Grip Pressure
Grip pressure is how tightly the hands hold the club. Most instructors recommend a light-to-moderate pressure — enough to hold the club securely, loose enough to allow wrist hinge and a free release.
Sam Snead famously described grip pressure as holding a small bird: firm enough not to drop it, gentle enough not to crush it. Squeezing too hard (common under pressure) prevents wrist hinge, costs club speed, and creates tension that travels up the arms and restricts the entire swing. Too loose a grip causes the face to rotate unpredictably through impact. Most players benefit from consciously softening their grip to allow a freer, faster release.
Example
A player who notices their forearms are tight and knuckles white at address is gripping too hard — releasing to a "6 out of 10" pressure frees the swing.
Related terms
- GripThe grip is how your hands hold the club. It is the only contact you have with the club, so it controls the clubface more than any other fundamental.
- ReleaseThe release is the natural unhinging of the wrists and rotation of the forearms through impact that squares the clubface and delivers maximum speed.
- TempoTempo is the overall timing and rhythm of your swing — the ratio of how long the backswing takes versus the downswing. A smooth, repeatable tempo is what makes contact consistent.
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