vardon, overlap, baseball : what are the merits of each ?

[snake]

Hi,
I've been reading with interest the strings about "release" and the suggestion that the baseball grip (or gripping with hnads spread on the club) aid the natural rotation.
I have always played with a vardon grip but now that I am struggling with the "release" I am wondering if there is any merit in changing my grip to improve the release and hopefully obtaining a draw.
I am also prone to casting on the downswing and cupping wrists at impact (adding loft at impact)
My glove size is medium; should I change to baseball ?

[BrianW]

Re: vardon, overlap, baseball : what are the merits of each ?

Hi,
I've been reading with interest the strings about "release" and the suggestion that the baseball grip (or gripping with hnads spread on the club) aid the natural rotation.
I have always played with a vardon grip but now that I am struggling with the "release" I am wondering if there is any merit in changing my grip to improve the release and hopefully obtaining a draw.
I am also prone to casting on the downswing and cupping wrists at impact (adding loft at impact)
My glove size is medium; should I change to baseball ?

Best to just give it a try. I did and found I prefered it.

[Avid Golfer]

Re: vardon, overlap, baseball : what are the merits of each ?

Hi,
I've been reading with interest the strings about "release" and the suggestion that the baseball grip (or gripping with hnads spread on the club) aid the natural rotation.
I have always played with a vardon grip but now that I am struggling with the "release" I am wondering if there is any merit in changing my grip to improve the release and hopefully obtaining a draw.
I am also prone to casting on the downswing and cupping wrists at impact (adding loft at impact)
My glove size is medium; should I change to baseball ?

One thing to be careful of if you decide to switch to a baseball or split grip is that you don't get one hand roated in one direction and the other in an different direction which as discussed in one of the release topics will lead to one part of your body to fight with another for control.

In some cases it will only function as a band-aid. If something other than your grip (your weight shift for example) is causing you to cast, cup, and add loft then you aren't really fixing the cause, and instead making compensations for the error(s).

If you truly are suffering from casting the club (and weren't misdiagnosed) then your problem isn't your grip or release. Casting the club originates from other areas. Going to a split grip could cause you to close the clubface by producing more roatation in your arms, but it also may cause you to cup your wrists more.

My advise is if you desire to have the hands ahead of the club head at impact try strenghtening your grip at setup (putting the left hand grip more on top of the club) which should help you close the clubface and deloft the club. For the casting issue the first thing I'd recommend checking is make sure your weight isn't shifting to the outside of your feet on either the backswing or through swing, and that wieght is shifting in the correct direction at the correct time (your back leg should be supporting slightly more weight on the backswing, and the front leg should be straightening near impact if your weight is moving correctly).

Like Brian said you can give the split or baseball grip a try, but be aware that it may not fix the cause of your problems.

As for your glove size it is only relevant to the size of the grips you have on your clubs (smaller grips for small hands, and thicker grips for large hands). The size of your hands will not make one grip style more effective than another.

Edit: I just looked at the picture you posted in November 2006.
http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/g....php?photo=686
(The angle of the picture, and the time it captured in your swing aren't the best to examine, but I'll take a shot at it). You're setup and swing may have changed since then, but from what I can tell from that picture the following may be happening:

Your ball may be too far back in your stance, and your right foot looks too flared. Both of those are prone to make you hang back and not shift and turn properly through the shot (as well as hinder your release). With the right foot less flared your weight would be more likely to stay on the inside of your right leg on the backswing, and make your lower body action on the downswing faster and more automatic. With the ball positioned closer to the target (more toward your left foot and left armpit) your weight could shift more freely and agressively without the fear of loosing the ball to the right of your target.

[Martin Levac]

Re: vardon, overlap, baseball : what are the merits of each ?

I tried all three, I use the baseball grip. It allows me better control than the other two methods. Also, I see no difference in distance between the three methods. There are two baseball grips. Hands linked or independent. Linked has the left thumb extended along the handle and under the right hand lifeline. Independent has the left thumb folded as in a fist. I use the linked method.