Driver Release

[MMouse]

Anyone have any good tips or drills for practicing club head ( particularly driver ) release?

[canes113]

High finish... that works for me with all clubs and it definitely promotes a good release. Just make sure you're not swinging over the top or else it'll be a nasty pull or hook.

[iacas]

Anyone have any good tips or drills for practicing club head ( particularly driver ) release?

Here's my tip: don't.

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/threads...-the-Club-quot

[canes113]

I always thought "releasing the club" occurred after impact.... arms parallel to the ground with good extension and toe of the club pointing to the sky. What this video shows is how to not "cast" the club before impact, no???? I'm very confused.....

[saevel25]

What i like to do is practice waist to waist shots. When your hands are waist high, the golf club should be parallel with the ground, and the club head pointing straight up, that is the toe pointing to the sky. This should mimic in the follow through. If you can make a good back swing all you need to do is get to that point with good arm extension. IF you got to golf digest website and find Phil's latest golf swing, you can look at waist high in the backswing to the follow through. They are identical, the hands and club position.

[iacas]

I always thought "releasing the club" occurred after impact.... arms parallel to the ground with good extension and toe of the club pointing to the sky. What this video shows is how to not "cast" the club before impact, no???? I'm very confused.....

Most people don't interpret "releasing the club" that way, and toe up is never square to the path when the shaft is horizontal. The simple truth is that most people would be much better off NOT "releasing" anything before or after impact. It requires timing for little to no gain.

[JetFan1983]

Most people don't interpret "releasing the club" that way, and toe up is never square to the path when the shaft is horizontal.

Can you please explain this better? In the beginning I interpreted the "no release" in the same way one hits a bunker shot- keeping the face pointed to the sky. I hit a lot of hosel rockets this way- could have been other problems though in my swing causing that- anyway, when I returned to having my toe up as I extended through the shot, I started hitting the ball again and with pretty nice authority.

My focus is still having a flat or bowed left wrist at impact, but the toe needs to be pointing to the sky as we extend through post impact, right? If not, I need to see some visuals because I don't understand this.

The simple truth is that most people would be much better off NOT "releasing" anything before or after impact. It requires timing for little to no gain.

What do you mean exactly by not releasing? Is it possible we're using two different definitions of "release?" My interpretation of release is having the downswing exactly like it is in that golf evolution video you posted on this thread- the problem is, the video doesn't continue through into the follow through- it just stops right at impact. What happens after that? The toe has to rotate up at some point post impact, right?

[RIduffer]

Good questions Jetfan, I am wondering the same things lately. By "not releasing" I get nice compression, and a penetrating ballflight...but I feel like I am missing something as my shots are sort of a hold-off fade.

[eswan]

I am a big fan of the Stack and Tilt pattern and have been working very had trying to get the pattern down for the last 3 months but there is one little aspect of it that gives me some pause and that is at the end of the follow-through. I believe Homer Kelly says something to the effect that the shaft is always pointing at the plane line except when it is parallel to it. I understand the wisdom of holding the flying wedge through the swing but at the very end of the swing holding the wedge and not letting the right wrist turn over the top seems to me to end up with the shaft significantly off from pointing anywhere near the plane line. Mike and Andy even suggest that at the finish the shaft ends up parallel to the angle of the spine (from down the line) at the finish. It even seems they have made the parallel shaft with the spine angle (from down the line) at the finish a signiture move of the Stack and Tilt swing based on the number of pictures of it in the book. I can see and even feel the wisdom of holding the flying wedge from the beginning of the swing through and past impact but it is the final few feet that make me wonder if they haven't compromised for the sake of simplicity. What am I missing?

[iacas]

My focus is still having a flat or bowed left wrist at impact, but the toe needs to be pointing to the sky as we extend through post impact, right?

Toe up is open to the plane on the backswing and closed to the plane on the follow-through.

What do you mean exactly by not releasing? Is it possible we're using two different definitions of "release?" My interpretation of release is having the downswing exactly like it is in that golf evolution video you posted on this thread- the problem is, the video doesn't continue through into the follow through- it just stops right at impact. What happens after that? The toe has to rotate up at some point post impact, right?

Nope. 45 degrees or so when the shaft is horizontal.

Good questions Jetfan, I am wondering the same things lately. By "not releasing" I get nice compression, and a penetrating ballflight...but I feel like I am missing something as my shots are sort of a hold-off fade.

Both of you can read the other thread where I explained it several times.

I understand the wisdom of holding the flying wedge through the swing but at the very end of the swing holding the wedge and not letting the right wrist turn over the top seems to me to end up with the shaft significantly off from pointing anywhere near the plane line. ... What am I missing?

I don't know if you're missing anything. The club head and hands will continue to trace the plane line through the exit on the other side of the body, at which point the club will re-cock (but the right hand flying wedge still remains intact). The club doesn't really get off plane or necessarily back to perpendicular - the finish can vary by the player. Mike and Andy prescribe a short follow through - "hit fast, stop fast" as Dave calls it. If you maintain the flying wedge and the pressure points under the armpits, the club naturally brakes too.

[senorchipotle]

Good questions Jetfan, I am wondering the same things lately. By "not releasing" I get nice compression, and a penetrating ballflight...but I feel like I am missing something as my shots are sort of a hold-off fade.

flatten your swing plane, and strengthen your grip a little.

[Scott_K]

flatten your swing plane, and strengthen your grip a little.

I found this interesting. I've been reading a number of threads (sway your hips, not releasing the club and ball flight laws) to get a better understanding of my driver swing. Combining some of the ideas in those threads along with strenghthing my grip a little, I've been able to cut down my dispersion with the driver which is my nemisis. Watching the masters, I picked up on stronger grip when they kept refering to Freddie. As for flattening the plane, I find it feels like I'm squatting too much. So far it's been better control, but the ball tends to go sky high.

[saevel25]

One teaching technique i always heard is extend the driver down the line through impact.

[iacas]

One teaching technique i always heard is extend the driver down the line through impact.

Not a fan of that advice. If you were to actually do that, the clubhead wouldn't be on plane anymore, and the energy you spent to keep pushing the clubhead farther from the plane would be wasted energy.

[saevel25]

Well i guess the its suppose to be a swing though. Because i think most people try to release through the ball so much they either flip there hands or cast at the ball. The best is to try to hold that wrist angle through the backswing and then unload into the ball. But if your clubhead travels inside the ball you flipped your hands. Its an issue i have. So i have concentrate on getting the clubhead to point at the target when my hands are waist high in the follow through. This keeps my hands from flipping inside and low.

[delav]

Iacas, your input is usually very helpful.

I'm confused why stack and tilt fundamentals are getting mixed with a traditional swing question in this thread. If the OP wants to incorporate a drill to release his hands, why would you muddy the waters with alternative swing ideologies without directly spelling out your intentions first?

This could be confusing for players learning their swing.

[iacas]

I'm confused why stack and tilt fundamentals are getting mixed with a traditional swing question in this thread. If the OP wants to incorporate a drill to release his hands, why would you muddy the waters with alternative swing ideologies without directly spelling out your intentions first?

Because it's not a "stack and tilt fundamental." It's simple geometry. If you're rotating the clubface from open to the plane to square to the plane - i.e. extra rotation - that's going to be difficult to time and the benefits - a half an hour more clubhead speed, maybe? - aren't worth it.

The OP never said why he wants to "release the club." Poor instructors love to tell people to release the club when they're hitting slices despite the fact that most people slice because their swing path is poor, not because their face is wildly open to the target at impact.

[delav]

The video you posted is about the proper release for a stack and tilt swing.