The only part of your body that has contact with the golf club is your hands. Your hands can make a big difference in your game. Your hands should not be very active in your full swing, but I find that many golfers feel the need to manipulate the club during impact.It does not matter what type of shot you play, the club face has the final say as to which direction the ball will travel. The main influence on the clubface is your hands. Keeping your hands very passive during the downswing can increase your chances of having a square clubface at impact. If your hands twist in any manner during the downswing, it could decrease the chance of your clubface being square at impact.
Keeping your hands under control is important in each area of your game.
Putting is another area where keeping your hands calm during the stroke is critical in producing a square clubface, which will help start the ball on the line you have chosen. I see many golfers get nervous with putts, in-particular short putts, which you would expect to make. The problem I see is that golfers try to steer the ball into the hole. In attempting to steer the ball into the hole, the player’s hands manipulate the clubface which putts the ball on the wrong line along with causing the ball to travel the wrong distance. Having a short and square follow through with no hand manipulation at impact will go a long way to helping you improve your score.
When playing chip shots and bunker shots, I see players trying to lift the ball into the air. Again, this is a part of your game where your hands are critical in either creating a poor shot or a great shot. Hinging your hands on your backswing is important but keeping your hands square at impact is critical.
Hitting down on the ball and maintaining the loft of the club is the secret to playing either of these shots. One of the causes of players not getting the ball out of a bunker is because the player is trying to lift the ball out of the bunker by manipulating the club face. Usually, the loft of the clubface is decreased by the poor hand manipulation which either sending the ball over the green or into the face of the bunker. Hitting down into the sand and maintaining the loft of the club you are using is an important key to getting the ball out of the bunker.
When chipping, again, it is important to maintain the loft of the club you are using, especially when playing a lob shot. Having the trust in yourself to hit down into the ball and keeping your hands neutral through impact will give you amazing results around the green. If you try to manipulate the club to get the results you seek, the chance is that you will twist the clubface which will start the ball in the wrong direction along with giving you poor distance control. Shanks also occur due to the hand manipulation at impact.
The less you do with your hands at impact, the better the results!