A Collection Of Tried Golf Swing Release Drills For Newbies

The pursuit of control over golf club and swing often induces mistakes that most golfers don’t even realize committing. The swing release is one of the basic fundamentals of golf, but sadly newbies are not aware of it.

The dictionary meaning of ‘release’ is ‘to let go’. In golf, it means to let go of the club during a swing. In a swing, the release starts before the impact – when the club is waist high during the downswing and ends after impact – when the club is waist high at follow-through. Needless to say, mistakes committed during the release can result in slices or other mishit shots. Anyway, just because you’re a newbie you don’t have to live with this error. The below given drills will help you better your swing release.

Focus on Target Orientation

Sometimes nature can offer the best solutions to your problems. You might have seen big cats like tiger, leopard, etc. hunting their prey. They keep their eyes solely on the target. In golf too, rather than focusing on the swing, stance, setup, or body movement and rotation, your mind should be focused on the target. Working with your instructor, you learn the fundamentals of swing and setup. You gain a good understanding of the swing dynamics. So, don’t bother about the technique while playing the shot. If you’ve good technique and a sound swing, focusing on the target is enough to bring out the best in you.

Thinking of the target during the swing will help you concentrate, and remove all the unwanted clutter about movements and positions from your mind. A focused mind will produce a perfect swing, which will lead to a flawless release.

The Thumb Hold Drill

Get rid of the club and grip the left-hand thumb with your right hand. The grip must resemble you holding a club. Play the backswing; take your hands back till they reach shoulder high. At the end of the backswing, the thumbs must be pointing towards the sky. Proceed with the normal downswing with your forearms rotating trough impact. The follow-through must end when your arms are again shoulder high. At this stage, the right-hand must be at the top and the left-hand underneath. Again, the thumbs must be slightly pointed towards the sky. If your hands are at the right place, both at the end of the backswing and follow-through, more often than not you’ll get the swing release right.

The Club Throw Drill

To get the release right here is a fun drill. Assume the normal addressing stance and grip an old club. Don’t use a ball; you’re not hitting the ball in this drill. Okay, now swing the club and instead of hitting the ball you’ll be releasing or throwing the club. If the club flies to the sides or it goes behind you, it means you’ve to work on your release. Practice till you manage to throw or release the club down the fairway. Take care no one is around while practicing this drill.