Over the life of this blog I have written about a dozen posts on grip pressure. But they never got to the heart of the matter. That’s because I didn’t really understand it until lately.
It’s all very simple, involving these two principles.
1. Take a light grip pressure at address. Better to call it a gentle pressure. There should be no feeling of squeezing the handle.
2. Maintain that same degree of pressure THROUGHOUT THE SWING. This is the heart of the matter.
It does you no good to have light grip pressure at address if you throw it away by squeezing the club during the swing.
By continuing to hold on lightly, all of you, not just your hands, stays relaxed so the club can swing freely and accurately though the ball.
Good point, Bob. I think this is especially applicable to short shots and putts — where “soft hands and light grip pressure” help take tension out of the shot or stroke.
I’d add one other tip; that we take care to see the clubhead make contact with the ball, and “stay behind it” as best we can.
Premature “peeking” is detrimental to all types of golf shots.
Or so it seems to me. I’ve had w-a-y too many experiences with “the personal plague of peeking”!