Releasing the club, driver and fairway wood problem

[kc8kir]

Anyone have any good tips on getting a full release with the driver and fairway woods? I can do it with the irons (creating that mirror image follow through), but for the life of me I keep blocking the driver. My hands are ahead of the ball, but the club face is dead open with the club being pulled through the ball, causing giant balloon slices, or hitting under the ball and popping it off the crown (when it's on a tee).

I've tried the adage of "turn your glove logo to the target" without success. Kind of a wierd problem. I am not casting, and I am coming from the inside (the slices either start straight, or push then slice). Just can't get the face closed in time. My finish position with the driver has the club in a cut shot position, and I can't for the life of me get into a draw position. If I really overaccentuate the forearm turnover, I just end up with a duck hook or pull hook (if I try really hard). Ideas? Stronger grip only made it worse and I started hitting hard hooks. There has got to be some way to train that release, because right now, a long iron is my only choice off the tee.

Any help would be appreciated. My game would improve so much if I could start getting off the tee's into play more often.

[jambalaya]

Did you mean your hands are ahead of the ball with your driver at impact? That could be the reason for you blocking the ball. Your hands should be even or even slightly behind the ball at impact.

[ks8829]

Sound like you are not square to slightly close at impact. Try the following:

1) Check for good wrist cock at your backswing
a) At address do you have a bend from your wrist to your club? if you do not, this may prevent a wrist cock on your back swing which would allow you to release your club at impact.

2) Grip pressure too tight with your right hand.
A) loosen your grip pressure to allow the hands to hinge on your backswing and forward swing.

3) Swing plane.
a) place a club on the ground and on your backswing take it on the inside of the club you have on the ground.

4) Weight transfer.
a) make a good weight transfer so that 98% of your weight is on your front food after impact.

5) Rotate
a) make sure you are not swaying on your backswing but rotating, by having some one behind watch your head on the backswing.

[kc8kir]

"1) Check for good wrist cock at your backswing
a) At address do you have a bend from your wrist to your club? if you do not, this may prevent a wrist cock on your back swing which would allow you to release your club at impact."

Could you elaborate more on this? Left hand or right hand? I don't forward press, so there is certainly some bend, but I am not sure I understand what you are getting at.

"2) Grip pressure too tight with your right hand.
A) loosen your grip pressure to allow the hands to hinge on your backswing and forward swing."

Definitely possibly a grip pressure issue. Been struggling with really hot conditions down here and might be gripping harder without realizing it.

Oh btw, I meant "hands ahead of the clubhead". My bad. Trying to say I am not flipping the club.

[jambalaya]

"1) Check for good wrist cock at your backswing

I understand. My comment still stands unless someone more knowledgeable corrects me. Your hands and clubhead should be even with the driver at impact as a general rule. Maybe even behind slightly.

[brahl]

kc8kir,

Did you get this fixed? I am having a similar problem, and I was curious what you did to solve it.

By the way, what is Z Boaz like? I live in Wichita Falls, so I may drive down when it warms up and beat it around down there.

- Brian

[Lefty22]

I understand. My comment still stands unless someone more knowledgeable corrects me. Your hands and clubhead should be even with the driver at impact as a general rule. Maybe even behind slightly.

?? This is contrary to most of the things I've seen others post. I think most of the time I read hands before the ball; that your hands should in effect be pulling the shaft/clubhead through the ball at impact.

BTW I am not saying I'm the someone more knowledgeable correcting you, quite the opposite; just a repeat of things I've read in other threads...

[longfornothing]

?? This is contrary to most of the things I've seen others post. I think most of the time I read hands before the ball; that your hands should in effect be pulling the shaft/clubhead through the ball at impact.

Lefty is right. Just for the driver, and some lob shots. Hands ahead for most everything else.

[ks8829]

practice chipping with a 7 iron on the grass anywhere. If you can make solid contact with a swing hip high and with you backswing and follow through hip high you will practice rotating your wrist naturally back so that your club is pointing up in the air and at impact you will automatically rotate your wrist.

make sure that your grip pressure is light so that you can hinge your wrist without any restriction. This drill will teach you how to rotate your wrist and make a minature golf swing.

[longfornothing]

practice chipping with a 7 iron on the grass anywhere. If you can make solid contact with a swing hip high and with you backswing and follow through hip high you will practice rotating your wrist naturally back so that your club is pointing up in the air and at impact you will automatically rotate your wrist.

I recommend Bobby Clampett's "Impact Zone" book, Amazon Barnes/Noble.

He explains this very well and also the importance of having the bottom of your swing be several inches ahead of the ball. That book will put you on the fast track.

[jambalaya]

?? This is contrary to most of the things I've seen others post. I think most of the time I read hands before the ball; that your hands should in effect be pulling the shaft/clubhead through the ball at impact.

Your hands should come through ahead of the clubface for just about every club but it doesn't have to with the driver. If the hands are just slightly ahead or just slightly behind with the driver it is probably no big deal but you have to be careful the hands are not too far ahead with the driver because then you are hitting down on the ball rather than sweeping the ball off the tee which is not good with the driver.

[jambalaya]

Back to the subject of not releasing the club. Isn't it really that we are releasing the club too soon and therefore we do not have enough energy or momentum past impact for a good release and finish without forcing things.

[allin]

"1) Check for good wrist cock at your backswing

This might be an unintended consequence of excessive tension in your elbows, especially the right one if you are right handed. In an effort to create lag or from just swinging harder on woods some golfers tense up the elbow and it doesn't straighten at the proper time, release refers to the clubhead not your body. I doubt you can manipulate release conciously and play good golf. When you are practicing you are basically training your body to do it using your tempo.

[imtomtomim]

try pressing your right hand harder through the bottom of your swing to take full advantage of your clubhead lag and when it whips around, either you can snap the club into your wrist and make it hurt, or you can turn and let it flow around and feel natural