Release the energy, not just the club.

By T.J. TOMASI

The key to power and accuracy is releasing the clubhead to the ball correctly. Energy is formed in the body, using the resistance of the ground and the body coil. This force is then multiplied by the correct use of levers, i.e., the lever formed by the fold in your trail elbow (90 degrees) and the lever put in place when you cock your wrists (90 degrees).

Once all this is in place, the energy produced must be delivered to the ball, a process called the “release” or “releasing the club.” It should really be called “releasing the energy.”

How it works

Because the swing is an inclined arc, the wrists release their 90-degree angle sideways to the ball. One of the most difficult things to do in golf is to allow this sidewinder release to happen without rolling the forearms prematurely toward the ball. “Patience” and “momentum” are the watchwords here, and if you try to help the process, energy leaks away like air from a punctured balloon.

But anatomy and physics are on your side if you will just rely on your friend momentum. When you release the wrists from the side, momentum softly nudges the two bones in your forearm (the ulna and radius) to roll over.

These two bones are responsible for rotation about the long axis of the forearm, and when your lead forearm turns palm toward the sky, the clubface closes. Thus it is the release that drives the rotation and not the rotation that releases the club — a huge difference if good shots are your thing!