Advice I Hate: "Release the Club"

[dchoye]

Point is, you shouldn't need to actively "release" anything.

yes generally agree I think I like the use the term release more for my putting stroke where I "release the toe " or try to "hold off the finish" and not release the clubhead

[Righty to Lefty]

What I have learned in the years that I am been on this website is this: 1. Iacas is NEVER just pulling this stuff out of thin air and I have been put in my place a few times on here when I thought that I knew something only to find out that I was way off base.  For me learning to decipher and understand the advice that he gives on here has done wonders for my game.  2. Try to prove a theory right first before you try and discount advice from anyone because think about how much poor information was given by legends of the game prior to learning the truth coming out much later sending everyone back to the drawing boards.  Iacas has said for years on here that "feel is not real" but we as a forum seem to be hard headed !! Releasing the club doesn't happen until well after impact in any good swing.  The club doesn't even pass the centerline of the body until it is above waist high in a good swing so prior to that moment the club was being driven by the body rotation and had nothing to do with the hands rolling over.  Iron Byron doesn't even have wrists and he hits plenty of draws !! I've learned to dig into Iacas' advice and really learn what he is trying to say because he is definitely much more correct in his advice than incorrect from what I've learned over the years. If the body is driving the swing then there is zero reason to actively try to release the club.  Matter of fact the only way your hands could even have input into the swing would be fore the body to quit on the shot. Here are a couple videos that back up exactly what Iacas is saying and that I have found to be correct: [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JalAVnzZBoY[/Video] Understanding that video led me to be able to fully comprehend a deeper explanation of that same principle which I also find to be correct: [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJVqZX8A08k[/Video]

[mvmac]

[saevel25]

The Release Drill 

 

[Phil McGleno]

18 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

The Release Drill 

 

Great example why Top Instructor lists are so bullshit.

[Patch]

Question; since the club/hands are releasing at, or  just after ball impact, is the clubhead moving faster than the hands just prior to that release?

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Patch said:

Question; since the club/hands are releasing at, or  just after ball impact, is the clubhead moving faster than the hands just prior to that release?

The clubhead is moving faster than the hands almost the entire downswing. It has a much longer radius.

[Patch]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

The clubhead is moving faster than the hands almost the entire downswing. It has a much longer radius.

My bad. I should have worded my question differently. A side from the radius factor, will the club head have to move faster to catch up with the hands? Is this the part of the lag that give some golfers greater distances than others? Or as you answered, is it all in the radius?

[iacas]

11 hours ago, Patch said:

My bad. I should have worded my question differently. A side from the radius factor, will the club head have to move faster to catch up with the hands? Is this the part of the lag that give some golfers greater distances than others? Or as you answered, is it all in the radius?

Jason Zuback had/has a sort of sweep release. Less lag than Steve Stricker, perhaps.

The hands slow down themselves around the trail thigh. That's what allows the clubhead to "catch up" so you don't hit the ball with 60° shaft lean or something ridiculous.

Poor players often slow the hands down prematurely. And they often can't just think "keep the hands going faster."

[rehmwa]

The term is so subjective and prone to miscommunication on whatever 'feel' one is trying to convey, that I just avoid it as best as possible.  Perhaps each of us knows, or has an idea, of what "release" means to us.  I know I do.  But I doubt it's the same between most anyone.

I'd try to avoid it.  Or make a joke about it.  Tell/show me the actual mechanics of what you want (I'm a fan of putting a video of what I'm doing up next to a video of what I SHOULD be doing - and then pointing at the pertinent parts of the swing), and then we can go find a 'feel' that makes it happen.

[Patch]

12 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

The term is so subjective and prone to miscommunication on whatever 'feel' one is trying to convey, that I just avoid it as best as possible.  Perhaps each of us knows, or has an idea, of what "release" means to us.  I know I do.  But I doubt it's the same between most anyone.

I'd try to avoid it.  Or make a joke about it.  Tell/show me the actual mechanics of what you want (I'm a fan of putting a video of what I'm doing up next to a video of what I SHOULD be doing - and then pointing at the pertinent parts of the swing), and then we can go find a 'feel' that makes it happen.

Good answer. I know that once I start my down swing, I dont think much about anything, as hopefully I have done enough right getting to the top, that my down swing works to my advantage. My release is what it is, whatever it is. 

[rehmwa]

2 hours ago, Patch said:

Good answer. I know that once I start my down swing, I dont think much about anything, as hopefully I have done enough right getting to the top, that my down swing works to my advantage. My release is what it is, whatever it is. 

Thanks, I really like what someone said here about being told to release.  He said just let go of it and look innocently at the coach "you said 'release' it"

(Don't do it near water hazards or ravines )

[carpediem4300]

I think the release has always been an issue for me because of how I interpret pictures/videos of pro's

If you look at a pro on the downswing when the club gets to parrallel their hands are at their right hip line, into impact the hands are at there left hip line, not a massive amount of travel, but the clubhead has travelled a hell of a distance,....is this a re-hinge thing? centrifugal force? are the hands creating an illusion where they have actually travelled from right hip to left hip but also backwards and therefor longer?

The only video that ever made sense to me was the "hammer the nail" video, wether its a good one or not, i dont know though, 

[iacas]

5 hours ago, carpediem4300 said:

I think the release has always been an issue for me because of how I interpret pictures/videos of pro's

If you look at a pro on the downswing when the club gets to parrallel their hands are at their right hip line, into impact the hands are at there left hip line, not a massive amount of travel, but the clubhead has travelled a hell of a distance,....is this a re-hinge thing? centrifugal force? are the hands creating an illusion where they have actually travelled from right hip to left hip but also backwards and therefor longer?

The only video that ever made sense to me was the "hammer the nail" video, wether its a good one or not, i dont know though, 

I'm not sure what you're asking.

The "release" that I don't particularly like is the excessive rolling over of the hands/wrists/forearms.