Editors Note: Each week, we receive hundreds of questions for our PGA Experts. Though we can't answer every one of them, we will take some of the most illuminating and beneficial questions and have one of the top authorities from the PGA of America to answer them for you. We are in the process of finding ways for more experts to answer more of your questions! Thank you for your support and keep the questions coming!
Instruction: Bill Forrest - 2006 National PGA Teacher of the Year
I have heard a lot of versions of the correct way to grip a club. I am looking for the correct way to grip the club. How hard do I squeeze. Hand alignment. Which fingers should have the most pressure etc. Please help. I have been playing for 20yrs and I am ready to improve my score.
Sean Benes
Sean: There are indeed a lot of ways to grip a golf club, and some aspects of the grip are optional. The fingers in which most pressure is applied are optional, the side of the grip your hands are placed are optional. Placing your hands high or low on the grip itself is optional, a 10 finger or overlap or interlock grip is optional. These three things I know about the grip; grip pressure should be the same in both hands, the grip pressure should be no more than a five on a scale from 1 to 10, the "V" made between the thumb and the index finger of the left hand (top) should point to the right of your chin.
My choice would be to have the pressure slightly greater in the last three fingers of your left hand, and the middle two fingers of your right. I would also recommend both hands more in the fingers than in the palms with the "V's" both favoring the right shoulder. Lastly, try to marry your hands together so they will work together as a unit, by putting the thumb of the left in the valley along the life line of the right hand.
Is it wise to change your putting stance when the ball lies below on uneven green?
Larry Blake
Larry: Whether you are on the putting green or through the green, when the ball is below your feet on a side hill lie it will have a tendency to go to the right, so you must align your body more to the left. When putting I would not recommend a ball position change but would want you to aim your putter to a point left of the hole allowing for break and then your feet and shoulders parallel left of that line. Let me know if this doesn't answer your question.
Bill, what are some good drills to reduce a chronic slice? It is not every shot, but maybe four out of every 9 tee shots, I slice. So about half my shots are slices. It is funny that most of my approach or fairway shots are straight. Thanks
Berry Walton
Berry: To produce a hook you must start with your address position. Strengthen your grip by moving both hands to the right side of the grip, square your shoulders and feet by making them parallel to the target line, now drop your right foot and right shoulder back behind the left. You now have a strong grip and a closed stance, move the ball back towards the middle of your stance by one inch.
Make some baseball swings to an imaginary ball that sits about chest high. Turn the club around and behind you and then swing through to your finish. Tilt your spine forward and make the same swings at knee high. Now hit some balls from a side hill lie with the ball above your feet. This is a good way to practice getting your body more involved and making your swing more rotary. Lastly, without a club in hand stand with both arms in front of you parallel with the ground, left palm down right palm up. Make a little mock backswing, just a foot or two and then move your hands forward rotating your forearms to the other side of your body, finishing right palm down left palm up. This forearm rotation can then be applied through impact with a club in hand.
Rules: John Crumbley - Certified PGA Professional, Rules Expert
Is it legal for workers to blow debris off a green during a tournament after players have hit to that green and have marked their balls? I know that workers can properly clean greens between groups, but I thought that only each player can legally police his own line. I saw this happen at a recent tournament.
T, Webber
There is no violation of the rules. Blowing greens off to remove loose impediments is common in PGA Tour events. It helps to speed up play because if the greens were not blown off the players would have to take the time to clear their line of loose impediments. It is a very difficult job for the maintenance crew to do during a tournament because they don't want to disturb players with noise or cause players to have to wait on them to get off of the green which would slow play. So many times the best time to blow the green is after the group has hit to the green while they are walking up.
You are playing a par 3 that is surounded by water. your tee shot hits the green, rolls through the green and rolls into the water behind the green. do you go to the drop area? do you hit from the tee? do you drop where the ball entered the water and take a stroke?
thank you,
mike
Mike,
If a ball drop is provided for relief from that water hazard then you would have that choice under penalty of one stroke. Ball drops are provided when the options provided under Rule 26 for relief from a water hazard or lateral water hazard are not practical, such as the famous 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass with the island green.
To answer the second part of your question, you may always go back to where you played you last shot from and play from there. Again adding one penalty stroke for removing the ball from a water hazard. If played your last stroke from the teeing ground then you may retee when you return to the teeing ground to play your next stroke.
As for your third question, it would depend on if it was a water hazard (yellow markings) or a lateral water hazard (red markings) If it was a water hazard then you would have to keep the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard between you and the hole and drop on that line going back as far as you wanted. If it was a lateral water hazard then you could in addition to your other options drop a ball within two club lengths of the point the ball last crossed the margin of the lateral water hazard no closer to the hole. Below I've included part of Rule 26 for further explanation of your options.
If a ball is in or is lost in a water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:
(a) Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or(b) Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or (c) As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.
Equipment: Tom Henderson - PGA Professional, Master Club Fitter
I am upgrading my irons after a long time. Any suggestions on how to go about picking a new set? There are so many choices out there today.
Ron Klein
There have probably been many technological advancements since you purchased your irons. The offerings are constantly changing in shaft material, shaft weight, head design, set make-up, etc. The right combination of these elements can lead to improvement in your game.
Schedule a Dynamic Club Fitting appointment with a PGA Professional that uses a lie board and ball flight to help evaluate your equipment. This session will provide precise measurements and insights to improving your ball striking.
The days of "buying off the rack" are long gone!
How can I tell the compression of a ball when very few are marked? Do Golf balls have a shelf life?
Frank Zawacki
Frank:
Most ball manufacturers provide an abundance of information on their web sites. You can also find information at the point of purchase (your local golf shop). You will be able to match up your swing speed, desired trajectory, and feel with the various product offerings.
Regarding golf ball shelf life, today's golf balls will virtually last forever. The wound balls of yesterday were vulnerable to extreme changes in temperature, shortening their shelf life. Today's two and three piece pellets will last a long, long time!
