What is meant by early golf release and how is it important in the golf swing? Early release refers to the angle which is built up between the club and the wrist throughout the backswing. What will tend to happen in a good backswing is that the club will be taken away nice and wide and the wrist will begin to hinge and a 90 degree angle will be built up between the wrist and the club as you approach the top of the backswing.

Now in a very, very good swing that angle will be maintained as the body turns down into impact. An early release will occur as you come down and the angle between the club and the wrist is lost. If it’s lost the club will normally impact the ground before the ball causing a fat shot. If the weight also shifts on to the back foot, what can happen is the early release occurs and the club comes into the ball catches it thin or catches it on the very top of the club causing a top shot.

Now to stop the early golf release, we really need to focus on maintaining this angle down into the ball. Now there are a number of different ways to do it one of which is a pump drill. Now the pump drill allows you to maintain the angle coming down and strike down and through whilst keeping this angle between the wrist and the actual club shaft. Now on the pump drill, you swing to the top building up the angle between the wrist and the club, bringing the club down and stop making sure this angle remains, bringing it down again and then on the third occasion, bringing it down but actually strike through the shot.

And if you can get it right you should see a nice downward strike and a lot more power being produced. So it’s at the top, downwards, down twice, and on the third occasion swing through and hit the ball. So if you are suffering with an early release, practice the pump drill, try and maintain that angle and you should see an instant improvement in the trajectory and the distance of your shot.