How To Get Rid Of Tension In Your Golf Swing

I think we have all been there. You are staring down a long par
4 from the tee box. The fairway is lined with trees on both
sides. The landing area is “tight” and hitting 3 wood or iron is
not an option, the hole is too long.

You pull out driver and tee up the ball, knowing to win the skin
with your buddy you have to land this tee shot in the fairway.
You take a few practice swings, address the ball, look down the
fairway (it looks a little tighter than before), begin your
backswing, and bang!

Your body tightens up. You hold onto the club and hook it into
the tress. You think to yourself that bogey will now be a good
score. You are upset at yourself and watch as your playing
partner swings a smooth driver that lands the ball on the left
side of the fairway.

You begin to grudgingly walk towards your ball, hoping you will
find it, saying a few things under your breath, and questioning
your swing mechanics.

What just happened? A situation that most of us have encountered
at some time in our golfing career. We take some smooth practice
swings, but when the ball is before us and we have to execute
the shot we “tighten up” and hit a chunky, thin, or fat shot. We
have allowed tension to seep into our golf swing. We all know
that the swing is a free-flowing movement that requires your
body to be loose.

Dean Reinmuth, one of Golf Digest’s top instructors, speaks
extensively about this term in his book. He discusses how a
swing needs to be free and flowing. This allows for the club to
travel on the correct swing path and develop club head speed.
Muscle tension will impede and ruin your swing.

If your muscles are tight, how will you be able to swing a club
in a free-flowing manner? You will not be able to do so. If you
are gripping the club with a Hulk Hogan “sleeper hold,” how are
you going to swing the club freely? You can’t. If you are unable
to “feel” the club head, how are you going to swing the club
freely? Again, the answer is you will be unable to do so.

If you have your doubts, give it a try. Head out to the range,
purchase a bucket of balls and go at it! Warm up with a few
wedges and then grab your 7-iron. Hit a few half shots and let’s
begin the experiment. First off, take the club and grip it as
hard as you can. Now, attempt to hit the ball. What happened? I
am guessing not a good outcome. One more time with our
experiment, grab the 7-iron and address the ball. Now, when
hitting the ball your thought should be: “I am going to hit this
ball as hard as I possibly can.” Go ahead, try to hit the ball.
What happened? Again, I am guessing the outcome was not good.
What happened in both of these situations? You developed
“tension” in your swing, and it impeded your hitting the ball
solidly.

Next question: how do you develop a smooth, free-flowing swing
that is tension-free? Quite a few aspects are part of this
equation. Developing proper swing mechanics is part of the
answer. The swing is an intricate movement that is the
“blending” of a series of movements into one free-flowing
movement. In order to develop a “tension-free swing” you must
develop your swing. This is a process that takes time, proper
instruction, and practice.

Additionally, you must develop the proper mental confidence in
your game. The example in the beginning of this article is a
prime example. If you are not mentally confident in your swing,
what do you think is going to happen on the tee box? Your body
reacts to your mind and “tightens up,” resulting in a poor swing.

How do you develop the mental side of the game? This is again
done through the development of your swing, practice, and
playing. As your game develops, confidence in your swing will
develop. It is a give and take, so to speak. As your golf swing
improves, so will the mental aspect of your game.

Finally, we must discuss the body. Yes, the body has an effect
on a “tension-free” swing as well. Follow the logic, for muscles
to be loose and free-flowing, they must be flexible. Being
“tight” and not flexible puts you in a state of tension even
before you get to the first tee! If you do not believe me, go to
the gym and do 10 sets of heavy bench presses and then go to the
range. See how well or poorly you hit that bucket of balls!

If your body is not flexible, you will not be able to perform
the free-flowing movements of the swing. The body needs to be
flexible for a tension-free swing. If you are inflexible, the
ability to even develop your swing mechanics to a point where
they are free-flowing will be impossible.

Bottom line is you need to develop your flexibility around your
swing.

How do you go about doing this? The implementation of
golf-specific flexibility exercises into a training program will
do the trick.

The swing and the mind work together to develop a tension-free
swing. You cannot develop one without the other. A comprehensive
approach is required when developing a tension-free swing.
Working only on your swing mechanics will not work if your body
is inflexible. Doing only flexibility exercises will not do the
trick if your swing mechanics are incorrect. And focusing only
on the mental side of the game will not work if your swing is a
mess, and your body is as well.

A tension-free swing allows for great shots from all over the
course. Developing this type of swing takes time and effort. You
must train the body, the swing, and the mind. This is the ticket
to your “tension-free swing”