Can grips cause this?

[massmang]

I had a cheap set of irons (Saberhawk Intrepids) a friend gave to me. The irons have stiff graphite shafts in them, and he told me I would definatly want to get new irons if I decided I wanted to golf on a regular basis. I was getting pretty good at hitting them, but decided before I get used to them, I should upgrade to something I would be happy using for the long term as opposed to getting too comfortable with clubs, I was planning on getting rid of.

The other day I got a set of used Cobra SSI Oversized irons for a good price ($100), and they are clearly much better then the Saberhawks. Me and my friend went to the range to test them out, and my friend was impressed with them. He was cracking the 4 iron out past 200 yards, all his shots were perfectly straight, and long. When I hit them the ball was going to the left. Not hooking, just gaunching to the left of where I was aiming.

I didn't have that problem with my other irons at all. Infact out of 50 balls I would probably hit 47 straight up the middle.

I can't understand why all of a sudden that would happen. It's a shame cause the balls are definatly going nice, and far, on a high arc. One thing I noticed is when I let the club kind of rest in my hands so it is paralell to the ground the face tends to turn right to the direction I was hitting them. The grips are not perfectly round like my cheap clubs, and I am wondering it could be a matter of having the grips twisted so they sit straight in my hand.

We compared them to my friend who was hitting them straights grips, and his grips were turned the same way.

Anyone heard of this?

[Res Ipsa]

I think you need to more clearly describe the "turned grip." I have no clue what this means.

Does the grip have a spine/rib on the underside (so it fits in the groove of your fingers)? If its that type of grip and you don't like it just replace them with grips similar to your old clubs.

Regripping clubs it pretty easy and assuming you have some tools you can buy all the equipment that you will need to regrip your clubs for a lifetime for the cost of what you would pay someone to do it for you.

[massmang]

I think you need to more clearly describe the "turned grip." I have no clue what this means.

Does the grip have a spine/rib on the underside (so it fits in the groove of your fingers)? If its that type of grip and you don't like it just replace them with grips similar to your old clubs.

Regripping clubs it pretty easy and assuming you have some tools you can buy all the equipment that you will need to regrip your clubs for a lifetime for the cost of what you would pay someone to do it for you.

Sorry if my discription wasn't too good.

The grips are not completly round. they seem slightly oval.

If I line up as if I am taking a shot, and grip the club naturaly the way I normaly would, then relax the grip a little, and hold the club up a couple feet off the ground, the club face rolls to the left. And the face goes right in the exact direction I was hitting the ball. The slight off roundness of the grip seems to be what is causing it to do this.

Just wondering if anyone else experienced something like this, and switching grips helped them.

Or even if anyone corrected a problem of the ball not going straight by switching grips. Like I said I don't think my swing is the problem, because the balls went perfectly straight with my cheap clubs.

[MTibbo]

Mistake number 1: If where hitting 47 out of 50 balls with your old irons straight down the middle why the hell did you get new ones.....

To your question I doubt the grips have anything to do with your problem, thats if i understand your situation

[golfaholic]

Eigh..ok.


Having the rib shouldn't make you hit the ball left.

You're probably hitting the ball left..because of the club. Oversize = High handicapers club = Offset.

That's what makes the club look like it's pointing left.

If you re-grip, expect the same results.

[massmang]

Eigh..ok.


Having the rib shouldn't make you hit the ball left.

You're probably hitting the ball left..because of the club. Oversize = High handicapers club = Offset.

That's what makes the club look like it's pointing left.

If you re-grip, expect the same results.

OK I went to my local golf store, and the guy there looked at the clubs, and the first thing out of his mouth was "who the hell put these grips on?" He said they are definatly not on straight, and whoever put them on didn't do a good job at all.

Next he had me hit a few balls, to get a look at my swing, swing speed etc. He said no problems with my swing. He put tape on the bottom, and I picked the ball about 8 times before I finaly hit the pad to put a mark the bottom to tell me where the lie should be for my swing. the mark was a about a half inch from where it should be towards the side where shaft enters the club head.

Here are the clubs.. I don't think the offset is too bad. http://www.golfreview.com/mfr/cobra/...3_2940crx.aspx

Edit Oh yeah the guy at the store ended up putting a round non ribbed grip on one of the clubs, free of charge, and said go out, and hit it, and see if it makes a difference, he said if it does, come in, and get them all done, if not he said bring one in Monday, and the guy there can bend a couple of them to get the lie set up right for me, and see if that makes a difference.

[golfaholic]

OK I went to my local golf store, and the guy there looked at the clubs, and the first thing out of his mouth was "who the hell put these grips on?" He said they are definatly not on straight, and whoever put them on didn't do a good job at all.

Next he had me hit a few balls, to get a look at my swing, swing speed etc. He said no problems with my swing. He put tape on the bottom, and I picked the ball about 8 times before I finaly hit the pad to put a mark the bottom to tell me where the lie should be for my swing. the mark was a about a half inch from where it should be towards the side where shaft enters the club head.

Here are the clubs.. I don't think the offset is too bad. http://www.golfreview.com/mfr/cobra/...3_2940crx.aspx

Edit Oh yeah the guy at the store ended up putting a round non ribbed grip on one of the clubs, free of charge, and said go out, and hit it, and see if it makes a difference, he said if it does, come in, and get them all done, if not he said bring one in Monday, and the guy there can bend a couple of them to get the lie set up right for me, and see if that makes a difference.

Eigh..Still don't think the grip is making you hit it crooked. I could very well be wrong but...


I have seen irons with the rib up

[massmang]

Eigh..Still don't think the grip is making you hit it crooked. I could very well be wrong but...


