Q: Greg Telleri:
I sometimes have a short temper on the course, and find myself gripping the club way too tightly. Do you have any tricks I can try on the course, or do I simply need to relax?

A: John Pallot (South Florida Section):
Greg, relaxing probably would be a good start.Take a few practice swings and make a whoosh at the bottom of your swing. If you hear the "whoosh" your grip pressure is good.If you mis-hit the ball, the club will twist. Hit some shots between two tees. this helps you develop center face contact. This will always help you keep your grip nice and light.

Q: Bryan:
Can you recommend a grip for golfers with small hands?

A: David Kraus (South Florida Section):
Bryan, the best grips for a golfer with small hands are the ten-finger or interlocking grip. Jack Nicklaus won a lot of tournaments with the interlocking grip and he has comparatively small hands for a big guy. You should also look into the size of the grips on your golf clubs as well. Golfers with small hands may need undersized grips. See your local PGA professional for help in this area.

Q: Rick:
I have a problem with keeping the same grip. I can play most of the time with m/no problem. But lately im not feeling the comfort like before. It's like im lost with my left hand. Help me please!

A: John Kasper (New Jersey Section):
Hello Rick,

Having taught golf professionally for more the fifteen years and completed more then 15000 lessons, I can assure you that when you change your swing mechanics or your body changes ie. stiffness or injuries, you will have to make an adjustment in grip. Changing your hands is where most of the feel comes from and it takes some time ( maybe 21 days consecutively with practice) to properly relate to feel.

Without seeing what's going on I can tell you that often the left hand will come off of the club or feel week contact if your shoulders are slightly open at address. This causes the the shoulders to work up and out too much at impact.

Have someone get behind you and insure that your shoulders are parrallel to your target line at address before you swing. Sencondarily you should also check to see that your left hand (Target hand for a right hander) is not is not more then an inch in front of the alignment of your left arm and shaft at address. You can always use a mirror, camera, or the trained eye of a PGA Pro.

Sometimes what's familar and comfortable is not what is functional.

You can send your video to V1golfacademy.com and I will be able to give you a more specific answer.

Good Luck!

John W. Kasper, PGA Certified Teaching Professional