THE MISS
You have been going nuts trying to release the club. They talk about it all the time on TV. “Well he certainly released that one, Jim.” You have a sketchy idea of what they are talking about, but when you try it you feel like a samurai warrior fighting off a swarm of hornets. What’s going on?
 THE CURE
The word “release” in this case is a bad one, but one with which we are unfortunately stuck. There is no “releasing” going on. If everyone released their clubs we would all have to wear helmets on the golf course. Releasing the club is simply making the toe of the club face rotate left through the hitting zone.
Set up to a golf ball without a club. Place, your hands in the prayer position (fingers extended, palm to palm, and thumbs up) and turn your shoulders to the right (for right-handers) and watch your thumbs move up and to the right. As you come down, watch your thumbs go straight up at the impact position and then move down and left. As your body rotates, so do your arms and hands. As you come into your finish, your thumbs will be pointing over your left shoulder. The club face is an extension of your arms and hands. The word “release” conjures up images of relaxing grip pressure and too much wrist involvement. Think club face rotation and you will be on your way.
MAKING IT STICK
Do your 30-second swing to embed the image of club face rotation. By swinging slo-mo you can watch the toe of the club turning left at the moment of contact. As the club moves into the exit position, the toe should be as far from the lead shoulder as possible. If you have successfully rotated the toe it will be moving left and up into a fully extended finish.
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