One of the major success stories of 2004 is at the other end of the golf club. Feel Golf Chief Executive Officer Dr. Lee Miller said his company has sold in excess of 100,000 units of its "Full Release" grips this year with no end in sight.
Miller, known as "Dr. Feel" in the golf industry thanks to the popularity of his Feel wedges, developed the Full Release Grip, he said, to allow golfers to fully release the club and attain maximum club head speed.
Miller got the "TaperTip Technology" idea after looking at an old putter paddle grip that was cut off halfway to the top to help ease its user's arthritis.
"I started equating (the idea) to other sports," Miller told PGA.com. "Baseball players like Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds shave down their bat grip for a fast wrist release. You very seldom see them punch the ball the other opposite direction, which is sort of a hand lock."
Hand locks aren't good in golf, of course, because they promote a slice, and too much of a fast release generally results. So Miller began experimenting with a grip that he thought could help eliminate both extremes.
After considerable tinkering and experimenting, the result was a grip that became the Full Release Grip -- thinner in the left hand and thicker in the right hand -- similar to the grip of a baseball bat.
The Full Release Grip, according to Miller, allows a golfer to more easily (and more loosely) hold the club in the fingers of the left hand, promoting a correct grip and allowing the golfer to release the club through impact, virtually reducing or even eliminating a slice.
"It finally is technology for the other end of the shaft," Miller said.
The Full Release Grip, Miller said, promotes getting golfers to grip the club in their fingers, as opposed to their palms, as many average and high-handicap players do. The deeper in the palm a player grip his or her club generally means the deeper in trouble they're going to be with their swing -- as well as the slower their swing speed will be.
"Regardless of the skill level, the grip increases swing speed by three miles per hour," Miller said. "In every other sport the lead hand is always smaller. I don't care if it's baseball, tennis or racquetball.
"You don't throw a Frisbee with the palm of your hand. You have to get your fingers involved. You have to carry the club in your fingers to get consistent accuracy and distance you need."
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