How a simple grip tweak fixed this LPGA winner’s worst miss

My season prep with Maja Stark started a little later this year. And while we made some solid gains and good adjustments, there was still one shot that bothered her with the scoring irons: a kind of high, floaty shot that leaked a bit to the right. It lacked authority, and made setting up birdies consistently a challenge.

When I watched her warm up in Orlando during the week of the LPGA Tournament of Champions, something caught my eye. She kept fiddling with her left-hand grip, trying to get it comfortable on the club. Obviously, that affects everything — the takeaway started to feel wonky and impact wasn’t what she wanted on a consistent basis. When those pieces aren’t right, her confidence starts to dip.

Then the light bulb came on.

Between shots, Maja would chat and casually make some half-swings with her left hand only on the club. And every time she did, the grip looked perfect. So I kept watching, and it kept happening. (I might’ve even stretched out our conversations a bit to catch her in those moments when the grip went on just right.)

After a while, Maja asked if I had ever heard of the interlocking grip. I told her some guy named Jack Nicklaus did pretty well with it.

She smiled and said, “I’m going to try a couple shots with that.”

From the very first swing, her left-hand grip was fixed. I watched her left hand settle onto the club properly — turned slightly to the right of center, with the butt end of the club under the heel pad of her left hand, not off to the side of it. As she started hitting shots, I knew we’d solved that pesky floaty right miss.

In Maja’s words: “The takeaway felt so much simpler. Impact was solid, and the clubface felt way more under control.”

GPOD

 
GPOD with MagSafe®: The Original Magnetic Golf Monopod and Training Aid
Capture every moment with the GPOD with MagSafe®, the original revolutionary monopod designed for athletes and creators alike. Effortlessly capture your golf swing on the course, on the range, at the indoor simulator, and beyond.
Key Features:

Compact and Portable: Fits easily in your golf bag, measuring 41 inches in total length (non-adjustable), making it the perfect companion for any golfer.

Capture videos and easily view/ review the data from your favorite mobile applications, launch monitors, golf simulators, and more.  
Cradle-free design for one-handed use
Machine-milled aluminum alloy components

MagSafe Magnets are 100% safe for your electronics

Consider adding a GPOD Connect (sold separately) to your order to use your GPOD as a training aid with an alignment stick

Consider adding a GPOD G-PLATE and a GPOD Connect (both sold separately) to your order for the ideal semi-permanent minimalist setup indoor or outdoor. 

What’s Included:

1 x Carbon Fiber GPOD
1 x Adjustable Ball Head
1 x GPUCK with MagSafe® Magnetic Mount
3 x Metal Plates with 3M® Adhesive

Patent 11555577
Interested in a bulk order and/or customization?  Drop us a note in Corporate Sales.

$109.99 from Fairway Jockey

View Product

Of course, there was a quick conversation about whether this was really the right time in the season to make a grip change, but Maja said yes. And once I saw her left hand going on the club properly and consistently, without all the angst and adjustments, I became a believer.

Funny enough, a grip change is usually reserved as a last resort for pros. But in this case, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. It allowed Maja to get the left hand on the club properly with little to no fuss. Sometimes the simplest change makes the biggest difference.

Even when it comes to the swing of a major champion.