Tension is a killer; it destroys any hope you may have of making a fluid swing. That's why it's so important that your mind is focused, and your body relaxed as you stand over a shot.

Be careful, though. To 'relax' does not equate with gripping the club loosely. After all, isn't it possible to shake someone firmly by the hand and yet still keep your arm relaxed? So it should be with the golf club. Shake hands with the grip, but keep those arms 'soft'.

Let's get the proper feel. Without a club, stand as if you were going to hit a shot. Let your arms hang limply in front of your body, then swing your arms and clap your palms together.

Do it again. And again - sensing a 'heaviness' in your arms. Any lingering tension in your arms and shoulders should disappear.

Now grip a club and try to reproduce that same relaxed feeling in your upper body, while being aware of a lightness in your feet and legs down below - just as if you were standing on thin ice.

Swing the club initially in slow motion, and once you have enhanced your felling of softness, and can feel the weight of the clubhead, swing at normal speed, and hit some full shots.

Be aware also of keeping your chin up as a further guard against tension in your shoulders. Remember, the more relaxed your body is, the more rhythmic your swing will be, and the more clubhead speed you'll be able to produce.