Golf-FAQ.com

why the right hand should be more on top of the golf club

by Mr. Otho Abshire MD Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

The smothering pressure of the right hand lifeline promotes a wide arc on your backswing, because it tends to push the club away from your body. It also tends to prevent your left arm from bending too much at the top of your swing (although some bending is OK).

Full Answer

How to properly hold a golf club right-handed?

With a neutral hold on the golf club, the V of the left hand would be pointing towards the right ear. And the right thumb would be just on the right side of the grip. As you can now see, there are an unbelievable amount of combinations of how to "properly" hold a golf club right-handed.

Why do right-handed golfers play with their right hand?

So for a right-handed guy as he sets up to the ball, instinctively he’s going to want to use the most powerful side of his body. So he works his right hand a lot of people they get the right hand too far underneath the club.

What happens if your right hand is too strong in golf?

Strong Grip If the right hand becomes too strong it can take control of the club face through impact, close the face and send the ball flying low and left. The right hand (for a right handed golfer) should sit below the left and hold the grip through the fingers.

Which hand is more important in a golf swing?

A proper golf swing uses a blend of both the right and left hands to control the club, regardless of which side of the ball the player happens to be standing on. If you had to choose between the two, it is probably the top hand in your grip that plays a more important role in the golf swing.

image

Where should your hands be at the top of your golf swing?

0:391:17Being open so to be more consistent. What I'd like to see is that left wrist flat to the forearm atMoreBeing open so to be more consistent. What I'd like to see is that left wrist flat to the forearm at the top of the swing. Then you can just bring it right down that plane.

Does the right hand do anything in the golf swing?

2:253:19Now the palm of my right hand is facing 45 degrees down and back so as at the club swinging. ThroughMoreNow the palm of my right hand is facing 45 degrees down and back so as at the club swinging. Through. And I'm allowing. My hands to feel like they're rolling. My.

What hand should be on top with the golf club lefty or righty?

Neither hand has an advantage in the game--both lefties and righties are successful. You will find much more success hitting the ball for distance and accuracy from your dominant side. Knowing your dominant hand is also essential when picking out the proper clubs.

Where should right palm be at top of backswing?

3:384:51Nice position that clubface will remain a lot square at the top or is when you get that right wristMoreNice position that clubface will remain a lot square at the top or is when you get that right wrist flat clubface will tend to either close are really open just depending on your grip tendencies.

Which hand is more dominant in golf?

left handThe left hand and arm must play the dominant role in the swing at all times. If it does not, you have no alternative but to over employ the right hand, The right hand can only dominate if the left hand and arm fails to play its controlling role.

Which arm is more important in golf swing?

Overview. For right-handed golfers, the left arm is one of the most important aspects of the golf swing. The left arm determines the swing arc for a shot and helps release and rotate the wrists and club on the downswing.

Which hand controls the clubface?

The left hand (the right for southpaws), is responsible for the rotational movement of the golf club, which, in turn, controls the direction of the clubface.

Which hand should grip the golf club tighter?

1:395:33The second exercise and again this one's more to do with wrists. But again it's going to encourageMoreThe second exercise and again this one's more to do with wrists. But again it's going to encourage you to give you get the right finger. Pressure you want to set your start up in the same. Position.

Does left arm lead golf swing?

Although it isn't the dominant arm for right-handed players, the left arm is vital to the golf swing. It largely determines the spacing and arc of your golf swing, it helps control the clubface and ensures power through impact.

What do wrists do during golf swing?

How should your wrists work in the golf swing and what are the consequences of improper wrist action? A golfer's wrists act as a hinge between the arms and the golf club. Such a hinge can provide an advantage for moving the golf club faster, necessary for longer distance golf shots.

Is it OK for the club face to face the sky at the top of the back swing?

If the club faces pointing straight up towards the sky then it's closed. If the toe is hanging straight down the club is open.

What does the right wrist do in a golf swing?

3:197:28So you want to feel like. Your right hand is is coming down the target line the palm of your hand isMoreSo you want to feel like. Your right hand is is coming down the target line the palm of your hand is going to the target line all the way through contact. And then you let it release.

What hand do you use to grip a golf club?

