How to Grip an Offset Driver
By Steve Silverman
The offset driver is designed for golfers who have trouble hitting a straight ball of the tee. Consequently, it is an excellent club for beginners or golfers who have a severe slice. Understand than an offset club has the head set back from the shaft. Also, an offset club will take a bit longer to reach the impact point with the ball. The longer the club takes to reach the ball, the less likely the golfer will be to slice.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Take your offset driver in your left hand. Now take the small finger of your right hand and put it in the gap between your forefinger and your middle finger. Place your thumbs down the shaft of the club and make sure that they line up under one another. This is called the overlapping grip.
Pick up your offset driver in your left hand and place it at the top of the grip. Place the small finger of your right hand directly under the forefinger of your left hand. Line your thumbs up under each other down the shaft of your club. This is called the interlocking grip and is good for generating power.
Pick up your offset club like a baseball bat. Your left hand should be on top and your right hand should be on bottom, similar to the way you would hold a baseball bat. This is called the baseball grip.
Hold your offset driver firmly but do not squeeze it tight. You should be holding it at about a "five" on a scale of one to 10. If you grip the club tighter than that, you will have a hard time having a smooth and well-rounded swing that would bring about the best results possible.
Slow your swing down. This is true with all clubs off the tee, but especially true with an offset driver. Rushing your swing will cause the club head to miss the sweet contact spot with the ball.
Tips & Warnings
Use an offset driver when you tend to push the ball to the right or slice your tee shot.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
