Golf is a sport where it is all about you. No one can tackle you, kick you or do anything physical to you to prevent you from achieving your goal. The problem that many golfers have is the perception of what is required to hit a good golf shot. Most people I ask have a tight grip. They believe that a fast swing makes them hit it further, they try to scoop the ball in the air, and they try to steer their shots.
This is not true!
When it comes to grip pressure, a nice relaxed grip should be applied to all shots in the bag. Having a tight grip pressure actually makes you lose control of the shot and it causes you to lose distance. Anytime a good player wants to hit a long ball, one of the components to achieve this, is a light grip pressure. This applies to chipping also. That is how the best short game players achieve the soft landing shots with spin. A golfer’s grip pressure naturally increases during the swing, so the softer you try to keep your hands when starting your backswing, the better chance you will have to achieve a good shot.
I hear golfers say that they have to swing harder to hit the ball faster. This has some element of truth. To achieve power and length in your game you need to have great rhythm and a great sequence in your swing. A player that tries to swing hard usually uses 90% arms and 10% body rotation. A good golfer uses 90% body rotation and 10% arms. I am sure that many of you are stunned by these numbers, but the hands start the swing, hinge early and from there it is the body rotation that takes care of the swing. The arms and hands are passive for the remainder of the swing. The less hand movement you have in the downswing, the better chance you have of keeping the clubface square.
The body rotation creates the power and speed. It is not created simply by the speed that you throw your arms at the ball. In regards to scooping the ball and trying to steer the shot so a player can feel control, is the worst approach that you can have in trying to hit a good shot. Number one, trust your swing by letting your swing flow without any interference. Number two, hit down on every shot in your bag except the driver. Taking a divot is important. When chipping, hitting down into the ball will help the ball get into the air with a nice amount of spin. If you try to scoop the ball, the chances of the ball being sculled across the green increase.
When a player tries to steer the ball, you will find that only on occasions the ball will be straight along with the fact that on most occasions, you will lose distance! Relax and swing freely.