releasing the club

[mizmx23]

I Recently Joined The Golfing Machine Forum. I Was Turned On To The Golfing Machine Through My Brother Fl John. I Have Been Having Trouble Releasing The Club Properly My Whole Golf Career. I Tend To Bring My Hands Into The Ball With The Face Open Which Results In Toe Shots And Cutting Across The Ball To The Point Of Almost Missing The Ball. Are There Any Drills I Can Do To Help With Proper Release Of The Club? Please Help

[EdZ]

From what you describe, it sounds like you might need some work on your setup. Likely that you are setting up with either open shoulders, or a right forearm that is too high. Hard to say without seeing any pics.

A good place to start is 'impact fix' - checking that your left arm and shaft are in line (face on view) and your right forearm and shaft are in line (down the line view). Taking your grip in that position (impact) can be very helpful.

As an aside, the word 'release' is used in golf often, and I think there are generally two different ways people use the term, one having to do with clubHEAD control, the other with clubFACE control.

In TGM, 'release' is basically a clubHEAD issue. In the backswing you create angles (via the 'accumulators') that are then 'released' during the downswing. For example, the right arm bends (power accumulator #1) and straightens (releases). The left wrist cocks/uncocks (accumulator #2), the left hand turns/rolls (#3) and the inert left arm moved by the upper chest (#4)

The second view of 'release' as commonly used has to do with clubFACE control - in TGM this is easy to confuse with power accumulator #3, the left hand rotation, which should not be considered clubFACE control. ClubFACE control is via what is known as 'hinge action' and is in short, keeping the left wrist verticle to one of three basic planes (either the horizontal, verticle or somewhere in between, angled).

[annikan skywalker]

Great Post EdZ...Release the Accumulators...

[FL-John]

As MixMX23 is my brother, I know his swing pretty well. Jeff is more of a swinger (start-up swivel) and likes to feel the pull down with CF. However, having some softball swing still in his game, he also likes to apply some right arm thrust (with a bit of the right shoulder coming around vs. down). I agree with the above answers, but also offered this to him:

Take a club in each hand and go to to impact fix. From there, keep the left hand/club in place, while swingwing the club in the right hand to the top. Once at the top, look, Look, LOOK to see what he needs to do to get the right arm and club in hand to meet the club left at address. As I also was a bit of an over the topper, it was eye opening to truly feel what the downswing should feel like when the right forearm comes down on plane (vs. too high).

FL-John

P.S. Don't listen to Dad!