Spring 2024

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT B Y L A I RD SMA L L Playing Under Pressure ension in life is a killer and it can also ruin your golf game! Golf legend Jack Nicklaus emphasized the importance of a light grip pressure in golf, stating,“Hold the club as if you were holding a small bird; tight enough not to let it go, but secure enough not to crush it.” Most players—even at the TOUR level—play with too much tension and grip pressure in their swing. This can have a very negative effect on their swing and game and is often the cause of poor shots. Most players don’t realize the impact of grip pressure and instead blame their swing for poor contact. The idea is to have awareness of the weight of the club- head throughout the swing while realizing that your grip pressure will change based on the club you are using and the lie of the ball. For exam- ple, a ball in the rough or a divot will require a stronger grip pressure to support the club. How to identify the proper grip pressure for your swing: The following drill was shared with me by my teacher and mentor Jim Flick. He would call this the Goldilocks drill.To start, take any iron and use your golf grip holding the club so it is straight up and down in front of you with your elbows on the sides of your chest and your arms extended. You will observe that you don’t feel very much of the clubhead because the weight of the clubhead is being distributed through the club shaft. At this point your hands and arms are “too light” on the club. Next, lower the club so it is parallel to the ground at waist-high level, and you will feel the weight of the club increase. At this point, your hand and arm pressure are “too tight” on the club. Now raise the clubhead up so it’s pointing approximately 45 degrees upward.You again will feel the weight of the club change and will feel more of the clubhead.This angle is “just right” to feel the weight of the club you are swinging. Remember, each club in your golf bag is a different weight with the driver being the light- est and your lob wedge being the heaviest. Practice being tension free: Many players blame their swing when they strike a poor shot, though it could be something as simple as a change in the tension level of your hands and arms which didn’t allow the club to swing freely.This can be due to many factors—a narrow fairway, the lake near the land- ing zone, all the bunkers around the green, a sidehill lie, being on the first tee at Pebble Beach—the list goes on. Understanding the right amount of tension will require a little bit of range time to develop the feel and thrust of the swing. We start this drill by creating a scale to measure the tension in your swing to see where you fall. As an exam- ple, on a scale from one to five, one would be as tight as possible and five as free from tension as possible. Make some rehearsal swings and be aware of your tension level as you swing and give yourself a grade on that scale, trying to move closer to five. You may feel like you will be letting go of the club and the swing may also feel loose or sloppy. However, with the correct grip place- ment in your hands, that will not hap- pen. Now it’s time to hit some actual shots while focusing on our tension level scale. Start by striking five golf balls, being as loose as possible. Notice the flight of the ball, contact and balance. Next, tee up five more and swing with as much tension as possible.You will feel a tremendous difference. Finally, hit another set of five, experimenting with the scale and what level of grip pressure and tension yields the best results. You will quickly find the ideal level of tension needed to strike your best shots. As you spend time on these two drills, you will create more aware- ness of how pressure can impact your game. Through practice, these drills will help you recognize your personal tension levels as they change and allow your swing to hold up throughout the entire round. Have fun on the range with these concepts and enjoy transferring a tension free swing to the course.You may be surprised at how joyful and effortless the golf swing can become. Give these ideas a try and visit us at the Pebble Beach Golf Academy for more direction on your game improvement. Golf is a game we play for a lifetime and we encourage you to be a lifelong learner. Please contact us at 831/622-8650 to learn more. Have fun on the range with these concepts and enjoy transferring a tension free swing to the course. T 102 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 4