One of the many perks of being GOLF’s instruction editor is this: Every top teacher wants to give me all their secrets in order to help me become a better player. So whether it’s a swing tip, a putting drill, some useful data or just a simple hack, I get hit with information all the time.
Sure, it can be a bit overwhelming — after all, how the heck am I supposed to digest all the tips and actually apply them to my game? — but, generally speaking, I try them out at the range, see which ones feel best, and go from there.
One of the easiest hacks I’ve ever received came to me just last month while at our annual teachers retreat in Arizona, which you can see below.
Check your club’s grip to square your clubface at address
On a busy day filming content and receiving lessons with six(!) different teachers, GOLF Top 100 Kellie Stenzel noticed something that was messing up my pre-shot routine.
As she asked me to address the ball with my 6-iron, Stenzel told me she already knew where the ball was going to go before I even hit my shot, telling me it was going to slice.
Determined to prove her wrong, I finished my pre-shot routine, hit my ball, and… yep, it tailed off to the right.
So how’d she know the result before I even started my backswing? By simply looking at my golf grip.
In the photo above, you’ll notice a boring ol’ picture of my golf grip, club’s shaft, and my trusty TRUE Linkswear golf shoes. But if you look closely, you’ll notice a simple golf tip, too.
Here’s a zoomed-in view of the tip itself.
Seems so simple, right? Well, it really is; and I’m kind of kicking myself for not knowing about this 28 years ago when I first started playing golf.
Since the golf grip determines everything that happens in the swing — including the result — when your clubface isn’t square at address, then you’re making it tougher on yourself to hit the both ball pure and straight.
So after Stenzel noticed that this little mark on my golf grip wasn’t lined up to the ball, she could already predict the outcome. And since most grips have this tiny mark, there’s no excuse for not using it to your advantage if it’s already there.
It’s an easy hack that can make a world of difference in your golf game, so always make sure to give your golf grip one quick look as part of your pre-shot routine. By doing so, you’ll ensure that the clubface is square and that a poor outcome isn’t determined before even making impact with the ball.
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