For those golfers who regrip, bend the arms incorrectly and don't pivot properly, you'll never achieve good, consistent contact without tightening up your body and swing. However, the one thing you shouldn't tighten is your mind! If you're accustomed to hitting less-than-spectacular shots, it's easy to become mentally tight.
Full Answer
Should golfers tighten up their swings?
Most golfers would be better served by tightening up their swings rather than making them looser or, to coin a phrase, more fluid. The next time a tournament airs on TV, check out Ernie Els or my old college teammate David Toms.
Should golf clubs be lower or shallow in the swing?
Well, when you get to the top of the swing and begin your downswing, the golf club has to get lower or shallower. Players have different keys for doing this, and you have to find your own.
Are You lifting the club going back in your golf swing?
A good shoulder turn will do countless positive things for your swing, including the fact that it will help you stay on balance and prepare for a powerful downswing. If any of the three points above are present in your golf swing, you should be concerned that you may be lifting the club going back.
How to stop standing up at impact in golf swing?
Keep your Head in the Box A good way to stop standing up at impact is to focus on your head. Indeed, if the head is not allowed to rise or move at all vertically the upper body will be forced to move while keeping it in place. And in doing so, the spine angle should remain constant throughout the swing, which is one the things being sought.
How do you swing a golf club without tension?
4:436:013 Golf Drills To Reduce Tension (NEW DRILLS!) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can just just balance it a little bit there you see how light that is turn it upside down make aMoreYou can just just balance it a little bit there you see how light that is turn it upside down make a few swings.
Should there be tension in the golf swing?
Ideally, on a scale of 1-10, your grip pressure should feel like a 4. On short game shots, try for a 3, or even 2! Most importantly, keep your grip pressure consistent throughout the entire swing. Change in grip pressure is a killer in both the short game and full-swing shots.
Should you hold golf club tight?
You should be holding the golf club with the same pressure you would hold a small bird: tight enough so it doesn't fly away, but soft enough so you don't crush it. You don't want to choke your club to death.
Should you grip the golf club tight or loose?
The grip pressure should be just tight enough to barely squeeze some paste out of the tip. A relaxed grip on the club will lead to relaxed arms and shoulders, and will help promote a full shoulder turn. A tense grip will restrict this motion and limit driving distance.
Should your arms be loose in the golf swing?
Arm Slot. Teaching professional Shawn Clement agrees that the player's arms should drop to begin the downswing, but he says they must drop into the right position. Clement advises players to focus on dropping their arms in front of the body, while keeping their hands on the proper swing plane.
Why do I tense up on the golf course?
Here's a quick fact for you: tension kills golf swings. Like any sport, golf makes a lot of players very nervous in the pressure moment. In golf, it usually happens from thinking too far in the future and getting tight as the round progresses.
What happens if you grip the club too tight?
"Gripping the club too tight can cause thin, weak shots that slice. A lighter grip pressure enhances wrist hinge — a vital power source in the swing. This light pressure also increases the amount of clubface rotation, thus improving your chance of squaring the club at impact.
Do you hold golf club in fingers or palm?
The fingers are the most sensitive parts of our hands. Placing the club more in the fingers rather than in the palm increases the amount of wrist hinge, which results in longer tee shots and more feel.
How firm should you grip a golf club?
Hold the club vertically in front of you. Let it slide down through your fingers. That grip pressure is too light. Firm it up just enough so that the club doesn't fall through.
Should your wrists be loose in the golf swing?
1:1311:42BEST DRILL TO LOOSEN YOUR WRISTS (Get More Clubhead Speed)YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I need your wrists really loose to do that now don't get me wrong this isn't you letting go okayMoreSo I need your wrists really loose to do that now don't get me wrong this isn't you letting go okay that's where a lot of people go wrong they let go because that gives them a false sense of loose.
Why a loose grip is important in golf?
