golf column Selected 19-point advice for releasing the club properly (3)

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Backswing is important as it decides how you start your downswing and hit your ball. However, even more important is what you do to start your downswing properly and swing your club full tilt. You need to know a couple of methods of release that suit you.

Being aware of how you release and relaxing, your body will naturally respond properly. You’ll eventually swing your club back and down on plane, and strike your ball powerfully. A proper release of your own will ensure you create the fastest swing speed and keep your clubface square through your shot. Purge your mind of your bias and your preconceptions, and try out the following tips:

1. Let your right arm stay lower than your left arm at impact

Another way to release properly is keeping your right arm tucked close to your body. Letting your right arm flail outside your left arm on the downswing, you cannot release your club properly. You’ll incur the nasty slice. That shows you’ve come over the top to cut across the ball.

To release your club correctly, you need to swing your club down inside the target line. Toward this end, you need to keep your right arm close to your body as you start your downswing. Keeping your right arm lower than your left arm just before impact, you’ll automatically speed up your release.

To create a powerful impact, you need to keep your right shoulder lower than your left armpit through your shot. This automatically leaves your right arm lower than your left arm when your club catches your ball.

2. Let your left elbow point to your left hip coming down

If your left arm does not work correctly on the downswing, you cannot release your club properly. Just pulling your left arm down from the top, you have to adjust your swing at the last minute to release your club properly. Otherwise, you cannot square the clubface, let alone hit your ball as far as you want.

Make sure you rotate your left forearm counterclockwise as you come down so it points to your left hip. Granted you need to keep your head still. When you’re hitting your driver off the tee, leave your left ear behind your ball. When you’re hitting an iron, leave your left cheek behind your ball.

If your left elbow points at the target, you're pulling, not rotating. This inflicts nasty slices on you.

To get your left-arm rotation down right, shorten your backswing, and then practice rotating your left arm through. Doing this correctly, you'll feel as if you're directing the head of your club outward toward your ball. This shows that you’re releasing fully through your shot.

3. Hinge your wrists straight up and down

To swing your club on plane, you need to hinge your hands and wrists straight up and down. That way you can release your club properly.

Hold your 7-iron in front of your chest with the club shaft resting horizontally to the ground. Then, lift the club over your right shoulder. Feel how your wrists hinge to let your club move upward. That's how you need to lever your club upward on the backswing.

Now, let your club fall by unhinging your wrists straight downward as if you’re carrying out a karate chop. To release your club properly, you need to make the same unhinging motion during your forward swing.

4. Picture yourself throwing a basketball into the basket

To increase your swing speed to the maximum, you need to release your club at the right moment. Just imagine you’re a basketball player throwing a ball into the basket with an effortless wrist flick. That’ll help you hold your right wrist hinge until late in your downswing and let it go just before impact. You’ll eventually release your club properly and unleash your power fully into your ball through your shot.

5. Feel your club shaft bend

When properly loaded and unloaded, your club shaft helps you unleash great power into your ball. When harnessed properly, it will load and unload just like cracking a whip.

Your club shaft bends naturally on the downswing. Think of bending your club shaft halfway down. That will help you take full advantage of the flex in your club shaft and release your club fully. You’ll eventually strike your ball the way you crack a whip. Critically, that promotes good rhythm and tempo, plus balance, which helps you whack your ball firmly.

6. Imagine you’re hitting a slap shot in hockey

To release your club properly, you need to keep your chest facing the ball at impact, with your left hip cleared. Your head remains behind your ball, and your left side straightens as your right side turns. You need to keep your hands slightly ahead of the head of your club with your left wrist flat and your right wrist bent.

To achieve these, just imagine you’re hitting a slap shot in hockey. Hockey players compress the stick into the puck, pinching it off the ice. Carrying out the same move, you’ll release your club fully and hit your ball far and straight to your satisfaction.