Letting go of the tension

I have the fundamentals down of my swing fairly well, sans the short game right now but I'm working on that. If some of my fundamentals go out I can usually rectify them fairly quickly.

What I struggle with the most is if I have tension in my body I have a hard time letting go of it, even when I'm not stressed, and I'm typically not a tense person. This, of course, creates havok on my golf swing...... not releasing, short follow through, 10 to 20 yards of lost distance, if not more.

What do you guys do to get rid of tension? Do you step back for a moment, do some deep breathing, etc.......

The one place in life I do not feel much tension is on the golf course. When I do feel it coming on, I just step back and remind myself how much I love to play, then step back in and swing away.

For me, it's usually about recognizing why I'm feeling tense or nervous. If it's not golf related then I just try to think golf only (I know that's easier said than done for some people); if it's golf related, then I try to figure why I feel that way. Is it a particular shot? Then I play to that nervousness and I'll play a shot that removes that feeling (even if it means laying up from 175 yards or something). If it's just the general state of my game or a part of my game, then I try to concentrate on what's good and use those skills and shots if/when I can. Tension in the game is often lack of confidence and without confidence those things that cause tension to grow worse. One thing that can often help is visualization (yea, I know it's kinda cliche, but it does work sometimes).

In short, if golf related either remember it's supposed to be fun, visualize success or step back and execute what you are confident in.

The problem that I have with tension is my faulty tendency to allow my arms to take over during my swing. What I do to help is to step back and practice a few swing rotations with passive arms until I capture the correct feeling of swinging with the body. You'll see many PGA players do the same thing before they address their ball.

I guess it depends on your personality, but I have played some good rounds being very aggressive when it comes to the actual 30 seconds to setup and take the shot. I plan what I want to do, then I step up and just do it. No extra thought, just step up and make that ball go where you want it to go. It's so easy to get caught up on swing thoughts and nice finish poses etc. Leave the practice to the practice tee. Hit the course and play golf. That's why a game of golf should take only 3.5 to 4 hours for a group of 4. Take a second to get a game plan together, then execute. The longer you wait, the worse it gets.

To prove this to myself, I played a round where I literally went as fast as I could and swung hard (but in control) on every shot. I made more shots in that round than I have in any round yet, and it was FUN.

I showed this idea to a friend of mine (I am helping him get into golf) at the driving range yesterday. Basically told him, stand behind the ball, aim, step up, align, check the target, pull the trigger. Rinse and repeat. That's practicing target golf and trusting your swing.

You gotta get on the course and let it go. Every hole is a new chance to do something incredible.

Do you waggle?

I do waggle, but I have recognized that I waggle less when I have tension. I remember reading a tip from Leadbetter once and tried it. Leave your mouth slightly open during your whole swing. It did work. Now I just need to remember to remember that tip.

When you practice at the range incorporate relaxation techniques eg., breathing continuously through the entire swing, whistling if can, or humming a tune. Its tough at first but once you can breathe in on the backswing and out on the downswing, tension is gone. Leaving the jaw limp is great too.
Another point is not to ground the club but hover it a bit over the ground behind the ball. What happens when you ground the club is you have to yank it up to start the swing and the whole rhythm is never set. By hovering you can make an easy swing back from the ball. Look for a swing starter such as a foward press to start the swing.

I like that advise. I will incorporate that and evaluate the results.

The next time tension starts killing you do this.........Whistle the theme song to the Andy Griffeth Show. Sounds silly but you can't be tense and do this. Try it.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?...1&sa;=N&tab;=wv#

It's in the mindset. Think I'm not that good so who cares. I do this a lot and I strike the ball the best when I am thinking this. Don't get me wrong make your stragety and focus on what needs to be done, but when it's time to take the shot just think I am not that good, why worry if I mess up. Hit it and let the ball do it's thing. Easier said than done, but with some practice you will get better at it. Another thing is playing well in the right set of mind. Practicing a lot doesn't guarntee you will get better neither does playing. So when you play control what you can. Take a positive thought and enjoy yourself. Allowing tension to get into your swing body etc is a sign of playing for the wrong reason. To be good etc, I would play to have fun and let the other stuff come to you. IMO being good is a byproduct of doing certain things right. I bet most of these single handicappers don't worry about failing. They get up there do what they know they can do and do it.

When I feel tense, I remember to breath, and try to channel the tnesion through my swing while remaining calm. If you can channel it properly you can feel it move through your body, into your hands, and finally out through the club at contact. Most of my best shots have been from focusing on trying to release the tension/energy in this sort of maner.