Adam Scott at address with nearly perfect grip on the club. First, the left hand. You want to grip the club lightly to avoid tension in your shoulders and allow a full turn. You want a strong left hand grip to make it easier and more natural to take an inside path on the downswing, avoiding a slice.

What should your left hand V be?

Overview: Fix your grip before you try anything else. Your left hand “V” should point at your right shoulder (a strong left hand grip). Your right hand “lifeline” must smother your left thumb throughout the swing. Why it Works: First, a word of caution. Changing your grip will feel unnatural to you at first.

What is Adam Scott's thumb tip?

And, this is not to imply that you should obsess about your right hand as you swing. Indeed, the “lifeline smothers thumb” tip is mostly a setup position tip .

What does the right lifeline do in golf?

Finally, the constant smothering pressure of your right lifeline tends to keep your two hands melded and joined together, almost “handcuffed”, throughout the swing. This promotes a “one piece” takewaway and downswing that is driven from your big muscles of your lower body, not from your hands. Let’s have Mr. Scott show us how it’s done:

Why does the right hand lifeline help with backswing?

The smothering pressure of the right hand lifeline promotes a wide arc on your backswing, because it tends to push the club away from your body. It also tends to prevent your left arm from bending too much at the top of your swing (although some bending is OK ).

What is the V on a golf club?

The left hand “V” made by your thumb and forefinger points at your right shoulder, aStrong” left hand grip. But please remember to grip the club lightly. 2. The right hand “lifeline” (shown in blue at right) smothers the left thumb at address and throughout the swing. The word “smother” is chosen carefully — it implies constant, ...

Does changing your grip on a golf club feel natural?

Why it Works: First, a word of caution. Changing your grip will feel unnatural to you at first. This is to be expected — after all, however you are currently gripping your club, you have adjusted your swing accordingly so that it feels natural to you . When you change your grip, your swing will need to change too. But, hopefully, for the better.

What is the role of hands in golf?

The role of the hands in the golf swing is important, yet often misunderstood concept. Most of what you’ll find in golf instruction literature will focus on the configuration of your hands on the club, and how certain types of grips affect the ball flight, etc. However, the hands do so much more than just grip the club.

How to get fewer hands in golf swing?

Need a simple drill? Take a yardstick or an alignment stick, place it on the ground, and take your address position. Take a club and place the sole on the stick, and work on keeping the hands quiet for those all-important first 18 inches of the takeaway . Practice the takeaway 10 times, then hit 5 practice shots, focusing exclusively on your takeaway. Repeat the process three times.

How to know if a golf club is good?

The top of the backswing is a true test to know if everything before that moment has been done correctly. The key area to focus on at the top is the level of comfort and stability of the golf club. For example, take a practice swing and hold the club at the top. Does the clubface stay in place? Does the grip stay secure in your hands without you having to squeeze it to death? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you’re on the right track. Answering no to one or both of those questions is common and speaks volumes to what most recreational golfers struggle with.

Why do pros swing golf clubs so smoothly?

One of the reasons pros swing the golf club so smoothly is because the club swings with no correction or compensation with the hands.

What is the next step in golf?

Once you’ve established a grip style that is comfortable to you and suits your game , the next step is to understand your hand’s role in the golf takeaway. With the exception of a few specialty shots (i.e. buried lies, divots), the hands will passively follow the shoulders and arms as you initiate the backswing.

What is the last point of interest for the hands?

The last point of interest for the hands is in the transition into the downswing and follow-through. If you’ve spent any amount of time at the practice tee, you’ve no doubt witnessed players practicing the start of their downswing, which usually involves them trying to maintain the angle of their wrists.

What happens when you get to the top of your backswing?

In fact, if you get to the top of your backswing, your only job from that point is to start rotating onto your lead side and let everything else follow.

Why is the right hand important in golf?

For a right handed golfer, the right hand is obviously vital to perform a successful swing as it delivers a great deal of power into a shot and helps guide the club face through impact.

What is the right hand in golf?

In golf, a player is said to play 'right handed' when they swing the club with the right hand lower than the left on the grip. The majority of golfers play right handed, just as the majority of people in the world are right handed in day-to-day life. However, while swinging with the right hand lower than the left is considered a right handed swing, ...

How to get a hook in golf?