Loosen Your Grip will help you free yourself, your game and your life! No matter what particular game you play in life is, learning to loosen your grip will free you up to think, feel and be your best. Truly, a loose grip is more advantageous than a tight one.
Can you grip the golf club too much in the fingers?
Placing the club too high in the palm of the left hand is a problem that many golfers suffer, one that stifles hand and wrist action and ultimately inhibits your ability to generate clubhead speed. So use this routine to get the club fitted low and diagonally across the fingers of the left hand.
How to stay level in golf swing?
The spine angle stays the same while the arms and shoulders just rotate on it. Focus on sending the ball straight toward your target. This will help you stay level throughout your swing, and you won't hit as many thin or fat shots.
Why do golfers lean away from the ball during their backswing?
That leads to another common flaw: golfers jerking their heads up at impact. If you are hitting offline shots, there are ways to correct the flaws. A compact swing reduces this excess movement.
How does a golf swing work?
Too many golfers try to help the ball into the air. The loft of the club makes the ball go up. All you need to do is swing toward your target. A golf swing is similar to throwing a Frisbee or hitting a tennis ball. The spine angle stays the same while the arms and shoulders just rotate on it.
What is the connection between golf and golf?
His right arm moved slightly away at the top of his backswing but dropped back into place as he started down. Keeping his arms close to his body this way allowed him to swing down on a consistent plane each time. A connected swing is both compact and powerful.
What is connected swing?
A connected swing is both compact and powerful. The arms never move far from the body, but the swing never feels cramped. The shoulders turn and the arms feel as if they are just riding along.
How to make your swing more compact?
Relax. This might sound overly simple, but a relaxed body keeps your swing more compact. If you're tense, your joints can't bend or straighten smoothly. Instead, you make jerky moves that are much larger than they need to be. Most players make relaxed practice swings; that's why practice swings always look good.
Should your shoulders move past your hips when you swing?
When you swing, neither leg should ever get completely perpendicular to the ground, nor should your shoulders move past either hip, until after the ball is gone. This will keep your upper body between your feet, which improves your balance, and also keeps you from leaning sideways too much.
How to stop standing up when hitting a golf ball?
Keep your Head in the Box. A good way to stop standing up at impact is to focus on your head. Indeed, if the head is not allowed to rise or move at all vertically the upper body will be forced to move while keeping it in place. And in doing so, the spine angle should remain constant throughout the swing, which is one the things being sought.
Why is the sole of the golf club laid on the ground behind the ball?
Indeed, the sole of the club was laid on the ground behind the ball while setting up for a shot in order to give the golfer an indication of where the ball is and how far it is from the golfer’s hands. If the upper body is to rise before the ball is struck the hands will rise too and they will raise the clubhead and the bottom of the swing arc.
When to lift head up in golf?
Note that is required to lift he head up as you gradually move towards your follow through, after the impact and release of your golf swing.
What is standing up at impact?
Standing up at impact is the golf swing error that involves changing the forward spine angle during the swing, specifically at impact. First set at address, the forward spine tilt is meant to be kept intact all the way through impact with the ball. However, some golfers do change that spine angle as they get closer to impact in what is known as ...
How to swing a golf club?
If your hands are overly active early on in the swing – especially if they are hinging the club up into the air – you are going to run the risk of lifting the club rather than swinging it. In a proper golf swing, the hands will remain quiet during the takeaway while you simply rotate your shoulders away from the target to move the club. When the backswing is handled by the shoulders instead of the hands, the club will stay low to the ground at the start and you will be on the right path toward a swinging action.
How to check your swing action?
Back to the target at the top. This position is one of the easiest ways to check on the quality of your swinging action. When you arrive at the top of your swing, pause for a moment and check on the position of your back relative to the target. Have you fully turned your back to the target that you have picked out for the shot? If so, you are doing a good job of rotating in the backswing, and you are probably swinging the club nicely as well. If, like many amateurs, you aren't quite getting your back all the way to the target, you may need to work on improving your address position as well as your takeaway to promote a better turn. Upper body rotation going back is one of the biggest keys to hitting powerful shots, so you don't want to take any shortcuts on this point.
