There's Too Much Confusion, I Can't Get No Release

Ever heard the term "release the club" but wondered just what the heck your pro or some guy on TV is talking about? I know I did, and for the longest time. No one ever explained in a way I could understand just what an early release was (which will probably give you a right-to-left shot, or a hook) or a late release (which will give you the dreaded left-to-right "slice") or right on time, which will probably give a powerful shot that's right on line.

Without going too far into physics - that tends to make non-engineers sleepy pretty quickly - what the release does is let go of all the energy that you stored up in your backswing. In its essence, it is the rotation of the hands and wrist through the impact zone, which in turn rotates the face of club while it's happening. Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. In in it's simplest terms: release equals power through greatly increased club speed. Doing it at the right time means accuracy, and power with accuracy is a great shortcut to lower scores.

Here's a great video of how and when to release that club and access all of that stored energy at the right time:



Finally, apologies to Bob Dylan for mangling the lyrics to "All Along The Watchtower" in the title.