We’ve all been there. You’re standing over an important shot, thinking about everything that could go wrong. Before you know it, your grip tightens, your muscles tighten and the fluid swing you scanned on the practice range is a distant memory.
Tension is one of the biggest obstacles to play good golf, especially under pressure. Most golfers know the standard advice: take a deep breath, relax your hands or take a few practice swings to relax. These are all useful techniques, but there is another simple trick I learned from my performance coach, Jim Fannin, that I wish I had known during my Tour playing days. It involves something you probably have in your kitchen: a potato chip.
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What your jaw reveals about your golf swing
When we are anxious, we often clench our jaw without even realizing it. This tension can extend into the rest of the upper body, affecting the shoulders, arms and hands. Think about the last time faced a difficult shot. Were you relaxed, or were you gritting your teeth?
That’s the idea behind the “potato chip” drill. Take a regular potato chip and gently hold it between your teeth before aiming the ball. Then make your normal golf swing, trying to complete the movement without breaking the chip. If it breaks, you may lock your jaw during the swing. If it remains intact, you’ve probably done a better job of keeping your jaw relaxed.
We use this drill in our Area Golf Schools because it gives students immediate feedback on how they are responding to the swing. It also helps them to recognize the difference between swinging with tightness in the body and making a more relaxed and natural movement. For safety, use a small, thin chip and start with slow practice swings before trying to drill at full speed.
How to apply the “potato chip” drill in the course
You don’t need to carry a bag of chips around the course to enjoy this drill. The goal is to familiarize yourself with what a relaxed jaw feels like so you can recognize when tension begins to creep into your swing.
Before your next important shot, take a breath, soften your jaw and relax your hands. Instead of trying to force a good swing, give yourself the opportunity to make a natural movement. You may find that paying attention to something as simple as your jaw helps you manage tension and swing more freely when it matters most.