The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Before hitting the driving range I told Curt that I have played golf before, just so he knew he wasn't dealing with a newbie. I will take you on a brief flashback to my greatest moment during last years' Bomber tournament in August. From roughly 60 feet out, I hit a line drive shot with my nine-iron and made its way toward the hole. Then the unbelievable happenedÉ it hit the flag and stopped two inches left of the cup. Randy Winfield, who was in the group, and a diehard Canucks fan like myself, gave me a high-five. I couldn't believe it, especially after making the comment that I could understand why everyone forgot I still had to make my shot since I hadn't done anything memorable. Fast forward to now and as Curt and I head to the range he said we'll see how good my driving skills are. Curt and I started with the basics as he worked on my grip. Right away he didn't care for it much. I shouldn't have been surprised when all I did was grip my right hand at the top of the club and the left just below covering my thumb. Curt introduces me to my new grip Ð for right-handers Curt's keys: A good grip is critical to a good game. Learn a good grip early because once you've played the game for any length of time it's hard to change hand placement The most common type of grip used today is the overlap (Vardon) grip To use the overlap grip, place the grip end of the golf club in your left hand making sure the grip crosses the base of your last three fingers and the middle of your index finger. This is important because if you grip the club too much in the palm of your hand, it will limit your ability to hinge your wrists and use your hands effectively. Close your left hand around the club making sure to place your thumb just right of the center of the shaft and point the V created between your thumb and forefinger towards your right ear. Complete your grip by placing your right hand on the club, covering the front of the shaft so that the V formed between your thumb and forefinger points to your right ear. The fleshy pad at the base of your thumb should fit snugly over your left thumb. Your hands should feel like one, working as a single unit. As a point of interest, around 90 per cnet of tour players use this grip Your grip pressure should be light. On a scale of 1 - 10 Ð with 1 being the lightest and 10 being the hardest Ð you should grip the club about 3.5 - 4. The pressure should remain constant throughout the whole swing. The good news for me is that I was getting it, unfortunately I was gripping the club like I wanted to strangle the life out of someone. So I made myself conscious of keeping it loose. After making the proper adjustments I swing away and Curt likes what he sees, for the most part. The only thing I couldn't stop myself from doing was killing the ball. It's like I was trying to pull off a Happy Gilmore. If you don't know what I'm referring to, Adam Sandler plays a hockey player turned golfer, who runs up to the ball and drives it a zillion yards. Had I tried that I might have a good excuse for poor driving. Usually my problem of killing the ball shows up later when I'm playing. My goal when I start is simply to keep the ball on the fairway Ð of course that's most people's goal. With all of Curt's great suggestions, I never realized all the technique that goes into hitting the ball well. While I was making progress and getting comfortable with my new grip, Curt said it would take me about five lessons to get the drift of it. I'm okay with that. I consider myself a late bloomer. I might not be great to start off, but with practice, hey, skies the limit.
