome. Then you'll start hooking balls off the planet and wishing you could go back to hitting a fade...

 

[eclark53520]

It's amazing how many people go from hitting slice after slice, to hitting a fade, sometimes a draw, to hitting a hook off the planet, back to hitting a draw but not being able to fade it at all...that's where I'm at...

 

[BigJim13]

Jim, when you say over the top do you mean outside to in approach to the ball or that you bring it back so drastically to the inside that you come over the top of that line on the way back down, which could still be an in to out approach to the ball? Hope that makes sense to you. It was argued before that bringing it back to the inside automatically meant that the path to the ball was out to in and I disagree. It is possible that although you go over the top of the path you took bringing it back, you still have an inside approach to the ball.

That said, what worked for me to stop the out to ins was the drill where you put a ball or tee or just some object a little behind and to the outside of the ball you're trying to hit so that it'll be right in the way of an out to in swing. Do that with about two buckets and before too long you will get really sick of hitting whatever object you put in the way and you'll be tucking that right arm in no time. Then you'll start hitting draws and thinking it's really awesome. Then you'll start hooking balls off the planet and wishing you could go back to hitting a fade...

See I think the reason for my serious OTT move is because of what you mentioned! I was at a shop trying out the original Nike pro combo irons, this was 2002 I think. The guy doing the fitting casually mentioned "oh, I see. You take the club outside on the way back." He wasn't coaching me or saying I was wrong, I think he just noticed it and was thinking out loud. That one line clicked something in my head and I started trying to take the club more inside.

Over the years it went from being a slightly inside takeaway to yanking the club away from the ball inside of the swing path. By the time I got to the top, the only way I could get remotely on plane from where I was at the top was to reroute the club path in a loop coming over the top of the swing path and into impact from outside the line to inside after impact. I was squaring the face, usually, but still hitting fades and slices.

Finally about 3 seasons ago a friend and former teaching pro pointed this out to me and gave me a few drills to work on. Honestly it was a struggle. I would stripe my driver/3w but could it manage mediocre contact with my irons, usually with to much spin thus ending up short if my target. I would watch my buddies hit 160 yd 8i and pros hit 190 yd 8i and I would stand over the ball not knowing if it would go 120 or 150.

Now I am not going to say midsize grips alone changed this. I tried midsize grips about 5 yrs ago and hated them and in my head from that point forward I wouldn't go near midsize grips. I wish I hadn't been so pig headed and tried them again sooner. But the combination of the right grip size and understanding my swing flaws has been huge!

 

[azgreg]

It's amazing how many people go from hitting slice after slice, to hitting a fade, sometimes a draw, to hitting a hook off the planet, back to hitting a draw but not being able to fade it at all...that's where I'm at...

Hi, you called?

 

[BigJim13]

It's amazing how many people go from hitting slice after slice, to hitting a fade, sometimes a draw, to hitting a hook off the planet, back to hitting a draw but not being able to fade it at all...that's where I'm at...

I wonder if I ever will get to that point, I guess I will if I keep on the track I am on. I can literally tell you all 3 hooks I have hit...ever! None were intentional and I have no idea where they came from!

 

[eclark53520]

Well, if you start hitting a nice draw...don't worry, it will turn into a massive hook before you know it...lol

 

[nututhugame]

I wonder if I ever will get to that point, I guess I will if I keep on the track I am on. I can literally tell you all 3 hooks I have hit...ever! None were intentional and I have no idea where they came from!

Do you have an open stance? Like subconsciously compensating for a slice? It took some time and effort to straighten out my alignment or even aim right... couldn't wrap my head around it.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

Do you play a pull, Jim? I know you said that you prefer a straight ballflight.

 

[BigJim13]

Do you have an open stance? Like subconsciously compensating for a slice? It took some time and effort to straighten out my alignment or even aim right... couldn't wrap my head around it.

I used to without even knowing it, I have since worked hard on my stance and alignment. It's really as simple as laying a shaft down in the target line. It's so easy though to get careless and let the old habits creep back in.

 

[BigJim13]

Do you play a pull, Jim? I know you said that you prefer a straight ballflight.

Actually I play a slice/fade and when a pull comes in I just deal with it. I don't really slice my irons, I just cut across them and end up losing distance when I make a bad swing.