The next time you’re parked outside the ropes (or on the couch) watching your favorite tour pros on the range—analyzing their routines in hopes of stealing something for your game—look clear. Instead of engaging in flashbacks training aids or complex training, shift your focus to one of the most important aspects of the game: the syllable.
More specifically, how they got their hands on the club.
John Scott Rattan, a GOLF Top 100 Teachersrecently discovered the quick and easy trick that tournament pros use to place their hands. It’s known as the foot grip and is an easy way to check the position of the clubface at address.
“You see Scottie Scheffler every day at the range doing something like that to check his grip, so the face is square,” Rattan says.
When done right, this quick grip control can improve the quality of your shots in a big way. Here’s how Rattan teaches it – and how you can use it in your practice sessions.
The foothold, explained
To do a standing grip check, start by performing your normal setup. From there, stand up without placing your hands on the club. Fully extend your arms as you raise the club until it is straight out in front of you, almost parallel to the ground.
Now, remove the wrists while maintaining the grip. It should feel like your hands tilt forward as the weight of the club settles into them. If you’re doing it right, the butt of the club will point away from your face and the clubhead will drop a little – falling directly below your eye line. This will give you a clear look at your club position and allow you to identify any manipulation you are unknowingly doing at address.
“Read” the view of the club like a clock
Before you can diagnose a problem or apply an adjustment, you need to know what to look for when checking your clubface in the standing grip. To make it easier, Rattan suggests a simple look: think of the club face as a clock.
Square – 12 o’clock
Closed – 11 o’clock
Open – 1 o’clock
Avoid this common mistake
Footsteps can also reveal a player’s habits and tendencies. One of the most common mistakes Rattan sees amateurs make during this exercise is starting from a weak position.
“Face is king in the game,” he says, “So if the face is bad to begin with, you have to make up for it somewhere.”
For example, many amateurs unknowingly place the ball with a closed clubface. According to Rattan, when you turn the clubface closed—or left, for right-handed players—it signals to your brain that you’ve taken loft off the club and, unless you’re intentionally trying to hit a low shot, you’ll need to add it later in the swing.
This can lead to compensations such as swinging too far right or throwing hands too late to regain loft. And if you’re unable to add loft back, that’s when the dreaded low and left loss can catch up with you.
“If we start with it (club representation) then, on the downside, we have an incentive to take lofts out of the club, rather than add lofts,” he continues, “So you want to have an incentive built in.”
Another trusted tour trick for a square clubface
In addition to the standing grip, Rattan says there’s another clever trick you can use to square your clubface like the pros.
“Put it (your clubface) at a right angle and grip it,” he says, “Xander Schauffele does the same thing.”
Using either the standing grip or the 90-degree method, you’ll square your face every time and train your eyes to recognize what a square face looks like—helping you spot any manipulations before they wreak havoc on your swing.
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