by Bill Easterly
With 30 years experience in golfing, Bill Easterly has spent 17 years as a pro player from the United States to Australia, winning the Gulf Coast Invitational twice and three times on the Senior Circuit. Bill has spent ten years helping others enjoy the sport. Here, he gives you priceless tips—free, every month—to improve your game.
One of the things that I am seeing is that many people who play golf do not pay attention to the grips on their clubs. I have had people come in with their grips worn badly or starting to get very hard and slick. They will then tell me they seem to be hitting the ball all over the place and cannot understand why. Let me explain.
If your grip is slick, then you will feel it turn in your hand at impact causing the club face to open or close. If your grips are worn at the spot where you place your fingers on the club, then you will have a feeling that you have to squeeze your club tighter to control it. That can cause all sorts of problems. Remember you need to maintain a nice soft grip and not squeeze it tight in your hands.
Next, check your grip size. Make sure you are not using a grip that is too small and will make you feel like you are pushing your fingers into the palm of your hand. Also, make sure your grip is not too big. This will cause you to lose control of the club at impact.
Lastly, even if you put new grips on last year, and have not played much, they can still become hard preventing you from keeping a nice soft grip. Some grips will not wear as well as others. This is why you may see a club that looks new but the grip feels hard and the club will actually move around in your hand at contact. This is your sign that it is time for a change.