Grip It And Rip It

Why 'Grip It And Rip It' is Dead Wrong

Most people think that gripping the club harder right at the start of the backswing will help them RIP it. It may seem like the obvious answer because it feels like it adds more power to the swing.

But it's actually dead wrong.

In fact, the extra tension that comes from gripping the club harder as you start the backswing actually KILLS SPEED AND ACCURACY. Club head speed it the key to more distance and consistency. Quiet hands on the backswing will enable you to initiate a WIDER SWING ARC and a WIDER SWING ARC is critical to generating more SPEED.

Imagine an old-fashioned record. As it spins, the outside of the disc will spin much faster than the inside. The farther you get from the spindle, or the axis of rotation, the faster the SPEED of the outside edge. The same concept holds true with the golf club. The farther the clubhead is from the axis of rotation - in this case your spine - the faster it will travel. A WIDER SWING ARC is critical to getting more distance.

So what is the correct grip pressure?

Using a scale of 1 to 10 for how tight you grip the club, let me give you a couple rules of thumb for different golf shots:

- Around the green: Grip Pressure = 3
- From the Fairway: Grip Pressure = 4
- Off the Tee: Grip Pressure = 5

A grip pressure of 3 is light but in control. A grip pressure of 4 is firm. A grip pressure of 5 is strong, but not tight. Get the idea?

Anything more than a grip pressure of 5 will result in excess tension. And that will kill you swing speed as well as your accuracy. There's lots of golf information out there. The trick is figuring out who to trust.

One of the best sources I've found comes from a PGA Pro named Eric Jones. Not only that, he played college golf at Stanford, he coached there, and he has a Masters Degree in Sport Psychology. Oh, and you might also like to know he's a World Long Drive Champion.

That's a lot of creds in my book, and everything he's shared with me has been worth its weight in gold. He has a distance program you may want to check out at The 5 Keys To Distance.