How to swing a one piece takeaway?
If you waggle the club before starting to swing – and most golfers do – emulate the motion of a one-piece takeaway. Move the club back with the left (lead) arm and shoulder in unison, without cocking or hinging the wrists.
What is shoulder turn in golf?
Your shoulder turn is at the heart of your golf swing when it comes to building speed, but many golfers fail to get the shoulders turned adequately going back. If you aren't moving your left shoulder under your chin (or at least close) in the backswing, you can be sure you are lifting the club.
What to do if you play left handed golf?
If you happen to play left handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary. Signs of a Lift. Before you can work on building your swing the right way, you need to confirm that you are actually guilty of lifting the club in the first place.
Why do amateur golfers never improve?
Forcing the club to move is one of the most common mistakes made by amateur golfers, and it is one of the reasons why many players never really improve. Embrace the idea of letting the club swing smoothly around you and there will be great ball striking in your near future.
What is it called when you lift a golf club?
Lifting the golf club is something you never really want to do in your game – it is called a golf swing for a reason. Work on the tips provided in this article to take yourself closer and closer to something that looks like a swing rather than a lift.
What to do if your golf club starts down too vertically?
But if the club starts down too vertical, a golfer only has two choices: to bail out or back up. Backing up is a term I have for when a golfer tilts his or her upper body away for the ball. It shallows out the shaft plane and helps them avoid hitting the ground. But it is an ineffective form of bailing out because it does not allow a golfer to apply as much force to the golf club.
Why do golfers stay down?
Why? Well, because staying in your posture, or moving down is much easier said than done. Professionals do it because they are in a position to do it. By that, I mean that they have the golf club moving on an angle that allows them to stay down. At the top of the swing, most professionals “re-plane” the golf club. That is, they lower the club onto their original shaft plane position (or close to it), which allows them to move aggressively through the ball.
Why is bailing out an ineffective form of bailing out?
But it is an ineffective form of bailing out because it does not allow a golfer to apply as much force to the golf club. So how can you get the golf club on a angle that will allow you to swing aggressively through the ball, really going down and “getting it” like tour players?
Why do golfers hit top shots?
This is because these golfers have flattened the plane of the shaft, but they are still bailing out of the shot , a leftover behavior. But when they stay with it, they soon start to feel what turning through the shot and keeping their posture feels like.
How to avoid steep angle of attack?
To avoid this steep angle of attack you do the sensible thing, bailing out as you approach impact. Almost EVERYONE finds a way to avoid hitting the ground, and if the club transitions very steeply bailing out is a good way to do it. And that’s a fine fix until some well-meaning member of your group tells you to “stay down, man.”
How to move your right elbow in golf?
Your right (or rear) elbow has to move forward, more toward the target line. And you can’t move the whole unit, just the rear elbow (get up right now and try that, because it’s harder than it sounds). Go to the top of your swing, and move the elbow in front of you. If you did it right, you will see the right wrist flex and the left wrist flatten. ...
Where should the grip end of the golf club be pointed?
A good check point might be this: If you see yourself on video, you may want to have the grip end of the club pointed at or slightly outside the golf ball at the halfway-down point. Your attack angle will shallow and you’ll be hitting it like the big boys, moving down through the shot.
How does adding weight to a golf swing affect the movement?
Adding weight to the golf swing changes the entire sequence and balance of the movement to accommodate the added resistance. It might look like your golf swing in the mirror, but you’ll wind up sending your brain mixed signals about the timing and sequence of your swing.
What is golf swing?
The golf swing is one of the most precise movements in sports. It requires you to utilize every muscle in your body in a specific sequence, in specific ranges of motion, and in correct tension relationships to all of your other muscles.
How to reap the rewards of golf?
