fixing an outside in swing

Question
Eddie, I have two major problems I can't seem to over come.  First, I constantly over grip with my right hand.  It seems to prevent me from turning my hands over when I impact the ball.  Is there a drill that will help me loosen the grip with my right hand?  Second, my swing always cuts across the ball.  When you combine the outside in and the tightness of my grip I lose a ton of distance and have a serious fade.  Can you give me some input?  Thanks in advance.  

Answer
Hi James, sure I can.  When you say over grip, do you mean too tight?  If that is what you mean, I want you to do a drill.  This drill will also help fix the fade/slice.  Hit some balls with a 7 iron with only your right hand.  Tee the ball up a bit, and make some half to three quarter swings (no bigger).  What you will do is allow the clubface to open in the backswing, and then close in the forward swing.  Let it open, then let it close.  Now for a while, you will have to use your right hand correctly to close the face of the club.  So to get the correct feel of what the clubface should do, let's pretend (without a club) that your right palm is the clubface.  Swing the right arm back and let the face (palm) open up to point at the sky.  Now as you swing the arm forward and past the ball, the face (palm) should be rotating over so when the arm is waist high in the finish, the palm of your right hand should be pointing down to the ground.  If that is the face of the club, you should see it open and close.  Now, take your golf club and make some swings and do the same thing.  Don't hit balls just yet.  Make some small swings, let the face open and close, feel how the leading edge of the club takes out some turf.  Do you sense how your right hand must be used during the swing.  Notice we haven't said anything about how tight you are holding it?  Notice you're not thinking about it either.  But, if you were holding on to the club too tightly, you could never "let" the clubface rotate.  So concentrate on what you are supposed to do, and not on trying not to do something.  So once you feel you can make a small swing and watch the clubface turn over, do it with both hands on the grip.  Get a feel for the weight of the clubhead, sense the head through your hands.  Obviously, if you hang onto the club with a death grip, you won't feel anything.  Begin to hit some shots learning what it feels like to turn the clubface into the back of the ball.  Half to three quarter swings, turn the ball from right to left (control the clubface).  Then as far as an out to in swing, doing the same drill, picture hitting the back inside part of the ball closest to you, and picture swinging the club towards the second baseman (in baseball).  You tend to swing the club towards the third baseman (out to in), so make some swings and swing towards the second baseman.  Get the picture?  Swing towards the second baseman and use your hands correctly to allow clubface rotation and GOOD BYE FADE OR SLICE.  Good luck.

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member