YouTube Video: Gripping for Power
Every night I spend a few minutes watching various YouTube clips about the golf swing. This is because I'm not only a golf addict, but also a complete nerd when it comes to flashy, techie things. *pushes glasses up on nose* One of my favorite YouTube subscriptions is My Swing Evolution, which details one man's quest to basically become the next Ben Hogan. A recent video in this series discussed "Power Golf", specifically the golf grip and how it can help maximize your shot distance. Christo (the dude in the old school Hogan hat) and his brother hit balls at the range while trying to maintain a forward shaft lean through impact. To do so, they have incorporated a "stronger" grip.
These guys bring up a point that I've personally been experimenting with during my range sessions: an athletic move to the golf ball. We hear that phrase all the time on TV or read it in print, and it's always interesting for me to watch two amateur golfers (like myself) discussing this concept. For example, I like to picture driving and jumping for a lay-up in basketball to understand how I should move my legs in the swing.
Anyway, in the above video Christo references some guy named Victor Rodriguez, who can apparently hit the ball a country mile. Or a villa-mile, considering the dude is Latino. So I did another YouTube search and stumbled upon a handful of videos of this nerdy-looking 19-year old making insanely athletic golf swings as he trained for the World Long Drive Championship.
Victor also published a video in which he discusses the benefits of a strong golf grip.
UGH. WHY ARE YOU SUCH A DOUCHEBAG?
Despite his complete lack of communication skills, Rodriguez brings up some fantastic points. A common criticism of using a strong golf grip is the increased chance of hitting a monster hook. As discussed in the video above, that doesn't have to be the case. Instead of rolling your wrists over to get your hands squared up at impact, rotating your shoulders through the hitting zone accomplishes the same goal.
Hopefully I'll have a chance to sneak out to the range today to try this method out.
