Finger and thumb off the grip helps take the left side of the course out of play
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Continueing his occasional series, PGA pro John Hoskison, who plays on the European Seniors Tour, offers some quick tips to help golfers understand their faults.
Sometimes on the course there are situations when you do not want to hit the ball left at any price. Perhaps out of bounds stretches the length of the hole or a water hazard borders the fairway. At times like this it’s essential that the hands do not turn the clubhead over to the left through impact.
The muscle group most responsible for turning the blade over is the index finger of your right hand. In the past several famous golfers have used a technique to good effect when needing to avoid trouble on the left.
Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Bobby Cole all used to practice shots with the index finger and thumb of the right hand completely off the grip. It stopped them over releasing at crucial times - especially when the left side of the hole was a 'no-go' area. By taking the index finger off the rubber of the grip, it becomes very difficult to turn the blade over.
Try a few practice swings to feel what it is like to swing without using these two fingers and I'm sure that shortly you will be able to hit a ball with hardly any loss of power and know with confident that you will not lose a shot to the left.
John Hoskison is attached to the Newbury Golf Centre and plays on the European Seniors Tour, having earned a conditional card after finishing 10th at Qualifying School at the Pestana. He returned to the UK to rebuild his career in tournament golf after spending time in China, where he was instrumental in the building a driving range for underprivileged children Fuzhou. He won the 2005 Jamega Tour Order of Merit with six victories from 12 starts. For further information visit John's website at www.johnhoskisongolf.com.
