STAY LOOSE FOR LONGER DRIVES

Stay loose during the swing like Fred Couples to generate greater clubhead speed.

NOTHING kills a swing quicker than tension.

Grip the club too tightly and the flow on effect is tense muscles, hands, arms and upper body, which restricts your ability to generate clubhead speed during the swing.

Clubhead speed is the key to distance and your body, hands and arms all need to work together correctly to generate the power and speed to hit longer shots.

Your upper body needs to store energy through a complete shoulder turn on the backswing. Then your arms drop and swing around the body in the downswing, before the hands release through the impact zone to create speed. As the arms swing down from the top of the backswing and through the hitting area, the speed of the swing will continue to increase if the arms straighten during the impact area.

But most club golfers have arms and hands that are too tight during the swing, creating tension that drastically reduces swing speed and produces a weak impact.

The one Tour player in the past three decades that best demonstrates a loose, tension-free swing is Fred Couples, who was one of the longest hitters on Tour for many years. Even today on the PGA Champions Tour, a 57-yearold Couples still averages 282 yards from the tee.

His shoulder turn is full on the backswing, while he is relaxed and lets the arms straighten out upon impact.

To encourage tension-free arms and upper body, grip the club with a light pressure. Imagine the grip of the club is actually two raw eggs – don’t squeeze the eggs, hold them lightly.