Feel

When I think 'feel' as it relates to the golf swing, I immidiately think of 'feeling the weight of the club head throughout the swing.' If you can achieve this, you will achieve a great feel for the game. Sounds easy enough, but too many golfers grip the club too hard and try to 'hit' at the ball, rather than swing through it. A very common mistake is 'trying too hard'. Most golfers would do a lot better by 'trying less, and feeling more'. Through this awareness comes improvement.

Pick up a lofted iron and waggle it back and forth a little, making sure to grip the club lightly. You'll notice that pros do this before every shot they take, and there is a good reason. They are feeling the weight of the clubhead swinging back and forth and they are preparing themselves to make a smooth golf swing. This also relaxes the muscles and prevents tension from creeping into the upper body. The waggle is the 'small rehearsal' of the swing that every golfer should incorporate into their pre-shot routine. The practice swing would be considered the 'big rehearsal', and is not as important as the waggle in my opinion (this applies only to the full swing; I do recommend a practice swing for any putts, chips, and any shorter shots or specialty shots).

The more you can be 'aware' of where your clubhead is throughout your swing, the better your chance of success. If you are gripping too tight and are unaware of where the clubhead is as you swing, you are taking a pretty big leap of faith in believing that you will deliver the clubhead square to the ball at the proper moment.

Of course, nothing comes easy in this game. Obtaining a better understanding of the golf swing, learning the proper checkpoints of the swing, repeating them, and training (or re-training) your body (muscle memory) comes with a lot of practice. After you put in the work, things start becoming more automatic and less forced, which leads to gaining more feel and ultimately, success on the course.

Here are a few drills that can help you incorporate more 'feel' into your game:

> Take swings with your eyes closed, while focusing on feeling where the clubhead is throughout the swing. You can try this one with or without a ball. Also try making chip shots with your eyes closed, and chip shots with your left hand only.

> Take practice swings with two clubs, or with a weighted club. It's difficult to try and manipulate the club/s with your hands and arms when you do this because it's too heavy. This forces you to feel the club head and slow things down.

> Find a nice, smooth, repeatable tempo. A good way to do this is to count '1,2' on the backswing and '1,2' on the downswing. This will help prevent 'rushing it from the top' and help you resist 'trying to hit it hard'. I believe it was Bobby Jones who said "Lazy up, lazy down."

> Practice short shots often (at least 50/50 with respect to the full swing). This will give you instant feedback and improve your overall 'touch'. Many people don't realize that when you are practicing the short swing, you are really practicing your full swing as well, because the short swing is just a smaller version of the big one.

> Close your eyes, take the club back so that the shaft is parallel to the ground, then twirl the club around in your hands and stop after a couple of twirls. See if you can feel exactly what angle the club head is at. This drill will dramatically improve your 'awareness' of the club head, which is essential for getting more feel in your game.

The strange thing about golf is that the less you try, the better you tend to play. Relax, have fun, and the other stuff will come naturally.