Release for many golfers, and instructors for that matter, is a nebulous term that they know exists and they know they have to do it. The problem is they can't wrap their hands around it or get a good picture in their mind as to what it is and how to do it. Mr. Surakka expresses his dilemma about Release and seeks a definition and explanation.
Aapo Surakka says:
'Release' is a concept unclear to me. I have not found a good definition anywhere. In simple terms, what is it and what is its role in PPGS? Anybody would like to give a simple explanation?
The Surge says:
Release may be vague and unclear to most golfers. But if you want to hit the ball solid and straight you better be releasing the club at and through impact. Release is performed by the hands and arms rotating, approaching the ball, squaring the club at impact to the aiming line and then swinging up to the finish.
Here's a refresher course on forearm rotation: The arms are connected to the shoulders in a ball and socket joint. The entire arm, from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers of the hand, rotates exactly the same degree and same amount.
You can see this by extending your left arm in front of you straight out, with the palm perpendicular to the ground as if to shake hands. Turn it up and down. You can see and feel that the entire arm rotates from the shoulder. Now let's examine it closer.
Turn the palm skyward, which is rotating it externally to the left. Not much rotation this way. I can turn it barely 90 degrees to the palm facing skyward. I really feel a lot of pressure and tension build in the bottom of the elbow as it hyper extends upward. My bicep also tightens up. My shoulder hitches up and outward and tightens.
Now, turn the palm downward and inward toward the right. I am able to turn it double the amount (from its skyward position) to at least 180 degrees. Now as I reach the limit of turn the pressure and strain is on the inside top of my elbow and it does not straighten. My shoulder turns a little inward and downward but I do not feel any stress.
What does this prove? It shows, as you see and feel, that the arm rotates in the shoulder socket as an entire unit. And it shows that the muscles groups react and feel differently and have different ranges of motion in different directions.
Let's tie this up raising and extending both arms and place the hands together in the prayer position, perpendicular to the ground. Turn them together in unison to the right and left watching and feeling the movement. You see that they work in opposition to each other. Turn to the right, the left arm rises up and the palm turns down. At the same time the right arm is pushed down and the right palm turns up skyward. They move exactly opposite of each other or, as I call it, they move 'diametrically opposed' to each other.
What you just experienced is pronation and supination of the arms and hands as a unit in unison. PRONE is defined as 'lying face down or prostrate.' This is what happened when you turned the arms to the right and the left arm and palm turned downward. SUPINE is defined as 'lying on the back, face upward.' This is what happened when the right arm and palm turned upward. This is the essence of release, which I will clarify more with another example of arm movement.
Please stand up and assume your address posture, but with both arms hanging straight down from the shoulders. (Note: you will not put them together like holding a club.) Notice that they are both turned equally slightly inward as they hang. Now, swing them both back in unison in speed and lift like you are making a backswing takeaway to waist high and 'look closely' and 'feel intently' the swing motion. (Note: I will reference everything as swinging right handed.) Both hands and arms immediately lift upward and immediately rotate exactly opposite of each other. The left palm turns inward facing toward your body and the right palm turns outward away facing toward your aiming line.
Now this is critical and important. Notice also that the right in turning outward, which is OPPOSITE the direction it was facing hanging straight down, had to turn twice as much as the left and does it just as smoothly but quicker and it feels like it has more snap up than the left. This is the feeling of the takeaway lifting the club into the mitt, toe up.
Now do it again and let both arms lift and swing all the way to the top of a ¾ backswing. Notice that when you swing up all the way, there is a little shoulder turn that happens even if you did not think or trigger a shoulder turn. Swinging both hands to the right will put the shoulders into a little bit of turning. The key positions to check out at the top of the backswing are the amount of shoulder turn, the position of the left or front arm, and the position of the right or back hand. The shoulders have turned a little, in fact around 70 degrees as the PPGS limited turn describes. The left arm is over the toe line and the right arm and hand are in a position, like raised to take an oath, where the elbow to the hand is angled forward and has the hand in front of the shoulder in the perfect PPGS vertical top of backswing position.
As a drill, call this position the taking an oath position. If you also raise the left/forward hand up in the finish position, you see the angle of the elbow to hand is also forward. I believe this is proof that swinging the arms is over the toe line and in front of the body.
OK, now we can finally tie this into seeing and feeling release, making a complete backswing and then forward upswing. We will allow some shoulder and hip turn to smoothly but lazily swing the arms (still separated) because we want to see and feel the swinging motion, especially now in the transition and especially approaching impact and through to the finish. Swing both arms and hands back up to the top of the backswing, but this time transition with the hip 'bump' slide and let the hands fall. Then swing them up through impact to the finish. What do you see and feel approaching impact and through?
Both arms equally, evenly and smoothly rotate exactly opposite what hey did in the backswing. This is the law of physics that states, 'For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.' Now I ask the big and defining question regarding the NEBULOUS and elusive term and concept of RELEASE. What did you feel your arms and hands do just prior to and through impact? Snap down and up!
Yes, they snapped down and up. If you slow it down you will notice that they snapped to dead square at impact. That is palms perpendicular to the ground, perpendicular to the toe line and aiming line. This is what I call the 3 P impact relationship of palms perpendicular to 1. the ground, 2. the body, 3 the target. I also call this, in swing terms, going from toe up/thumbs up in the backswing to toe up/thumbs up in the follow through, and being in the 3 P – palms perpendicular position at impact.
Hello everyone. In doing these tests or drills you experienced the concept of the rotation of the arms and hands as a unit, from the connection of then in the shoulder socket in a ball and socket joint. When you did the full arm swing from takeaway to finish and felt the snap just before impact and through, YA'LL FELT RELEASE! That's right. RELEASE is that automatic snapping of the arm and hands to and through impact.
The best part of RELEASE is that by your anatomical design of the ball and socket joint connection of the arms and hands, the rotation and flip or snap, 'THE RELEASE' is guaranteed every time without fail. The key is it only happens CONSISTENTLY when you swing a limited turn, vertical swing.
Amazing.
The Surge!