Grips and Gloves...34
More Speed, More Feel
Watch a major league baseball player preparing to bat and you will see them rubbing pine tar on the bat and putting on batting gloves. This preparation increases the friction between their hands and the bat. The added friction allows them to hold the bat with lighter grip pressure which in turn means the joints in their wrists are free and able to achieve higher bat speeds—ditto for golf.
Your golf glove and club grips are both traction-enhancing devices. Their sole purpose is to allow you to keep the club from twisting in your hands with minimal grip pressure. Reduced grip pressure contributes to higher club head speeds and better feel around the greens. Take action as gloves get stiff and your grips lose their tackiness.
One more point about gloves. Did you ever wonder why right-handers wear a glove on their left hand and left-handers wear a glove on their right? The grip on your clubs is tapered. The butt-end of the grip is larger in diameter. As your swing creates centrifugal force, the club is pulled away from you. When that happens the larger diameter portion of the grip seats itself in your upper hand. This is where traction is the most critical. Hence we wear the glove in the hand we place on the upper end of the grip.
Note: Contrary to a golf wives tale, the left hand should not play a dominant role in the swing. Golf is a two-handed game and the grip pressure in each hand should be equal throughout the swing.
Each Thursday we’ll bring you a helpful insight.
Swing to the Target,
Ed
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