Golfers who appreciate the game's history know about Ben Hogan working his way out of a tendency to hit hooks. His famous instruction book, "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" spends 19 pages on the grip, and he advocated a neutral to weak grip in which you could see only one or two knuckles of the left hand when addressing the ball. Many professionals have succeeded with a strong grip, such as Lee Trevino, David Duval and Paul Azinger, and a strong grip can certainly cure a slice.
Step 1
Find neutral. Learn where a neutral grip is using instructor Chuck Cook's two-tee drill. Take your left-hand grip and wedge a tee between your left thumb and forefinger. Do the same with your right hand as it grips the club. The tops of the tees should line up down the top of the shaft for a neutral grip.
Step 2
Show a knuckle. Make your grip stronger by rotating your left hand clockwise around the club until you can see another knuckle at address. Practice hitting shots with this new grip until it feels comfortable, and don't try to release the club at impact any harder or softer. Note the ball flight.
Step 3
Check your arms. Butch Harmon, Tiger Woods' former instructor, says a stronger grip means the crook of your left arm should point more to the right instead of to the sky, as it does with a weaker grip.
Step 4
Resist the tendency to exaggerate wrist cock on the backswing or hand action at impact. A strong grip is helping you square the face at impact more easily, so there's no need to try to "flip" your hands or rotate your forearms through the shot. The grip will dictate this, so let your hands go along for the ride as you swing aggressively through the ball.
Tips and Warnings
- Most grip changes feel odd at first, so be patient and give yourself time to adjust before trying a new grip.
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