IMG
Leadbetter Certified Golf
Instructor
Trigger Happy
Almost every instructor in the world
will tell you that a good grip is the
start of a good swing. A good grip
allows the hands, wrists, arms and body
to synchronize properly. The hands must
work together to create speed and let
the club work properly through the ball.
Having a trigger in your grip can
really help your swing function better
and help your club work in balance.
When applying your grip, for a right
handed player, let your left index
finger separate a little further from
the bottom three fingers. These bottom
three fingers play a major role as they
are important pressure points in your
grip. This allows the pinky of the right
hand to either overlap the index finger
of the left hand or interlock with the
same fingers. If you are a very young
player or a beginner you may find it
easier to use the baseball grip.
 When placing
your right hand on the club, make sure
that your index finger is separate from
the middle finger, but not further down
the grip than the thumb. Having your
index finger too far down the club
causes you to lose feel and control of
your ball flight. Looking down at your
trigger it should appear as a hook with
the index finger slighting touching the
thumb.
 The
trigger
at the start of your swing helps the
club to stay in front of you and not
work too far inside.
 In the
backswing the trigger helps the club
stay in better balance.
 At the
top,
the trigger supports the club and keeps
it from getting too laid off. It can
also help your backswing stay shorter
for more consistency.
 On the
downswing, the trigger ensures the
conservation of angular momentum. This
may be the most important element of the
trigger. Keeping the “lag” can really
help the penetration of the ball and
help a player stay in their angles
through impact.
At impact, the trigger allows you to
square the clubface and ultimately give
you a solid strike.
Try this, start your downswing with a
trigger. Half way down stop quickly.
Feel how the club reacts. Then pull your
trigger back, closer to your middle
finger. Start you downswing again.
Feel how the club wants to fall closer
to the ground and lose the angle created
by your wrist between the club and left
arm. This happens because the trigger
has given you a longer grip and it is
further down the club. The trigger has
given you more control. Good luck and
have fun!
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