Simplest things

Harry Vardon: golf's gripmeister general

Great day yesterday and looking forward to Driver testing tomorrow. For the first time ever I feel confident in my ability to hit every club in my bag. I also understand my swing more and have a clear plan for development with my pro. Currently, I feel as though I'm swinging at about 60% this is a deliberate ploy to improve my accuracy. As I get more control we'll be looking at upping that tempo to about 75 - 80%. He also wants to flatten my backswing plane but that's for the future.

It wasn't so much a change made to my grip but more the method of applying it that will make the biggest difference. Now my traditional Vardon grip is consistently neutral and it feels much more comfortable. Previously I was applying my grip from underneath the club gripping with my fingers and then placing my palm down. This would nearly always result in a strong grip and I would invariably fiddle with it before taking the shot leading to inconsistancy. Now I bring my left hand in from the side, placing the grip diagonally across my fingers. It seems like such a simple and minor change but it has made a world of difference.

So tomorrow I'm aiming to finish January on a high with nine solid holes of golf and possibly a decision on my Big Dog weapon of choice. My god I love this game...