I watched Moe's videos years ago and since I had not goofled in about 7 years I chose Moe's technique and did well hitting it straight. I am going study it more so I can enjoy the game again!
Tried this today at the range. My contact improved way more than I ever expected. Even toe mishits on my driver and irons reduced my slices down to a reasonable fade. Stoked to get out on the course.
This is brilliant, I've always been told to close the gap between index and thumb, and this tip actually frees up the grip pressure and allows the swing more freely
I became familiar with your teaching method and Moe Norman’s swing while working at Broad Run Golf in Bristow, VA from 2008 - 2011 and playing there another five years as a member where pros Dave and Clay both taught the single plane swing. I was retired, working in the pro shop then as a starter/marshal and taking full advantage of the perk of getting unlimited range balls and golf rounds. I decided to work through Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons to re-tool the ‘Golf My Way’ Nicklaus style swing and also tried the single plane method I observed Dave and Clay teaching and using. Then I also stumbled across Harry Frankenberg (Count Yoyi) as a result of reading the George Peper book ‘The Secret of Golf’ which featured him in the last chapter of the book as ‘The World’s Greatest Golfer You Never Heard of’ and I tried to also emulate and learn from his odd swing style. The fact that Hogan, Norman and Frankenberg all were noted for is an uncanny ability to hit dead straight shots intrigued me and made me search for how each of them did it with swing styles and grips which on the surface looked radically different. But what I found is that all three employed the same mechanical principles and use of efficient use of body and clubhead mass and momentum and all three used a grip method and release of radial deviation lag through impact which momentarily locked the wrists with face square to the target just as the compressed ball flew off the face due to the way they moved their legs and hips to 45° open and keeping them there until releasing the back foot just as the ball flew off the face. One of the keys was how their grips, though different, created symmetrical wrist action and turning over of the club after impact to keep it on a the same balanced swing path it was on in the downswing.
@@treymclaughlin2804 Can’t say I got any better with single plane, but I didn’t stay with it long enough to get comfortable with the difference in grip.
I did not find this blog confusing Tod, I thought it was one of your better blogs/explanation of Moe's grip! Watching Moe's old video's and seeing him following through to his intended target got me wondering how he could do that time and time again - Your explanation of the arm being isolated has switched the light on that follow through! Many thanks! ps - I have not played for over 6 months, but hoping to get back to the game soon!
I’ve tried the gap in the grip and it was a missing link for me.. the feeling of greatness is in that gap. I don’t know why but I believe it’s very important to the swing. Thanks 👍
Man I wish your videos had been around when I tried Natural Golf back in the 90’s. I took lessons from a couple of the Natural Golf instructors but I never really succeeded at it due to multiple missing pieces that I realized years later that the instructors simply lacked knowledge about. I recall asking some technician questions to the instructors and was either rebuffed for “overthinking” or was given a scripted response that totally failed to answer my question. Unfortunately I am now retired from golf due to chronic bad back. I truly hope your teaching teaches teaches many younger players and helps them find real success to truly enjoy this wonderful game.
Now just one more thing for me to ck 😂 love the content Todd. Hoping Ill get to do a 1 day or a 3 day school next year. Being a disabled Veteran makes thing tight but working on securing being able to secure a spot when next year’s schedule comes available. So glad Moe had someone so dedicated!
yep. the grip is a major key to a better and control golf swing. You do not want flimsy hands. A stabilization in your wrist and your fingers. No doubt Moe's grip was solid. He was pure golf striker.
Everyone does the interlock with pinky. I had that grip 2 years. Now I started to try 10 finger like moe and I feel more confident in my swing I think less and just hit the ball and I feel it goes straighter.
I get that you need to explore new ideas for content in order to keep these instructional videos fresh. This video is way to complex to be of value to me and, I suspect, other average golfers. Keep it simple. I don’t know if anyone has benefited more than me from watching the Graves Golf videos. I am 75 and my game has improved by a dozen strokes in the last 14 months! My game has improved so much that on just the right lucky day I will soon be able to shoot my age. Graves Golf and the single plane swing are responsible. Thanks so much.
