Josh’s Tips & Tricks: Relax Your Arms

Intro

Hello golfers. Welcome to this weeks tips & tricks. I hope you enjoyed the bank holiday weekend and played a bit of golf. I didn’t manage to get out to play or practice, the garden needed sorting! We are going to look at a very simple tip today that could help your game on the range and even more so on the course. We are going to try and stay more relaxed over the shot so tension and worry doesn’t destroy your game.

Relaxed Set Up

Being relaxed when playing a golf shot is very important. Lots of people say to me how they hit it great on the driving range and then it all goes downhill on the course. This could be due to tension and worry.

One way we can easily control the amount of tension is through the hands and arms. I see lots of people really trying to hold the club tight and the shaft angle often runs straight through the arms. Unless you’re Bryson, there should be a nice relaxed feeling with the arms at set up meaning there is a slight angle between the shaft and the arms.

Take a look at the following video for an example.

Why Relax

Relaxing at set up means the body can move more freely during the swing. Having a loose grip, getting the feet comfortable, waggling the clubhead all help to get a softer feeling with the hands and arms at set up. Standing for too long over the shot often causes more tension, often increasing worrying thoughts and doubts. As soon as you’re relaxed and ready to hit the shot you can start. If your shaft angle is too high and the hands are too tight there is a likelihood the club and arms will instantly move into the wrong position into the backswing causing a snowball effect of errors.

Summary

Next time you’re on the range be conscious of your grip pressure and arms. Try to stay relaxed and keep hold of that feeling. Then learn to take that feeling onto the course with you. Treat every shot with the same relaxed mentality and you will be surprised how much more free flowing the golf swing is.

I love understanding and teaching the relationship between the mind and body in golf. The way you think affects the way you feel which ultimately leads to how well you play.

If you would like some help with the mental side of the game and the way you approach your golf then BOOK A LESSON NOW.

I’m looking forward to helping you relax…

Cheers,

Josh