Having trouble releasing properly

[amcquay]

I've had a couple of lessons recently and I am not starting my down swing with my lower body, which also just so happened to correct my swing path.

However, I've noticed that I don't seem to be releasing the club properly, most noticeably with the driver. If you look at the sole of my driver right now, face up, the tee marks point slightly to the left (7 o'clock or so) instead of straight down or even slightly to the right like I'd hope. That tells me I'm making contact with the face slightly open, and with my in-to-out swing path that is turning into a lot of pushes. Some occasionally fade a bit.

Does anyone have a drill or two that help ingrain the feel of a proper release?

[brassdoss]

I have the EXACT same problem and hope there are others that can help us!

When trying to get my hands through the ball I overcompensate and keep the face open as well. I have found that, with me, this is happening because I am sliding during my weight shift instead of turning. I have tried turning the hips more on the backswing, which makes sure that I "uncoil" and turn them into contact and follow through

Another thing... slowing down the swing helps too, and checking your arm position at parallel on the follow through. If the forarms are crossed, you're good to go.

I'm by no means an expert... as my index will reveal. I just started in June. These are just some things I've read and am trying. Hope it gives you something to think about too.

[upah]

I had the same problem for a while. I hit consistent fades/slices with the driver only. I corrected it by feeling like I was "throwing" the club through with my right hand versus "pulling" it through with the left. This ultimately got me to fully turn through the shot and the release came natural. Try hitting a duck hook and you should sorta feel what I'm talking about. I went from weak slice to duck hook to high draws in about 3 outings. Once you feel how to do it the exact opposite way, it helps you feel how you're doing it now.

[Sandy Sammy]

Might want to look at the 'feet together drill' as a basic excercise, a 'lagging the club excercise'. In addition something on 'hand crossover' at contact, and last but not least the 'L shape' at follow through.

Just do a search on you tube, shaun clemshaw does a number of tutories on youtube re feet together drill, club lagging etc.

[jambalaya]

It sounds like you are very close to hitting the ball straght. You just need a slight delay to get the club face closed. A very simple suggestion is to concentrate on keeping the head behind the ball and not letting it move towards the target until after contact. That slight little slide you may be doing could be keeping you from closing that clubface. Keeping the head back keeps your torso in place and your body rotating through the ball.

[amcquay]

It sounds like you are very close to hitting the ball straght. You just need a slight delay to get the club face closed. A very simple suggestion is to concentrate on keeping the head behind the ball and not letting it move towards the target until after contact. That slight little slide you may be doing could be keeping you from closing that clubface. Keeping the head back keeps your torso in place and your body rotating through the ball.

I think you may be on to something here. In my lessons the teacher has really stressed using a bump of the left hip towards the target to start the downswing. I think I may be turning that into more of a pure slide instead of uncoiling and rolling my left hip back around.

[simland]

Have you checked your grip? You may have a weak grip.

At times my irons will start to push right of the target. Unfortunately it's harder for me to do this on the course, but at the range I take out a 7-PW and take 1/2 swings. I try not to use the body and focus mostly on the arms. I take back the club and try to swing squarely throught he ball. This usually gets the correct muscle memory back in my arms and then I take a full swing and money.

[deronsizemore]

Have you checked your grip? You may have a weak grip.

This would be my guess. With a weak grip (hands turned to the left on the grip, not how tightly you're holding it) it makes it nearly impossible to release the club.

[amcquay]

Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure and check my grip as well. I had been using a pretty strong grip before my lessons and weakened it some once he corrected my major swing flaws as I was hooking the ball pretty hard. I may have weakened it too much!

[deronsizemore]

Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure and check my grip as well. I had been using a pretty strong grip before my lessons and weakened it some once he corrected my major swing flaws as I was hooking the ball pretty hard. I may have weakened it too much!

Yeah, it's possible. Doesn't take much of a grip change to make a dramatic difference.

[Dub]

I had the same problem for a while. I hit consistent fades/slices with the driver only. I corrected it by feeling like I was "throwing" the club through with my right hand versus "pulling" it through with the left. This ultimately got me to fully turn through the shot and the release came natural.

You just described the exact method a pro used during a lesson I took.

I told him that we had a golf league event coming up within 2 weeks. I was sick of slicing my driver and wanted to stop. That was my request to him. He took me out on the range and watched me hit a few balls. He then stepped down on the range beside me and used my driver to demonstrate a hook. Within a few minutes, I was proudly hitting nasty hooks. He grinned, lit up a cigarette and stepped back off the range a bit and said to throttle it back some and find the draw. It was crazy when it happened. I felt like primative man discovering the mechanical advantage of the first hand tools....etc. I wish I could find that pro again. I went back to see him when I won that leage trophy to thank him....he was no longer employed there for some reason or another....nobody knew where to find him. I felt lost for the rest of the weekend.

[Ringer]

Believe it or not, the best way I have seen to fixing your release is to fix your finish.

Try finishing so that the butt end of the club points at the target and your elbows are out in front of your chest.

[amcquay]

I never thought about looking at from the finish and working back, interesting tip.

I had a few other tips in mind Friday, when I played a quick 9 after work. I had watched several of the "clemshaw" videos that day and realized I had tension in my arms throughout the swing trying to control them and stay on plane, and wasn't letting them loosely follow the body as I should. So, during my round Friday my thought was to slow down and let gravity and my body dictate. I definitely noticed some pretty significant differences. Less effort, better tempo, and more importantly straighter shots.

[brassdoss]

Went to the range today to fix my slice after reading up a bit.

I set up like normal, but made sure to keep my left arm straight during backswing and rotate at the core (bringing my left shoulder under my chin).... straight, draw, or hook every time. Literally zero slices in the whole bucket. I'm pretty sure the rotation and "stiff arm" flattened out my swing plane and helped the release. Try it out!

Now, to weaken my slice-compensating superstrong grip. That should straighten things out more.