Newsletter – October 2013
Upcoming special clinics: I will conduct a Get Golf Ready Ladies Boot Camp on October 3 through 6. Golf instruction will be on Thur. (10/3) and Fri. (10/4) from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Sat. (10/5) from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. We will finish playing on the golf course on Sun. (10/6) from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Total cost of $99 includes everything and space is very limited. The Ladies-Only Golf Clinic will be held on 4 consecutive Friday evenings in October from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This will be Oct. 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1. All 4 sessions for only $40 total. My next Two-Day Golf School will be held on Fri., Nov. 8 (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and Sat., Nov. 9 (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) This school is limited to 3 participants and is not for beginners. All aspects of golf are covered and total cost is only $99. The Get Golf Ready Boot Camp and Ladies-Only Clinics are good for beginners or newly dedicated golfers. Please call (727) 692-4679 or email me at jh@johnhayesgolf.com to sign up for any of these clinics.
Step 1 in playing a golf shot is to take the correct grip. It sounds obvious to say that you must LOOK AT YOUR HANDS to be sure you have the correct grip but too often we just give a quick glance and let our feel for that day tell us if the grip is okay. Your feel will change from day to day and then so will your grip! Next time you practice I hope you will give special attention to looking to see if you are placing your hands in the correct position. The “V” formed by the thumb and index finger on both hands should point up to the center of your body if you have a neutral grip. When the “V”s point to the right of center (for a right handed golfer) then the clubface will tend to “close” during the swing. The clubface will “open” during the swing if the “V”s point to the left of center when addressing the ball. It is also important to have the heel pad of the left palm (the pad at the base of the palm below the little finger) pressing on the top side of the grip rather than the left side of the grip when holding the club correctly. The left hand grip is more of a palm grip and the right hand is more of a finger grip because the left thumb is covered by the fold in the right palm thus leaving mainly the fingers of the right hand to hold the club.
If you are a newer golfer I believe it is essential to take the time to take the correct grip. If you have played golf for many years and you have a grip that is not neutral but you hit the ball pretty straight then I would leave your grip alone. You have spent a lot of swings building in compensations for your grip and it may take a long time to have the new grip begin to work for you. Either way you should know what your grip should look like and you should strive to look at it before every swing. You may notice that I did not mention the overlap, interlock or 10-finger grip options. This is because any of these types of grips can work well if your hands are in balance with each other, with the clubface and with the target.
As always, please call or email with your questions or comments and I hope to see you soon on the lesson tee in beautiful Clearwater, FL.