Choosing the right grip

[bogeycentral]

For many years as long as I remember since learning that a hockey slapshot was not the proper golf grip (damn gilmore), I have been using a overlapping grip. Recently I have realized that to keep playing the game I am forced to go to a 10 finger grip with both thumbs pointing down the shaft with neither hand overlapping at all. Welcome the modified "Happy Gilmore" grip back in. The metacarpal bone in my left thumb upon impact dislocates at the base joint near the wrist, which makes a nice popping noise. In quick reaction to pain I let go with left fingers partially and the joint further up the metacarpal at the main joint will partially dislocate too since right hand is holding left thumb against the shaft. Been trying this the last couple of days and man do I have a mean duck hook now.

What grips have you tried before?

[Backspin9]

I've never used anything but an overlapping grip.  Tried the interlock but it never felt right.  I would think the 10 finger "split" grip would be very tough to get used to, but you do what you have to do.

It sounds like your right hand is taking over and you are shutting the face at impact.  Maybe try a weaker hand position, i.e. thumbs on the left-center side of the grip?  A more upright swing might help keep the club going down the line better.  I know a too-flat of a swing was killing me and causing some really fugly shots.  Going more upright eliminated the "lefts" completely.

Good luck, and try to stay patient.  That is a major change and not easy to do.

[bl8d]

 Been there, done that.
If you are going to stay with that particular 10 finger grip, hands apart ,you have to align the thumbs not on top of the shaft but with their respective forearm instead.
This will make the top hand very weak (1knuckle) and the bottom hand slightly strong but the most important thing is that it will allow you to swing very easily without tying up the arms and hooking the ball. Your ball flight will very likely become very straight. Play the driver just inside your leading foot's instep. Hope this works for you as well it did for me when I played with 10.

[Richard Nixon]

Got the same grip now that I did when I was eight: ten fingers, thumbs down the shaft. Everything else feels uncomfortable and incorrect.

Good luck with the new one.

[Sillybodkins]

One interesting thing about a hook.

If you try to hit harder with the right hand, as in trying to hook with the right hand - that may straighten out the flight.  paradoxical? not really.  by using the right hand more, you actually elongate the impact area of the swing, and the clubface will close less abruptly.

Also, using more hip turn through the shot will also help to keep the clubface from closing.  that was Tom Kite's advice.  More hips if you are hooking, more shoulder turn if you are slicing.

[mr_divots]

For many years as long as I remember since learning that a hockey slapshot was not the proper golf grip (damn gilmore), I have been using a overlapping grip. Recently I have realized that to keep playing the game I am forced to go to a 10 finger grip with both thumbs pointing down the shaft with neither hand overlapping at all. Welcome the modified "Happy Gilmore" grip back in. The metacarpal bone in my left thumb upon impact dislocates at the base joint near the wrist, which makes a nice popping noise. In quick reaction to pain I let go with left fingers partially and the joint further up the metacarpal at the main joint will partially dislocate too since right hand is holding left thumb against the shaft. Been trying this the last couple of days and man do I have a mean duck hook now.

What grips have you tried before?

Sam,

Have you tried rotating the thumbs over to the right side of the shaft slightly? (Still "on top" but rotated over so they align to the right of the "top" of the grip.) I think rotating the thumbs over to the right (you are right handed?) will rotate the right forearm into a less dominant position. (Or since you are using a split grip, can you rotate just the right thumb more over to the side of the shaft?)