I like how your visual of pulling the club face flat, (I’m a former baseball hitter) but then at the bottom your saying that it’s not timing or a flip, but more of a full release backhand. It’s easy for me to just want to pull it thru, which if I don’t backhand release obviously it’s a slice. Thx,
@Nordman I was in the same boat. Not scratch but working towards it. Im just glad @toddgraves was dedicated to Moe and continues to provide great instruction
@@ToddGravesGolf I have a question for you: During my adaption to single plane golf, I have discovered that my new "bad" shots are thin hits on the toe. Maybe I am overcompensating in trying to create enough room for the swing, and maybe I am standing too far away from the ball? Anyway, I can live with a few thin (but straight!) hits as long as I can avoid my brutal pull/hook that bothered me for 10+ years.
The most interesting thing I take from Moe Norman's grip is that he used the ten finger grip, no interlocking or overlapping. The space between his thumb and the grip appears to be a personal quirk in his grip. It sort of falls under the heading of "whatever works". In my 65+ years of playing golf, I used all the different grips and finally settled on the ten finger grip, again it just goes by whatever works.
Moe's grip is incredibly brilliant! With the club running down the lifeline of my trail hand instead of the fingers, my right hand naturally rotates to the palm up position when swinging back, without any manipulation at all. The clubshaft is perfectly on plane and the clubhead feels as light as a feather. Swinging down naturally squares the clubface, again, with no hand manipulation at all. I am in complete control of the club at all times with no effort!
Todd: Watched the entire video., but there wasn't a close-up of the left hand position with the thumb and since that's the point of the video I was disappointed. I've always been taught that the left hand's thumb is slightly to the right of center. The video and your explanation shows the thumb on top of the club.
Todd, would you consider not using the word "pull"?? (its a question) why? because Hogan in his book put pressure on the last 3 fingers of the left hand squeezing them so they would go downward, which started the club to be square. When you pull the longer the club the harder it is to square up, especially for people who have tension in their arms! Why not a phrase (its a question) back handing the ball? That way the back of the left hand will begin to square up right from the get go. When you begin at the top to square up the "left ELBOW" is then pointed down, instead of pulling and the elbow goes to the target which in most cases for people they will be "late" delivering the club head! IF you start with the reference point on the "LEFT" side as you teach and then return it, I conclude there is not a pull, but a "squaring" up! ...... The reason I suggest is that IAM a one planner based upon YOUR teaching and when I shadow box and actually swing I never pull , but "square up" back to the reference point on the left of my side! Thank you and appreciate what you do for the world of GOLF!
So in other words grip configuration and strength can contort your shots in a bad way if I'm hearing you right. I believe this because I've noticed just gripping too tightly with my follow hand throws my shots off. I'll give the gap a try and see if I get better consistency, thanks.
Well, this certainly helps to explain my too frequent pulls and hooks caused by that closed club face DESPITE having my lead hand positioned correctly. When I squeeze with the 3 small fingers of the lead hand and the thumb and forefinger of the trail hand, the shots are straight and full. Nice to know how to relate this all together. Thanks, Todd. The best, as always.
I had the same issue, hooks with the lead hand set correctly. UNTIL I did 2 things. Todd had a POV youtibe with the arms where he ask "am I moving the arms or are the arms moving" question. Look that up. That set off a light bulb in my Single Plane swing mind - he's right...turn the body while keeping the whole arms structure at Position 2 quiet gives me the Magic Move. LUV IT 👍 Then Part 2 is my right hand. I moved away from the overlap grip to a 10 finger, coupled with having the shaft go up my lifeline of my right palm. "Not in the fingers" as Moe said. This really allowed me to feel total connection and I feel I am setting my wrists at Position 2. The "old way" of overlap and the shaft in the right hand fingers gave me a more left hand bias so I was all over the place. Now, I feel integrated connection with both hands using the 10 finger and shaft thru the right palm life line. I was so looking to see if Todd went there with the right hand explanation in this video but it's mainly left hand. That's cool. My chipping and pitching is through the roof with the 10 finger & right palm life line. Give that a shot...
I have a super strong lead hand and I was trying to weaken it, but it felt horrible. Then I realized it's because if you weaken the lead hand without repositioning where the grip of the club is, it sits in the middle of your palm. Seems like you have to move it so that it's in the pads at the base of the fingers. No one ever mentions this as far as I've heard, so for people with strong grips this is important to let them know.
His two handed grip was no secret. Dave Barr also used it. Nicklaus used an interlocking grip, Tiger and Snead overlapping. I think I will go with them.
