GD70 1960s
How the Swing Feels to Me Today’s greatest golfer lays down a set of rules that any player may follow to an improved game by arnold palmer
eginning golfers must learn sooner or later that the game is made up of feels or sensations. It’s only through feeling that certain things are correct that a novice will be able to grasp the significance of what I’m writing about. ▶ What I intend to put over in this article is an idea of how I feel as I get ready to hit and when I swing. This could be used as a guide for playing the game, one especially helpful to golfers new to the game. Certain parts of it also should be of aid to the more advanced player.
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THE GRIP as i place my left hand on the club preparatory to taking the grip, I grasp the handle fairly lightly. The pressure on all the fingers is about the same, but I push on the shaft with my left thumb, which is placed over and slightly on the right side of the grip. My left hand rests more on the top of the club than on the left side. I feel that if I would swing the club with only my left hand, I would hit the ball with the back of that hand facing the target. I use an overlapping grip and advise most strong people to do the same. I place my right hand on the club so that my left thumb fits snugly into the groove of my right palm. The little finger of my right hand laces over the forefinger of my left hand. My right thumb is on top of the shaft, favoring the left side. Should I open my hands after I take my grip, the palms would be directly opposite each other. The palm of the right hand would face the target. This gives me a feeling that my hands are in one piece; meaning being in direct opposition to each other, the result is a neutral feeling with
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neither more powerful than the other. As I look down after taking the grip and placing the clubhead on the ground, I see only the first knuckle of my left hand. The pressure on all fingers is about the same, except slightly greater for the two thumbs and the right forefinger. The latter finger controls the swing, and I can feel its pressure on the shaft more than any of the other fingers, including the thumbs.
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THE STANCE the stance I use for driving is slightly closed, with the right foot withdrawn about an inch more than the left from the intended line of flight. To provide a firmer base for my swing, I turn my right heel out somewhat. That puts it at almost a 90-degree angle to the intended line of the ball’s flight. I can feel pressure on the instep of my right foot. This gives me a steadier feeling at the top of my backswing. (More on my a power platform “If you want to swing as hard as I do, you need to make sure you’ve got your legs underneath you.”
