Thoughts on Clubhead Speed
The off-season is a terrific time to make adjustments. For me, I am working on changing how I place my hands on the golf club.
Ok, it’s my “grip”.
During my teaching days years ago, I always tried to avoid using the term “grip” because I didn’t like the connotation. In many cases, I would watch golfers place their hands on the golf club far too tightly.
Because our hands are our only connection to the golf club, efficient placement seems pretty important. And “placement” includes how much pressure we apply to the handle of the club.
If you want your clubhead to move through the impact area with maximum speed, “gripping” the club as tightly as possible is a big mistake. If you don’t believe me, try this little experiment.
Place your hands on a 7-iron and hold it as tightly as you can. Then, note how your forearms feel. Note your upper arms and shoulders. And how does it feel across your chest?
Holding the golf club tightly creates tension throughout your entire upper body. This tension makes it virtually impossible for your body to move fluidly. Thus, the movement of your golf club is hindered and maximum velocity becomes unattainable.
I am confident that very light hand pressure is the route to go.
On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being as tight as you can hold the club, and 0 meaning you cannot hang on to the club, 5 would be medium pressure. Personally, I like to think “3” or, slightly less than medium pressure.
For those of us trying to maintain clubhead speed as we age, this is even more important.
The bottom line – if you want to maximize the clubhead speed that you can create, a simple start is to avoid holding the handle of your golf club too tightly.
Fore!
Fore! Glen Erickson, Assistant Golf Shop Manager
