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”.