Let me offer one piece of advice that will dramatically affect your game; play with soft hands.
Don’t grip the club – hold the club. The goal is to provide just enough pressure to create freedom for your wrists to hinge efficiently at certain points in the swing, and, so your hands can accept the shock of impact without slipping.
Do you think the best free-throw shooters in basketball have tension in their hands?
Do you think the best pitchers in baseball have tension in their hands?
Absolutely not.
You really need to think about how much your squeezing the club. Are your veins popping out of your forearms after you hit balls for an hour? This can be a sign of too much grip pressure and tension in the hands.
Soft grip pressure can develop extra lag.
Lag is very important in your swing. The only way to generate lag is with soft hands. The beginning of the downswing is where lag is utilized for storing power. Lag is described by the club head continually trailing the body, arms, hands, and club shaft, right up to impact. Only when your wrists remain soft and quiet at the top of the backswing, can you develop lag in the downswing.
Tension destroys your flow.
Extra pressure in the hands diminishes your natural flow at crucial areas of the swing. If you squeeze the club too much you’re reducing the effect of the proper wrist hinge when you need it most.
How many gloves do you go through in one month? You’re probably applying too much pressure if you’re using more than one glove a month. Monitor your grip pressure on the course and at the range, when you’re playing good and bad, and when you’re chipping and putting. Try to keep your hands soft and quiet in every part of the game. I promise if you learn to play with soft hands you will develop a much better feel for the game.
Long and Straight,
Adam