Love videos on small setup nuances. Todd, so you're saying have a gap between thumb and index finger on lead hand? I struggle with getting the face too shut during the swing.
its both a pull (downswing where torso pulls the arms) to a skipping motion - trial (side of body and trail arm skip a rock) in the through swing motion.
there is that Natural Golf ten finger grip on Moe here....another former Natural Golf instructor says Moe did not play in his hay day with a ten finger grip only for Natural Golf demos....
hey todd my lead arm(left) wrist has limited movement due to an injury and it cant fully rotate to a square(flat) back hand when i isolate the shoulder therefore making it hard to return the club square at impact. (i struggle with an open face) Is there a way to help with this?
I think you can figure out where you full range of motion is with the wrist / hand and place it in that position square to the face. That is what I suggest. Best to see a video of your swing to know for sure. If your interested in some coaching, Email me at toddg@gravesgolf.com. Thank you.
@@ToddGravesGolf hey Todd thanks for the response. Took it to the course along with the grip pressure change and hit it very well. Love the system of the single plane swing. Thanks again
I can't help but bow my wrist from the top like Morikawa. If I let the face plane at the top and through transition like Todd says, I can only hit it with the face open or the shaft flipping.
@@ToddGravesGolf I'd love to do so. It would be great to hear your ideas on what's going on here. I have a feeling lots of people are stuck at this problem. How do I send a video? Would you wanna see DTL? Face on?
@@philwells2920 Phil. Next week I am launching a "Free Swing" review program. If you email me at toddg@gravesgolf.com, I will send you a link. We would like to see a Down the Line view. If you could give me some feedback on the program, it would be very helpful.
No. Moe never had a baseball grip (Thumb on the side of the club). He used an overlapping grip from 1940 to 1994 and a ten-finger grip from 1994 to 2004.
Years ago I had an old pro place my hands on the club and I could smash the ball. But I neglected to really study what he did and after a short while I lost it and unfortunately he fell ill from cancer and passed on before I could access him again.
I’m playing to a 10.5 using Todd’s teaching. Just went to a SPE class last week and had two of my best ball striking days. Still have work to do but now know exactly what to work on.
@@ToddGravesGolf so in his mid 50s he switched. That's probably about the average age of the golfers that try the swing. I was just wondering if you knew why? As good as he was he changed his grip.
Based on following and watching Todd's RU-vids for years now, I don't think Todd's model "dismiss" the 10 finger grip. His model has to be based on 1 grip so it's the overlap, probably because of the success Moe had earlier on the Tour. There are, still, many RU-vid where Todd talks about the overlap and 10 finger. I personally use 10 finger and the shaft through the right palm life line per Moe with great success and because, more importantly, I get better integration and connection of both hands FINALLY working together. That's my tweak from Todd's model & my grips are set based on Todd's grip size recommendation (+3 extra tape)...don't forget that...
@@pgowan357 I don't think that Moe's grip "change" was as significant as many propose. I spent 10 years watching him hit balls with both pinky positions. Moving the trail hand .5 inches down on the club and not changing the hand rotation is really not significant at all yet people make too much of a deal out of palm grip and then start running into problems.
@@ToddGravesGolf I tried the overlap grip for a full season and it did have an effect, never felt right. I switched to a 10 finger palm grip with bigger grips and it made a world of difference. I was just asking because I have seen others with similar issues.
@@ToddGravesGolf go to the photo you keep showing at 1:55 into the video. What grip is that? Not interlocked. Not overlapped. All 4 fingers of each hand are on the club.
You can literally just keep your lead arm straight, and use the dominant hand to control it. Grip can be anything that is comfortable. There is no "exact" or "perfect" for everyone. You're overthinking boyca
Baseball. Again, Moe never had the lead thumb on the side of the club. Cant figure out why people call it a baseball grip. This video is about the lead thumb and its not baseball.
It sounds complicated because the way your explaining it is complicated. You could have gotten to the point with way less talk. Keep It Simple! Grip pressure can be the killer of even a swing that is on plane! So how do you explain grip pressure? The best description I have ever gotten in a lesson was, when you take a pet bird out of the cage, you hold it not to harm it but just enough to net let it fly away, No tension in both forearms. This is what I call Click-Bait Golf teaching!
How can something be click-bait. It was free. You watched it. I didn't try to sell you anything. Funny how you give instruction for free and people still complain.