Jon Gomez is a teaching golf professional and the New Player Development Director at River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard. As a way to experience the challenges that new players face in learning the game, Gomez has decided to try to teach himself to play left- handed. He has agreed to write regular updates for the Star's golf Web site about his progress and struggles

Second installment: Getting a Grip.

For any new golfer learning the game, the amount of time it takes to properly hold the club can make the learning process take much longer.

As a teaching professional, I know how important a good grip is to a player's success. Because of that, one of the first things I have been working during this process of teaching myself how to swing a golf club left handed is to get comfortable with my grip.

Thanks to the fun and easy drill below, I am getting more comfortable with the lefty grip which will allow me to swing more confidently as I move on. Doing it will help any golfer get more secure with his or her grip.

Place a pillow on your coffee table. Then, with a 5 or 6 iron, grip the club while placing the clubhead on the pillow, and sit down on your couch and watch TV (make sure you turned on your set before doing all this!)

Do not take your hands off the club for at least 5 minutes! Because the clubhead weight is resting on the pillow it is easy for you to have the club suspended above the ground. The clubface and your hands gripping the club are almost at eye level, which makes it easy for you to check if they are correct. You want to see the line formed between your thumb and pointer finger on each hand aiming between the middle of your chest and your back shoulder. If you can keep your hands on the club for at least 5 minutes without your hands feeling sore, you are gripping the correct pressure. If you can't (most people can't do it right away) then you need to lighten your grip pressure until you can. It is even harder to do if you are watching your favorite team on TV (Lakers in the play-offs, Dodgers losing 4 in a row) to maintain light grip pressure. Doing this drill while watching the game on TV is probably equivalent to making a bad swing or playing a bad hole. They both create tension witch leads to tighter grip pressure. Tighter grip pressure leads to wayward shots and more frustration! If you practice this grip drill twice a week for 5 minutes each night, your grip will feel comfortable and you will learn proper grip pressure in just a few weeks!

*Next Installment Swinging the woods and learning how to line up.