For Max Power, You Must Release Freely

Part of the problem that plagues golfers who feel they aren’t getting any power in their swinging comes from the failure to release freely on the down swing.

I’m sure a good portion of swingers who don’t release fully are simply inhibited because they fear the actual impact moment and so they try to “push” the club through the ball without releasing the club head.

Another reason is the “hold-off” they see pros performing in their swings, usually because they are deathly afraid of hooking the ball or pulling it, when the reason a pro hooks the ball is usually because they come in too inside-out and the club head snaps shut.

So you will see things like Jordan Spieth’s “chicken-wing” through impact:

… and then people wonder why a 6’1″ pro golfer is so short-hitting, when the reason is right there to see.

On the converse, a swinger with massive power and speed, such that he only has to swing at 75-80% of his top end, like a Tony Finau, has a great release through the ball:

To be honest, when you are set up properly and make anything approaching a decent swing action, the club will release naturally at the bottom due to gravity and centrifugal forces of the club swinging from the hands:

This is not “flipping” or “casting” the club, because that is when you release the club early (before the swing bottom).

For efficient power production, you must release that club fully and freely coming down and through from the top – or rather, you must allow the club to release, and here’s an angle you don’t see a lot, showing how naturally I release the club:

You can actually see the whipping action as the club reaches bottom and then flashes past the camera, but let’s slow it down even more to see that natural and free release through the bottom:

If the fear of releasing naturally and freely is keeping you tied up in your swing, then you could try just swinging a club with no ball on the tee a few times, and clip the tee while releasing naturally through the bottom.

Then, put a ball on the tee and make a swing without changing the release.

If it’s a bad result, then you know that it’s either your setup or your actual swing action causing the problem.

Work on that, and I can guarantee you that if you begin to release naturally through the ball when you haven’t been, the increase in speed and distance will absolutely amaze you.