Golf Tip: Finding the right grip pressure

This week I wanted to share a principle that contributes to solid short-game shots. You've probably heard teachers or players talk about keeping a light grip pressure for feel, or keeping a constant grip pressure throughout the swing.

I prefer a different principle, because I think it helps promote the right movements from your arms and wrists through the downswing. It also helps make sure the clubhead is stable and square through impact. Take your normal grip and hold the club in a light-but-controlled tension level, but as you make your short-game swing down through impact, increase your grip pressure.

Most players tend to hold onto the club too tightly at address all the way up to transition, which usually forces them to let go as they strike the ball, losing control of the clubhead. If you measured your grip tension on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the club almost falling out of your hands and 10 being the club getting crushed in a vise, I'd suggest using 3 tension at address through transition, increasing to 6 or 7 at impact.

I had a student fly in from the East Coast because he had been having a terrible time with what he described as a case of the chipping yips. When I first watched him, I could clearly see that the grip was coming out of his hands as he was trying to strike the ball.

I asked what he was working on in terms of tension in his hands. He said he was trying to use constant, light grip pressure, as if he was holding a live bird - Sam Snead's classic tip. It's something I had certainly told students earlier in my career.

But the reality of clubface control is more toward a tight grip than a loose, uncontrolled grip. I asked my student to firm up his grip pressure through impact, so that he was squeezing at a 7 when the clubhead got to the ball. In a matter of a couple of shots, the yips were gone.

The amount you need to increase pressure depends on the kind of shot you have in front of you. For all shots, you'd start with about a 3 on that 1-10 scale. On a putt, you might only increase to a 4. For a driver, you'd increase to an 8.

For short game shots, you'd want to increase more for shots that provide more resistance because of the lie. That means a 6 or 7 for a shot from deep grass or from the sand.

Go to a short-game practice area and experiment for yourself to find the variables that work the best for you. But the overarching point is that you want to forget about the idea of a consistent, soft grip pressure.

• Todd Sones is a PGA Professional, Top 100 Golf Magazine teacher and owns the Impact Golf/Scoring Zone Golf Schools at White Deer Run Golf Club in Vernon Hills. His new book, "The Scoring Zone," is available on Amazon. Reach him at info@toddsones.com and visit toddsones.com.