Grip it and RIP it!

As golfers, we’re always looking for ways to improve our scores:

• We buy training aids and devices.

• We scour YouTube for the latest tips. (If we’re smart, though, we subscribe to Finding the Tips!)

• We go to our favourite golf retailer and buy the latest and greatest golf clubs.

• We take lessons from a golf professional.

• We spend hours on end at the driving range, trying to dig a better game out of the dirt.

But there may be a simpler and less expensive way.

Read on and click the links!

In this issue

• Grip it

• RIP it!

In this week’s issue of Finding the Tips, we’ll look at options for grips that might help you hit the ball straighter and longer at a fraction of the cost of a new set of clubs.

We’ll watch a video from my favourite YouTube creator who specializes in golf club repair, building, customization, equipment reviews, fittings, and more.

Grip it

Hitting a golf ball requires you to make a swing that consistently delivers the sweet spot of the club to the back of the golf ball.

To do that, you need to be able to control the club head so that you deliver it to the golf ball with speed and precision.

We’ve all heard people talk about the importance of a good grip. How we hold the club is vitally important. But the golf grip itself is also important.

Adam at Elite Fit Golf says people are not thinking enough about the size of the grip they put on their clubs. He offers six methods for determining which grip size is best for you.

The first two methods are very cut and dried. Each involves a measurement that gives you advice as to your correct grip size. The last four are more subjective.

You can decide which method(s) you want to use. But generally speaking, Adam says most players will benefit from a larger grip.

With most grips priced between less than $5 each (when buying sets of grips from Amazon, for instance) to $20 each, installing new grips is a cost-effective game improvement option.

RIP it!

You can start hitting the ball up to 30 yards longer with your driver if you adopt the proper setup and master one key downswing move.

Eric Cogorno Golf did just that with one of his senior students in a recent lesson. He showed his student a table that highlights the importance of angle of attack with the driver.

Let’s says you swing at 90 mph. If your angle of attack is five degrees down at impact, you could get a total driving distance of about 230 yards.

However, if you learn to deliver the club five degrees up at impact, the same swing speed will give you total distance approaching 260 yards.

To create that upward angle of attack, you need to set up to the ball with your upper body leaning about 10 degrees away from the target.

When you start the downswing, you need to keep your head and upper body behind the ball. As you near impact, your lead shoulder should move up and back. This gets your hands moving up through impact, allowing the club head to release through the ball.

This is a simple way to add distance. Your drives will fly higher and spin less.