Batter Up

Last Sunday the weather dipped down into the low 30s. But it was sunny and I was jonesing to hit the range. I convinced my hubby to come along, but I made the mistake of telling him this idea I had about trying out the baseball grip.

For some reason, the words “baseball grip” seemed to trigger something deep in his psyche that caused him to erupt into an apoplectic rage.  

“Oh, no, not the baseball grip!” he said. “Just don’t do it!”

“But why?” I said, perplexed by his virulent protest.

“You’ll be hitting viscious hooks and nasty pulls,” he said. “You’ll regret you ever tried it!”

“But it’s one of the three main grips used in golf,” I said. “Why shouldn’t I try it?”

“No professional golfer in history has ever, ever used the baseball grip,” he countered.

“But I am not a pro golfer,” I said. “And the baseball grip is supposed to be good for women, kids, or people with small hands and weak fingers. That’s me!” I reasoned.

Finally, he exploded, “No, no, no! I will not have the baseball grip used by anyone in this household!”

I was really amazed that hubby got so emotional about the baseball grip. He explained to me how he had once tried the baseball grip and it messed him up for years. It took him a long time to get back on track and the whole experience left him traumatized forever.

I tried to explain my reason for wanting to try it: “All I can say is when I did that drill with Mike, it felt like I was swinging a baseball bat. Except the ball was on the ground. Trying out the baseball grip is the only way that can help me get the feel of that drill.”

Hubby finally relented when I pulled up an online video of David Leadbetter teaching a baseball swing drill for beginner golfers. “Well, I guess it’s all right if David Leadbetter says so…”

At the range, we got a small bucket of 40 balls since it was too cold to stay out for very long. But it was enough for me to try out the baseball grip. I normally use the Vardon grip, otherwise known as the overlapping grip, in which my right pinky overlaps the left index finger. For the baseball grip (aka ten-finger grip), all the fingers are on the club and don’t overlap. The right pinky is snugged up against the left index finger.

I kept my arm stick straight and resisted the urge to rotate fully, which tended to make my left arm break down. To make sure I didn’t grip the club too tightly, I alternated taking shots with baseball grip and Vardon grip. With the baseball grip, I really got the feel of delaying the release of my wrists till I was closer to the bottom of my swing.

The results? I had my 7-wood going 140 yards, even with 20 mph winds and temps just above freezing. On driver, I hit balls about 150-160, and a few of them were dead straight. On the purest shots, I made good, crisp contact that sounded like castanets.

I think hubby was actually impressed.

I definitely think I am onto something with this whole baseball grip. I still need to figure out how to rotate fully without letting my left arm bend, which I think will give me a payoff in distance. But as soon as the weather warms up, I'm gonna play ball on the driving range again!