Lesson Notes: Master Your Release and Close the Face
The Goal: To train the brain and body to feel comfortable closing the clubface through impact while maintaining proper golf posture and rotation.
1. The Tee Representation Drill
- Before hitting actual balls, practice with golf tees.
- To your brain, a tee represents a ball, allowing you to make a “real” swing without the anxiety of the result.
- Focus entirely on the feeling of the clubface closing as it passes through the impact zone.
2. Maintaining Forward Bend
- A common mistake when trying to release the club is losing posture and standing up too tall.
- You must stay in your “forward bend” (posture) throughout the rotation.
- The goal is not to just rotate the forearms in isolation, but to integrate that release into a full, rotating body movement.
3. Rotation is Key
- Don’t flip the wrists while standing still. Keep your body moving.
- The release happens naturally when you combine a comfortable forearm rotation with a continuous body turn.
FAQ
Q: Why use a tee instead of a ball?
A: Using a tee tricks the brain into making a full swing but removes the pressure of the outcome. It’s an intermediate step to help you “feel” the release before you introduce the physics of a ball strike.
Q: I feel like I’m flipping my wrists. Is that the same as releasing?
A: No. “Flipping” often happens when the body stops rotating. A true release occurs when the forearms rotate to square the face while the body continues to turn through the shot in its original posture.
