When it comes to grip pressure, Sam Snead has perhaps the game’s most famous guidance on the topic, suggesting that players should hold the club like they would a baby bird.
But GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jason Baile disagrees.
In a video posted to Titleist’s YouTube page, Baile argues that grip pressure itself isn’t the enemy of the golf swing — instead, it’s all about how and where it’s exerted on the club.
“If I were a baseball player hitting a 90-mile-an-hour fastball, the last thing I’d be doing is holding this bat like a baby bird,” Baile says. “We know that power is a big part of our game. So I’d say [to Snead], it’s more about where you grip it and where you apply that pressure.”
The problem, Baile says, is that many players grip the club tightly with downward pressure.
“That’s gonna send a lot of tension to my forearms, my shoulder and probably my lower jaw,” he says. “I want to make sure that I have all that grip pressure pulling up.”
When grip pressure is directed this way, Baile says, it enables you to retain your power as well as your control.
Teaching pro: ‘99 percent’ of players who ask for help are gripping club wrong
“If I pull up into the grip, I can still have supple wrists, elbows and soft shoulders, but yet have really good control of the face,” he says. “So when I step in there, I want to feel that grip pressure pulling up with my fingers, relaxing my forearms, my shoulders and my jaw. I can make a very intentional swing and still have control of the club face.”
To summarize: make sure that grip pressure feels like it’s pulling up, not pushing down as you swing, and you’ll know you’re doing it right.
To watch a video of Baile’s tip in its entirety, click here.
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