Branson Golf Guide

Address to most people consists mainly of being square to the target line; this is of course is a major factor, but not the only one.  The other elements are foot spread, knee flex, posture and distance from the ball.

I beleive that distance from the ball is the most important element of the address position.  Standing too far from the ball causes a number of things detrimental to good hot making.  First your weight moves out towards the toes, which creates poor balance.  Second, you’ll tend to stiffen your knees, which destroys good leg action.  Finally your posture will be poor.  You will almost always slump forward with the shoulders, rather than flexing at the knees.

The most important recognizable signs of standing too far from the ball prior to swinging are; if both arms are rigid or if the butt of the shaft is more than six or seven inches from your body.  You are also too far from the ball if you cannot wiggle your toes at address, meaning you have too much weight on your toes.

What is the basis of a good grip?  I subscribe to the time honored rule of having the “V’s” formed when you close the thumb and forefinger of each hand point toward the right shoulder.  Accomplishing this configuration provides the right amount of flexibility in the hands, plus the necessary control over clubface alignment at impact.

To create this union of hands and club, you should hold the club with the fingers of the left hand.  Specifically the club runs from the juncture of the palm and the last two fingers, across the lowest section of the middle finger and the middle section of the index finger.  The left thumb should ride just to the right of the center of the grip.  The ideal position of the right hand has the palm facing the target.  This will have the club lie in the fingers for the right hand.  The right thumb will lie diagonally across the grip with only the inside in contact with the club.

To make our hands work in unison they must be joined together.  This is where we get the interlocking grip or the overlapping grip.  You connect your hands with the little finger of the right hand and the crevice formed by the index and middle finger of the left hand.  There is no “right or wrong” choice between the two, a players hand size and strength will factor into the best for each individual.