Less than a month ago, December 30th to be exact, the daily article was titled, 'Release'¦Defined and Explained.' The opening sentences are as follows;
'Release for many golfers and for that matter instructors is a nebulous term that they know exists and they know they have to do. 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.' Neil asks a five part question below all relating to release.
Neil says:
Don
'Palms always perpendicular to the ground' is slightly confusing. I wonder if you could deal with the position of the hands just before and after impact, particularly with the longer clubs. What do you understand by the term that someone is too handsy? What, for you, constitutes a good 'release'?
Neil
The Surge says:
I decided to revisit release because Neil specifically asked for clarification of what is the position of the hands immediately before and after impact, especially with longer clubs. I will start by stating that when release is correctly done, the ball flight will be relatively straight to maybe a slight draw. Neil asks me to directly relate release to the longer clubs. I will hit the point quickly, like nuking a driver DSP, 'Dead Solid Perfect' down the middle.
Release is release and it is the same for all clubs. The Surgism for clubs that applies is, 'The ball does not know what club you are holding.' And we can add to that, 'The ball does not know who is holding the club.'
Palms perpendicular is secret #2 and relates to the fact that the PPGS is a vertical swing. When golfers swing their arms is accordance with their anatomical design, the arms swing up and down in front of their body. That means they swing their arms vertically, from 12 to 6 o'clock. When the arms swing in front of the body the palms are always perpendicular to the ground. Thus the reference to palms perpendicular to the ground throughout the swing and why the PPGS is a vertical golf swing, in harmony with gravity.
Now let's look at Neil's specific question of me explaining the position of the hands just before and after impact. This portion of the golf swing is commonly known as the 'IMPACT ZONE.' Let's describe it with a visual image so we all know what and where it is. I want you to stand in front of a wall in the address position and imagine there is a giant clock, the size and height of your body, on the wall facing you. When you look at the clock, 12 is at your head and 6 at your feet.
The impact zone for a right hander is 5 to 7. For a lefty it is 7 to 5. Sometimes the Impact Zone is expanded from 3 to 9 and 9 to 3, as these times are where the shaft is perpendicular to the ground approaching and leaving after impact. The reason for including half the clock in release is that this is the time frame where the arms, hands and club from toe up, start to release in the downswing and then fully release to toe up through the ball in the follow through.
While standing in your address position, no club in hands, swing both arms in front of your body. What do you feel happening from 5 to 7 and 7 to 5? There is a snap. I called Dr. Ned Armstrong, my physiology mentor, one night in the early 1990s, about this snap. I was re-writing my first book, 'Golf, Plain and Simple,' and I had to ask him about this snap when I was writing about what happens in the Impact Zone. I asked Doc if that snap was wrist cocking or breaking as so many golfers believe is happening. He said no. It was rotation of the arms.
He gave me a test (ya'll PLEASE now do it) asking me to stand up and swing my arms in front of my body. He then asked me what happened 2 times and where did it happen? Figured it out yet? Your hands and arms cross over and they do it at 12:00 o'clock and 6:00 o'clock. What happens at 6 o'clock? Impact!
Now, let your hands meet like clapping them at 12 and 6. When they meet they are perpendicular to the ground, your torso and, if you're addressing a ball, they are also perpendicular to the aiming line. I call this the 3 P relationship of impact. Palms are perpendicular to the ground, torso and target.
So what happens, starting at 3 for right handers and at 9 for lefties. is that the arms start rotating into the impact zone. At 5 to 7 for right handers and 7 to 5 for lefties is where the real quick snap happens that takes the club from toe up to clubface square to the aiming line for a solid on line impact. Then, in a blink of the eye, the arms rotate the club back to toe up into the follow through at 7 for the right handers and 5 for the lefties, and then on up to the T-finish.
Handsy, as Neil asks for a definition, is when a player 'over rotates' the hands through impact to where the lower hand and club is face down, causing pulls and hooks or the opposite, 'under rotates' the lower hand and club to face up, causing blocks to slices.
I believe I have addressed Neil's five questions. 1. Palms perpendicular, 2. Hands just before and after impact, 3. Release relative to longer clubs, 4. Handsy, and 5. What constitutes good release? I will now close this examination of release with the two paragraphs that ended the above mentioned article 'Release'¦Defined and Explained.' They were appropriate in that article and fit in perfectly here to also end this one. You can find that article in the archives and it would be a good read to add with this one.
'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 them 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 and CORRECTLY when you swing a limited turn vertical swing.'
The Surge!
Comments
impact zone …
this written explanation of the impact zone using a wall and a clock was very enlightening. i used a door jamb to improve my clock visual and a club on the floor to check set up. Just letting the hands free swing(no club) I could see the thumbs starting to roll to perpendicular at impact from around 7. Through 6 impact, and on to full release at 5. I found I was reaching on the back swing! Yiiipes! Explains some other issues I'm having as I convert to the PPGS. Thank you.