I have seen irons with the rib up

lol.. OK mine weren't that bad.. I think if they were up, they would not affect the way they sit in your hand as much, but you may be right.. I will find out I guess at the range.

The funny thing is where the off center rib was makes the club in my hands want to turn right to where the balls were heading.. after he put the grip without the rib on it, it instantly rested perfectly straight in my hands.

Do you think the lie could cause the problem. Would it being off 3 degrees make this happen?

[daveperk]

If you have an overly upright lie on the new irons, the toe can shoot closed at impact if you're swinging flatter than the lie tells you to...

If you have a shaft that's too soft or tip-active, that can cause hooks, but not sure it causes straight pulls..

I'm with these guys.. either you've moved from less to more offset, or you've got too upright a lie in the Cobras.

And I've never heard of a slightly oval grip... mine have always been round... but then I've only played for thirty two years.. :-)

[FreakOfNature]

If you have an overly upright lie on the new irons, the toe can shoot closed at impact if you're swinging flatter than the lie tells you to...

If you have a shaft that's too soft or tip-active, that can cause hooks, but not sure it causes straight pulls..

I'm with these guys.. either you've moved from less to more offset, or you've got too upright a lie in the Cobras.

And I've never heard of a slightly oval grip... mine have always been round... but then I've only played for thirty two years.. :-)

I'm with Dave on this one. Sounds like the lie angle is too upright for your impact conditions. Could be that or a combination of that and a tip-soft or just plain too whippy shaft for you.

Poorly aligned spined grips can also cause trouble by putting your hands in a position biased toward a strong or weak grip. If the spine on the grips is rotated too far behind the club, you will neutrally have a weak grip, and will set up with an open clubface, vice versa for a strong grip - the spine will be more on the forward side of the club. Spineless grips eliminate this potential error, by providing you with a uniformly round grip.

Hope that helps.



FON

[massmang]

If you have an overly upright lie on the new irons, the toe can shoot closed at impact if you're swinging flatter than the lie tells you to...

If you have a shaft that's too soft or tip-active, that can cause hooks, but not sure it causes straight pulls..

I'm with these guys.. either you've moved from less to more offset, or you've got too upright a lie in the Cobras.

And I've never heard of a slightly oval grip... mine have always been round... but then I've only played for thirty two years.. :-)

lol. Slightly oval was my poor atempt at describing a spined grip, which is not oval, but definatly isn't round either..

Here are some pics if they help.. one shows the tape that is supposed to help determin weather the lie of the club is right for me. The other maybe you guys can tell me if you feel the club is offset in such a way that it would cause problems.



Thank you for your answer.

[massmang]

I'm with Dave on this one. Sounds like the lie angle is too upright for your impact conditions. Could be that or a combination of that and a tip-soft or just plain too whippy shaft for you.

Poorly aligned spined grips can also cause trouble by putting your hands in a position biased toward a strong or weak grip. If the spine on the grips is rotated too far behind the club, you will neutrally have a weak grip, and will set up with an open clubface, vice versa for a strong grip - the spine will be more on the forward side of the club. Spineless grips eliminate this potential error, by providing you with a uniformly round grip.

Hope that helps.



FON

From what I understand a shaft with not stiff enough of a flex would mainly cause the ball to launch at too high of a trajectory, and would mainly cause problems down range.. (hook, or slice) not so much the ball coming off the head of the club wrong.

You are probably right about the lie angle. the tape in the picture I posted shows that the lie angle is too upright for me. According to this chart, and that would cause the ball to go left. I hope that's the problem, cause having them bent is cheaper then regripping.The grips on the clubs are also brand new.

[FreakOfNature]

From what I understand a shaft with not stiff enough of a flex would mainly cause the ball to launch at too high of a trajectory, and would mainly cause problems down range.. (hook, or slice) not so much the ball coming off the head of the club wrong.

You are probably right about the lie angle. the tape in the picture I posted shows that the lie angle is too upright for me. According to this chart, and that would cause the ball to go left. I hope that's the problem, cause having them bent is cheaper then regripping.The grips on the clubs are also brand new.

You've nailed it - but you overlooked the fact that a lie angle which is too upright or flat combined with a shaft which is launching the ball on a higher trajectory would exaggerate the problem. The higher launch angle will make the ball move further laterally overall.



FON

[massmang]

You've nailed it - but you overlooked the fact that a lie angle which is too upright or flat combined with a shaft which is launching the ball on a higher trajectory would exaggerate the problem. The higher launch angle will make the ball move further laterally overall.



FON

That makes alot of sense. Sounds like you got it exactly right.

The guy at the golf store said if he had a used set, of the same clubs with a stiff shaft, he would swap me even trade. He said they get them in pretty often, so maybe I should just use the old clubs till he gets a set with stiff shafts .

The guys said with my swing speed I would definatly need stiff shafts atleast, and possibly even extra stiff shafts.

[julio333]

Great pics...

[pingman360]

lol. Slightly oval was my poor atempt at describing a spined grip, which is not oval, but definatly isn't round either..

Here are some pics if they help.. one shows the tape that is supposed to help determin weather the lie of the club is right for me. The other maybe you guys can tell me if you feel the club is offset in such a way that it would cause problems.



Thank you for your answer.

my guess (and this is just a guess) is that the rib on the grip was the culprit... i dont think that the lie of the club helped out but i would guess its mostly the grip...

[Res Ipsa]

[QUOTE=daveperk]If you have an overly upright lie on the new irons, the toe can shoot closed at impact if you're swinging flatter than the lie tells you to...
QUOTE]


A common misconception. Incorrect lie angles don't cause the clubface to close or stay open. The incorrect lie angle just causes the club to aim left or right because of the loft of the club. The higher the loft the more the incorrect lie angle will affect the direction the clubface points to.