If you want to reap the rewards of training for golf, you have to use movements that disassociate the gym movement from your swing in your brain. You’ll get all the benefits of your workout without confusing your brain and messing up your actual golf swing.
Why do golfers know what to do?
That’s because your brain links the precise movements, tension, relationships and their timing together to help you swing with speed and efficiency, imprinting the swing itself as muscle memory.
What does deadlifting do for golf?
For golfers, deadlifting activates the glutes and encourages more athletic movements to be initiated from the hips. It also creates a more stable base for your swing, helps correct early extension and encourages hip first rotation. Deadlifts are a great exercise that will help your golf swing in the gym.
Why do swings have muscle memory?
That’s because your brain links the precise movements, tension, relationships and their timing together to help you swing with speed and efficiency, imprinting the swing itself as muscle memory .
What is the best exercise for golf swing?
A split-stance single-arm cable press is another great exercise for your golf swing in the gym. Neither of these exercises look like your golf swing, but they will have an immediate positive impact on your game.
What does "don't quit the swing" mean?
Don’t Quit the Swing. Also Known As: “ Complete your follow through” or “Finish the swing”. This swing thought reminds you to perform a complete swing, i.e., one that also includes the last phase, the follow through. This is in contrast to golfers that view the impact as the last phase of the swing and more or less quit swinging past that point.
Does not quitting at impact increase swing acceleration?
Not quitting at impact will also promote swing acceleration .
Can you follow through a full backswing?
For example, some shots where you want to put a lot of backspin on the ball will require you to abruptly stop the swing after impact. Otherwise, you won’t be able to complete your follow through if the ball is located near a tree and the path of the club past impact would cross the trunk of the tree.
Is it ok to not follow through on a golf swing?
Quite simply, the follow through is an integral part of the golf swing. Not performing it – or quitting on the swing – is lazy and will not produce ideal results. That being said, it is understandable why people might not see it to the end, thinking that as soon as the ball is in the air it can no longer be altered with in any way.
Why does confidence slow down a golf club?
They slow the club down intentionally because they aren’t sure where the ball is going to go, so they try to ‘steer’ it toward the target. Obviously this is a bad idea, but it is a natural reaction when confidence is nowhere to be found.
When chipping from around the green, do you need to keep your backswing tight?
When chipping from around the green, you need to keep your backswing nice and tight in order to allow yourself to accelerate confidently through the ball. Commonly, amateur golfers will make a backswing that is too long for the shot at hand, and they will then be forced to slow the club down through impact in order to avoid hitting the shot long.
How to build confidence on the driving range?
So where do you find this confidence? First and foremost, you need to build confidence on the driving range by hitting plenty of quality shots when there is nothing on the line. Without the pressure of being out on the course, you should be able to swing free on the range while producing one good shot after the next. Then, when on the course, you can look back on the good swings you made on the range as a way to build confidence moving forward.
How to play up to your capabilities?
If you want to play up to your capabilities on a regular basis, you need to make sure the club is accelerating properly all the way through the hitting area. This applies to every shot that you hit around the course, from a short putt all the way up to a long drive.
How to pick a golf club for a shot?
When picking a club for any given shot, you need to be completely sure that you are holding a club that is capable of handling the shot successfully. If you don’t have the right club in your hands – or, at least, you don’t believe you have the right club – you will be likely to give up on the swing and slow down prior to impact. To make sure you are on the mark with your club selection, take the time necessary to determine an exact distance to your target and also consider factors like wind, temperature, and elevation change.
Can deceleration affect short game golf?
Deceleration is not a problem that is limited to the full swing, as it can affect your game on the shorter shots as well. In fact, it might even be a more common problem in the short game, where delicate touch is needed to move the ball up close to the hole.
Can you make bad swing habits a thing of the past?
However, if you are committed to the long term improvement of your game and you are willing to put in some work on the practice range, you can make this bad swing habit a thing of the past.