Question 520  What's the story on single axis clubs?

From Jim:

I've been away from playing golf seriously for many years.  Before I came across Natural Golf, which eventually led me to the Scigolf site, I purchased a set of new clubs because I plan to make golf my main hobby (again) and the only way I've known how to swing up to now is a traditional swing.  I've noticed that several natural/singlea-axis sites either strongly recommend that you use special clubs/grips.  For clubs, it seems that it is often recommended that the shaft be 1-2 inches longer because of the separation of the hands vs. the overlapping Vardon grip.  For the grips, the general recommendation I've seen is for somewhat thicker grips.

The grip size isn't part of the principle, however, when you hold a golf club in a transverse grip such as mine you typically need larger grips so there's no slippage.  The longer shaft link isn't for its separation of the hands but rather for effectively lever length.

Will I be able to do OK with the single axis grip/swing with my current clubs?   They were fitted by an experienced club fitter/golf pro, but admittedly he's not a natural/single axis golfer, but a traditional golf swing person instead.  I suppose I could have the clubs rebuilt with longer shafts & special grips, but I'd rather not incur that expense.

Moe Norman was able to do OK with golf clubs that were not made for Single Axis, but if you do encounter slipping get either a tennis wrap buildup or have the grips made larger.  The most important thing is the lie angle your lie angle could very easily change from going to single-axis typically more upright by 2 to 3 degrees.

The S.A.G.E.
Single Axis Golf Expert

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