Early hand action leads to hook. The ideal takeaway action is one that uses the shoulders to turn the club away from the target while the arms and hands remain quiet. Unfortunately, this is a point that many amateur golfers get wrong. If you use your right hand instead of your shoulders to get the swing started, you will force the club too far to the inside almost immediately. From there, you will run the risk of attacking too far from the inside on the way down, likely leading to a hook. To correct this mistake, try making some practice takeaways while just using your left hand. With your right hand off the club, it won't be able to get involved (obviously) and you can feel what it is like to use your shoulders to control the takeaway. After a few practice takeaways with only your left hand on the club, put your right hand back in place but remember what you learned and apply it to your regular swing. Hopefully, your takeaway will be back on track with a quiet right hand and your hook will be a thing of the past.

Why do you leave the ball in the bunker?

Most golfers are afraid to swing aggressively while so close to the green, which is why so many players leave the ball in the bunker when trying to hit an explosion shot. This isn't the time for fear, however – you need to commit to the shot and allow your right hand to take the lead. Another reason that bunker shots are so tricky to master is that they run counter to everything you learn throughout the rest of the course. Good technique in the bunker is actually terrible technique everywhere else, so you have to practice a swing in greenside bunkers that you aren't going to use at any other time. With that said, it is important that you have a solid understanding of how to hit bunker shots, so try to set aside some time to practice this important phase of the game.

Why does my golf swing slice?

Many common golf swing problems – including the slice – are caused by the right hand getting in the way of proper mechanics. An overactive right hand can force the club out of position and force it to release prematurely, in addition to creating other issues.

How to swing a golf club?

Get started by hitting some short chip and pitch shots with a light grip until you get comfortable with how much tension is needed to keep the club in your hands. While it is important for both hands to be relaxed on the club, it is especially crucial for the right hand to avoid taking too much control at any point during the swing. Keep your fingers relaxed as they wrap around the grip, and don't pinch the handle between your right thumb and pointer finger.

How to keep control of a golf club?

One of the best ways to maintain this freedom is to use a light grip pressure. Both your right hand and left hand should be relaxed on the club from address all the way through to the finish. As a general rule of thumb, you should be holding onto the club just tight enough to maintain control through impact, but no tighter.

How to grip a golf club with your left hand?

Close your hand around the club.As you grip the club with your left hand, the heel of your palm should rest along the top edge of the handle (but you should still be able to see the tip of the handle). Rotate your hand to the right until you see two knuckles on your left hand when you look down.

Why do you put your fingers together in golf?

The biggest advantage is that this ‘locks’ your fingers together so both of your hands work together, which can give your golf swing some added power.

Why do golfers interlock their fingers?

Many of golfers choose to interlock their fingers because they feel it helps them work together as one, which increases their power.

How to make a straight line on golf club?

Hold your club waist-high in front of you, horizontal to the ground, and square the club face. Always grab the club with your left hand first. Stretch out the fingers of your left hand; align the club handle with your left palm so it makes a straight line diagonally across your fingers.

What is the best grip for golf?

The overlapping or “vardon” grip is one of the most common in golf. This is when you positioning the pinkie finger of one hand and placing it in the ridge between your other hand’s index and middle finger. This grip’s biggest advantage is beneficial for anyone with particularly large hands.

Where should the grip of a golf club be?

The grip of the golf club should sit diagonally across your fingers into the palm of your left hand. When you close your left hand, you should be able to see the knuckles of your left index and middle fingers.

How to get a neutral grip on golf?

Rotate your hand to the right until you see two knuckles on your left hand when you look down. This will give you a neutral grip, which is a great starting point for lots of golfers.

What happens if you use your right hand in golf?

Depending on when you allow your right hand to enter the picture during the swing, you may wind up robbing yourself of a significant amount of your potential power. Some golfers fall into the habit of using the right hand to move the club down toward the ball from the top of the swing.

What is a right hand dominant golf swing?

Pressure, plain and simple. A right-hand dominant golf swing is going to be reliant on excellent timing to produce good results. When your timing is a bit off – as it is likely to be when you are a little nervous – the swing will fall apart, and the results will get ugly.

How to get a jump in your swing speed?

Resist the temptation to give up your angle early in the downswing and you should see an immediate jump in your swing speed. High launch angle . Most of the time, you want to launch the ball on a relatively low trajectory with enough spin to cause the shot to climb high into the sky as it travels.

