The Mechanics Of A Late Release In The Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles
The Mechanics Of A Late Release In The Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles

So we now fully understand what the faults of a late release might look like. We've talked about the low flight, the lack of distance and slightly down the right side. Let's just confirm it to ourselves exactly what the late release might look like in terms of the mechanics of a golf swing. Well, to start with, we have our set up position. The hands should be very slightly in front of the golf ball, and this is our nice set up position here.

Now, the point of impact we are going to have everything similar but maybe a press more towards the flag, so a little bit more towards the left side for the right handed golfer at the point of impact. Now somebody with a late release will have too much of this, and the problem being is that in the back swing, we turn back and we create some angle between the golf club and the left arm. Some people would term that as a lag angle, so we swing back and we create this position. Now the reason that we do this is because if we were to get rid of that position, there's some potential energy stored in the club path, so there's more power to be made, if we can release that at the right time and it is important we release it at the right time, the right time being at impact. If we create the energy and create the lag, but then release early, we tend to flip out here, if we don’t release it at the right time, we use the energy early, we go slow with the impact, but the opposite, the late release is, we've created the angle, but we don’t use it in time, we get down to the golf ball, but we still haven’t used it, the club path hasn’t fully speeded up and at this point we are going to head up low to the right side and not a full distance shot. So what we are trying to achieve is a good right angle and a good release, everything straightening out to the point of impact. Because it’s the point of impact, the club path could be travelling in excessive 80, 90 even 100 miles an hour, so it's very, very difficult to actually watch and to see how it goes on. So we use high speed video cameras when we are coaching to see what this position looks like. You could use an impact bag, something like an impact bag, where you actually hit into the bag, and that freeze frames impact to see what position you're in. But you need to understand if you are late releasing, how you can get out of that position, and hopefully through this next element of tuition you will be able to understand that change. 2016-04-18

So we now fully understand what the faults of a late release might look like. We've talked about the low flight, the lack of distance and slightly down the right side. Let's just confirm it to ourselves exactly what the late release might look like in terms of the mechanics of a golf swing. Well, to start with, we have our set up position. The hands should be very slightly in front of the golf ball, and this is our nice set up position here.

Now, the point of impact we are going to have everything similar but maybe a press more towards the flag, so a little bit more towards the left side for the right handed golfer at the point of impact. Now somebody with a late release will have too much of this, and the problem being is that in the back swing, we turn back and we create some angle between the golf club and the left arm. Some people would term that as a lag angle, so we swing back and we create this position.

Now the reason that we do this is because if we were to get rid of that position, there's some potential energy stored in the club path, so there's more power to be made, if we can release that at the right time and it is important we release it at the right time, the right time being at impact. If we create the energy and create the lag, but then release early, we tend to flip out here, if we don’t release it at the right time, we use the energy early, we go slow with the impact, but the opposite, the late release is, we've created the angle, but we don’t use it in time, we get down to the golf ball, but we still haven’t used it, the club path hasn’t fully speeded up and at this point we are going to head up low to the right side and not a full distance shot. So what we are trying to achieve is a good right angle and a good release, everything straightening out to the point of impact. Because it’s the point of impact, the club path could be travelling in excessive 80, 90 even 100 miles an hour, so it's very, very difficult to actually watch and to see how it goes on.

So we use high speed video cameras when we are coaching to see what this position looks like. You could use an impact bag, something like an impact bag, where you actually hit into the bag, and that freeze frames impact to see what position you're in. But you need to understand if you are late releasing, how you can get out of that position, and hopefully through this next element of tuition you will be able to understand that change.