Golf Tips - The Grip

Remy: But John is it not dangerous to play with one hand only, because later I can be a -- I can have difficulties? John: Yes, but you see that the amount of practice you have done, isn't a lot -- all I have actually given you, is an exercise. We are not practicing Golf here. It's an exercise to make you understand the coordination in using the natural instinct of your right hand, is the reason that you'll be able to find the ball well. Because finding the ball is a secret. So now going into two-handed golf, of course this is just what you have been wanting to do, and Ruth doesn't want to look stupid anymore. This is what we have to do. We have to take the left hand and the right hand in coordination. So watch me very carefully. Left hand sitting on the top like this, not completely over the end, but just like that, and when you turn your hand around over, and you close it, thumb goes down the side of the shaft, just a little to the right. Okay watch the right hand this is important. Little finger, over the index finger. The other three fingers closing round and then you close the hand over the shaft. The idea of this grip, which is called the Vardon grip, is to get your two hands nice and close together, so that they work as one. Alright so this is what it look like. Okay let me do that with you. Don't worry too much about it, even if it feels uncomfortable don't let that bother you, because it will be comfortable by the end of this series, and you'll have a really good grip. But I don't want you to get panicky, about the grip in the first two or three lessons. Okay that's superb. Remy: We have strange position. John: It is strange, because you go one finger which is virtually out of action here. But the idea, is to get the two hands close together. If I had the hands like this which is a perfectly good grip it's called the baseball grip. My hands are rather spread on the club. Well many fine golfers are using this grip, but for you, you don't need that. So the idea is to get the two hands working in unison together. So we put this little finger, over the index like that. It brings your two hands together, and they work more as one. So you can see how it's coming back again, to my theories that we need natural instinct. The closer these hands work together, the better it's going to be okay. Ruth: Am I suppose to use my wrists? John: This -- I'll show you in just a moment Ruth okay. But yes you can use your wrist, there is nothing stiff in golf okay. You are ready to give it a try? Remy: Yeah. John: Now if you remember last week's lesson and you did homework correctly, you have been practicing to find the ball like this. With your right hand, okay using coordination and your natural -- Remy: Natural -- John: That's right, your natural instinct from here, very natural. Now we are going to do exactly the same thing this week. Exactly, but watch with the left which helps. Okay the left is going to help, but it's going to be obstructive. So exactly the same thing you hold the grip as I showed you, just a moment ago, place yourself behind the ball, get yourself already to go, and do remember now you are lined up like this, but it's still the right hand, which is finding the ball. So our first two lessons are still based on finding the ball. Okay when you are ready Remy, give it a try. Don't worry that happens. Remy: It's so difficult. John: Yeah, that happens often on the first one or two. Don't worry relax, relax use your right hand, that's better. As long as you don't let the left hand tighten up and be obstructive, there will be no problem. This is a right-handed game for you, because you are right-handed okay. Okay if you don't -- not very good with the coordination. You see it's too high, your club came up here, like this, so you topped the ball. Try and get down a little bit lower. That's much better, good, good shot, super well done, and again oh! Beautiful, beautiful Remy. Now did you feel the difference? Remy: Yes, I felt with two hands. John: Do you feel happy with it? Remy: Yeah, it's better. John: Well, it's normal because you are going to have more force and you are going to have a little bit more perhaps confidence. But we would never hit the ball as good as that. Last week, if we didn't started like this, it's because you've had a week of practice with one hand okay, I promise you, because we have tried this. Remy: This hand is very important. John: Oh! believe me especially for a right-hander. good okay, try it again then. Beautiful shot, one more half as hard, twice as far. Okay, do you know why you missed that? Because the swing suddenly got much bigger, you are taking too much confidence now. You see I have let you put two hands on the club and this is getting bigger, relax, relax now, still the small swing we haven't got into the big swing yet. That's a beautiful, beautiful shot. Well, we have a thing in golf especially when teaching, we always like to stop on a good one. So why don't you wait just a moment you can practice again and we are going to call Ruth? Remy: Oh yeah. John: Okay that keeps your morale up. Okay Ruth do you think you can do the same as Remy did? Ruth: No, I can't do. John: No, I know, you were talking to me a little earlier and you when so confident in. Ruth: No. John: No well it looks like, there is the grip, that's nice. Okay ball in the middle, just relax and remember right hand is going to find the ball. This hand helps a little bit, but very passively okay. Now, don't worry about it if it does miss we've got another hundred balls there. No, she is a good go, she doesn't miss the ball. Good okay again, relax come on don't be tight, great shot that's superb. There you go. So you see after only just two lessons, Ruth is hitting the ball pretty well Remy too, and we have been using two hands this week. But the secret is this, the right hand is still there trying to find the ball. It's the instinct naturally, which is coming out. She is using the right hand and the left is working with her.