For Your Swing by Dave Ramsay - February 2011

Get a Grip and Lighten Up - by Dave Ramsay

You've probably heard the famous, decades-old golf tip to 'grip the club with the same pressure that you would hold a live bird.'  Sounds good, but exactly how light is that?  I've always wondered what kind of bird that advice was referring to.  Wouldn't you hold a tiny parakeet lighter than a much stronger macaw?  Who's got a bird to hold onto, anyway? 

It's arguably vague advice - maybe by design, because like many elements of the golf swing the pressure depends on the player and their grip, individual positions and motions.  However, it is easily accepted by any golf professional that too many players hold the club with far too much tension in their hands and wrists, preventing proper movement and release through impact.  The result... poor contact, weak distance, inconsistent direction control.  It's especially telling that so many players that swing hard get such weak distance for their efforts, and much of this power failure is directly related to the grip and it's pressure.

It's absolutely true that strength plays an important part in a golf swing.  Where that strength is used is as important as how and how much.  Using the strength in the fingers, hands, and wrists improperly is a shot-killer.  Using strength in the big muscles of a player's core (e.g., hips and torso) is far more beneficial than tightening up the small muscles in our hands and arms.  Too often, a player will simply cling to the club while flying their shoulders past the hips on the forward swing, greatly hampering their ability to hit the ball well consistently.  This player might even recognize that his hands are clamped down like a vise on the club and work hard on lightening their pressure... but the solution is not that easy.  This tight grip pressure is often symptomatic of faulty mechanics and positions earlier in the swing, and could even go back to faulty grip placement before the swing begins.  Wherethe club is placed in the fingers and palm will affect (or even determine) how much pressure will be required to swing powerfully while still allowing a fluid release at the proper time and pace.  Simply holding the club lighter like you're holding a live bird (whatever that means to you) will be incomplete in helping you learn to make a correct swing with power through impact.  Proper grip and grip pressure should work together with proper swing mechanics and tempo to help you develop greater clubhead speed and control - with less effort! 

So go ahead and be conscious of whether a tight grip pressure might be harming your shots - but follow up with your professional to explore how other elements in your swing might be causing that tightness in the first place.  The first three players that tell what kind of bird they are holding on to during their golf swing will get a complimentary swing assessment.

See you at the course!

Dave