A good release is a combination of unhinging the angle built up between the wrists and club through the back swing and rotating the club face through impact.
The way the angle is released and how the club face rotates through impact are vital to achieving a successful strike and straight shot. If the angle built up during the back swing between the wrists and shaft (normally 90 degrees) is released too early during the down swing, left handed golfers will most like hit it fat or possibly thin. If the hands rotate too little through at impact, the club face will likely be open, too much and it will be closed. When coming into impact, the wrist angle, or lag angle, built during the back swing delivers power into the shot.
There are a number of drills players can use to try and ensure they maintain the angle between the wrists and shaft and release the club effectively through impact.
Maintain The Angle – Pump Drill
1. Take your address position over the ball, swing to the top of your back swing. You should see a 90 degree angle created between the right arm and club shaft at the top the back swing.
2. Pause for a moment at the top of the swing, focusing on the maintaining the angle between right arm and club shaft.
3. Bring the club down slowly, rehearsing the first move in the down swing where the hips rotate and the arms drop. Pause halfway down where the right arm should be pointing down at the ground, with the club shaft parallel to the ground. The angle created by the right arm and club is still 90 degrees.
4. Hold this position for a moment before returning to the top of the back swing position.
5. Now swing through at full speed and try to repeat the same position just practiced during the down swing.
6. This should help you to understand the feeling of maintaining the angle between the shaft, wrists and arms.
Release The Club Face – Half Swing Drill
1. Set up to the ball with a higher lofted iron, nothing which is difficult to get airborne.
2. Swing the club back until the arms and club shaft are extended. The right arm and club shaft should be parallel to the ground.
3. At this point, make sure the toe of the club is pointing up at the sky. This will show the club face has rotated away from the ball matching swing path.
4. Swing through the ball until after impact, the club shaft again reaches parallel with the ground and the arms are extended. The ball should only fly a short distance though the air.
5. At this point in the through swing, check the toe of the club again points towards the sky.
6. If the toe of the club points towards the sky at these two checkpoints in the back swing and through swing, the club face should be square to the target at impact and have fully released.
For left handed golfers to achieve success when playing golf they must build a good release through the ball because this is the most important part of the swing.