What happens if your right hand flips over the top?

If the right hand flips over the top, you’ll tend to swing over the top and outside the line resulting in pulls and slices as you come back through the ball. One other area where the right hand can dominate too much is coming through the impact face, if the hips aren’t doing enough work the hands will have to overtake the hips too early and again cause the ball to get pulled down the left hand side. So coming through the hitting face, the right hand works too much, that could pull you down the left side. So if you can feel the ball going left and your hands are doing too much work, you need to be a little bit more active with your hips, push your hips more leftwards, turn your hips faster through the ball, that will actually delay the right hand a little bit, leaving the face more open and hitting straighter golf shots. So let’s make sure that our strong right-handed dominance in life doesn’t lead to strong right dominance in golf.

What is the neutral position for the right hand?

Now a neutral position for the right hand is having the V of the right thumb and forefinger pointing up at your chin. And a good way of checking that also is to take the hand off and just relax it, and as it relaxes it sits nicely to the side and then comes on the grip.

How to find balance in golf swing?

Believe it or not, a good way to find the balance you need is to start out by going too far in the other direction. Assuming your current swing uses too much right hand, head to the range and try to hit some shots with nearly no right hand involvement at all. Of course, your right hand will still be on the club, and it will still be helping to keep the club under control, but it is not going to play an active role in the swing. Hit a few shots this way and see what you learn.

Why do right handed golfers get into trouble?

In fact, many right-handed golfers get into trouble specifically because they allow their right hand to do too much work during the swing. If you can manage to reduce the role that your right hand plays in your swinging motion, it’s almost certain that your game will take a big step in the right direction.

Which hand to hold a golf club with?

As we begin to talk about how to hold a golf club with a right handed golf grip, we will first discuss the lead hand or the left hand for right-handed golfers.

Which way do you turn your hands in golf?

This type of golf grip is achieved by turning the hands in a counter clockwise motion around the handle or to the left. This allows the left thumb to rest more on the target side of the shaft.

How to make an interlocking golf grip?

To create the interlocking golf grip, the player can start with the overlapping golf grip. The player will simply lift their pinky finger and allow the index finger of the left hand to be placed between the pinky finger and ring finger of your right hand. Then allow fingers to hold the handle of the club.

How to hold a golf club?

When it comes to how to hold a golf club, common golf instruction often refers to the V of the grip from by the left thumb pressing up against the left palm as well as the V made by the right thumb pressing up against the right palm.

What are the different types of golf grips?

The three main golf grip types that are being used are the interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the 10 finger grip.

What is the strongest grip in golf?

The strong or the closed face grip with the left hand is said to be achieved when the player can look down and see three knuckles or more.

What side of the golf club is the V on?

With a neutral hold on the golf club, the V of the left hand would be pointing towards the right ear. And the right thumb would be just on the right side of the grip.

Where should the thumb rest on a golf shaft?

Instead of resting directly on top of the shaft in the 12 O’Clock position, the right thumb should be in more of a relative 10 O’Clock position to the left of the shaft and resting on the tip of the right index finger. In that position, the right thumb can lend support without applying excess pressure to the shaft.

What position do you put your thumb in when you swing?

But many everyday players take their grip with the right thumb right on top of the shaft in what many instructors call the 12 O’Clock position .

What is the position of the bottom hand in golf swing?

One of the least understood elements of the swing is the position of the bottom hand (right hand for righties) in the backswing. If you're right-handed, you have tremendous feel in that hand -- not tapping into it makes no sense.

How to swing a golf club?

Swing a club halfway back, and open your right hand on the grip. Your palm should be at a 45-degree angle to the ground, somewhat facing the sky (above). This forces your right elbow down, putting it in a powerful, hinged position. Assuming you have a neutral right-hand grip at address (the V formed by your forefinger and thumb pointing ...

What does 45 degree palm angle mean?

Assuming you have a neutral right-hand grip at address (the V formed by your forefinger and thumb pointing to your right shoulder), the 45-degree palm angle also means the clubface has stayed square to the swing path. From there, your chances of producing power and accuracy are good.

What is the palm reading angle?

Palm Reading: Swing halfway back: The palm of your right hand should be at a 45-degree angle (top). Facing the ground (lower left) is not enough hand rotation; facing the sky (lower right) is too much.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9