One of the hardest things for me to teach any student is to hold your golf club properly with little pressure. Most golfers, including myself, grip the club to “death”. When we do this, the club becomes stiff and changes the dynamic of the golf club. It is very similar to holding a tambourine. When you hold the tambourine tight and shake it, the tambourine does not sound proper- it is clunky and short. Now if you hold it gently and shake it plays its proper music. A correct grip pressure is light and relaxed. Some people say it is like holding a baby bird, a full tube of toothpaste, or a shopping bag/ briefcase.  I promise you will not throw the club if you do this, providing the grips are in good condition.

Now, we can look at our grips to help us aid in not holding it tight. Especially as the summer comes to an end, it is time to check your grips. If you see the picture above, this is a worn out grip. This can effect your grip pressure tremendously. A worn out grip has no grip left- the sticky stuff. When this happens you will have to grip tighter just because your grips are worn. Especially after a hot summer, our grips can get slippery from our hands. First, you can wash your grips to clean all the sweat, dirt, etc. off of them. Take your kitchen dish soap and a good scrub brush. Put your grips under the running water and with soap scrub them until the water turns a lighter grey and set them on a towel to dry over night. By the morning if your grips are still in good condition they should feel better so you do not have to grip as tight.  If they are not better or have worn spots like the picture above it is time get new grips, which most golf shops can do for you in less than a day.