⛳ Welcome to David Leathem Golf, where we unlock the secrets to perfecting your golf swing! In today’s golf video, im diving deep into how to release the golf club – a fundamental aspect that can transform your golf game. Join me as we explore the nuances between forearm release and body release techniques, catering to golfers with varying club face tendencies and find the correct way to release the golf club for you.
🔍 Are you struggling with an open clubface? Discover the power of the forearm release, a game-changing method utilized by golf legends like Phil Mickelson and yours truly. On the other hand, if you’re wielding a stronger clubface into impact, the body release, as seen in the swings of Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood, might be your ticket to precision.
🚫 One cardinal rule: avoid the mix-up! I’ll guide you through the pitfalls of combining these golf club release styles, emphasizing the importance of committing to one approach. In the video, I’ll unveil my personal favorite way to release the golf club, showcasing how it minimizes the rate of closure on the club, resulting in consistently straighter golf shots.
📽️ Ready to take your golf swing to the next level? Watch the full video for in-depth insights, step-by-step guidance, and actionable tips. Like, comment, and share with your fellow golf enthusiasts – let’s build a vibrant golfing community together!
🌐 And before you go, check out www.gxgolfgloves.com for premium leather gloves at an unbeatable price. Use code DAVID at checkout for an exclusive 10% discount. Elevate your game, elevate your gear!
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Hey gers and welcome back to my channel in today’s video we’re going to talk about release there’s two types which one are you are you trying to put in Implements of One release and it’s not matching what you currently do so in today’s video I’m going to talk about
The two releases going to show you how to check and see which one you are and also my thoughts on the most consistent and the one that we should all be striving for okay guys so before we get started looking at these releases if you haven’t done so already don’t forget to
Hit the like button hit the Subscribe button and let’s get started so the two types of releases that we can have in the GOL swing one is forearm release so arms coming through this way number two is body release now it’s really important that you understand this because we do
Not want to mix the two things up you’re going to have characteristics in your swing which is going to suit a forearm release more or a body release and as I say it’s important that we don’t mix the two up so let’s dive into the forearm release first what we’re going to see
Through the golf ball is quite an active closing of the club that’s this motion done with the forearms it’s not wrists if you look that the wrists really only work up and down and back and forwards it’s actually the forearm that creates the rotation on the forearm release or the
Roll release okay now the other one is a body release right so as we’re coming through if you can imagine imine D into impact we’re not doing a whole lot with the forearms and we’re using our body quite aggressively quite a lot through the ball to release the club now what do we
See from most golfers what do I see from most golfers open Club faces you’ll know that if you’ve watched my channel for any amount of time you will know that that is the common tendency amongst the golfing population open Club faces okay now for the guy who is maybe working on
Body rotation body release but doesn’t have the club face in the right spot that can lead to trouble so we have top and we’re going to refer to P6 which is the last parallel Square in this position is here which matches our spine this your body release guys you can
Release your body all you like and keep that club face really stable throughout the entire motion most of the time though down into this P6 position we’re going to see the face very open this is you guys that do not want to try and use your body because this
Ball will go weak high right and really really struggle to strike it okay so when you get into that position this is something that you can check on camera where are you if you get your phone you get slowmo on you will see the quality
Is good good enough to go to here and check are you there or here right if you’re here you do not want body release you actually want to be that guy who has a little bit of forearm release to square that club face up so we come
Down we’re open instead of the body release we’re going to use forearm and we’re going to be able to square that face up granted maybe not as consistent as the body release guys okay body release you do not want to then incorporate the forearm rule because if
Your Club face is in this position coming down P6 remember much more Square matching your spine you don’t want to start incorporating the forearms Because the ball will go way to the left so you guys have the green light to start to use the body more and less forearm the guys that are open in this position are going to need to use almost less body and a little more forearm okay sounds
Mad but I just know that a lot of people get these mixed up a lot of people try and turn their body but their face isn’t in the position here in order to do so and then there might be some guys who have always been open here worked really hard hard on their
Swing and got the face much better in this position but because they were always open they’ve had to use forearm they’re now here they’re still using forearm going left and thinking to themselves this isn’t working I don’t need to do this why is this not working
Because you now need to if you’re better there you now need to start to use the body release okay so let me talk about which one I prefer and this boils down to a thing called called rate of closure and it’s really really important if you want to hit nice straight consistent gol
Shots so if our goal in Gulf Club face is King to get that club face Square onto the golf ball at impact after we’ve made our back swing down swing everything we need to talk about read closure okay think of it logically if your Club face is coming down as we
Talked in that P6 position and it’s open to get to the ball and be square it’s had to move through quite a big range of motion this way now think of it like opening and closing of a door that club face is square for a split second I’m
Not saying you can’t play good golf from there it’s kind of how I play golf um Phil mikkelson and other golfers but think of that that’s called a high rate of closure the club phe is moving through a big range of motion here and for that Split Second at Square coming
In there’s open Square then close so sometimes it can be good for a very high skilled sort of hand gu coordination very athletic person to be able to coordinate that to get the golf ball to behave majority of the time other guys like Victor hin or most of the guys
You’re going to see on TV they are going to arrive in that P6 position down here with the face much more turned down which means that they don’t really have any rolling to do they can use their body so that club face is going to be moving through a very low rate of
Closure therefore in my opinion a lot more consistent now there are benefits and drawbacks to both this one can tend to be more for the I guess athletic stronger because it’s maybe not as quick as being able to get the club and farther if you’re in a like me and you
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Bit of cash as well the forearm at it get some real good release into it and this other one is going to be more driven by your body which is strong but maybe not as quick as the hands and arms okay so in my opinion decide which one of them you are
Just don’t mix the two of them me personally I would love and you’ll know from watching my channel I like Club face to be more turned down in this P6 position to allow that all you really have to do from there is use the body and it can be
Really really good and really consistent because from here more Square P6 watch my body do everything here and my forearms do very little I can arrive in a club face position out here with a Leading Edge again matching my spine okay guys so just want to get this
One out there it’s really important don’t mix the two roll Release Body release which one are you and which one do you want to strive to be all right guys thank you so much for tuning in any questions please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed today’s video
Please don’t forget to hit the like button hit the Subscribe button and I’ll see you guys in the next one
24 Comments
Thanks David. This lesson was interesting. I was trained to rotate my forearms through strike but switched to a body release a few years back. I agree with you the body release has produced much more consistency for me. After watching your video the penny dropped as my tendency with the body release is to still rotate my arms after the strike, which results in everything drawing and frequent dirty big hooks (in particular when using a hybrid…I have a love hate relationship with hybrids). As a golfer who used to hit those high weak slices with the forearm release I am just fine with the draw pattern that body release has brought me. I will practice on reducing my forearm release. Great content as always! Slainte!
Like a lot of people I learned the roll release first. Then after having issues with hooks I've been trying to learn the body release. I've been struggling with the roll release while doing this body release making my left misses even more drastic as you mentioned. I have made sure that I'm not coming over the top but I feel like I might be opening up too quickly and I notice when you demonstrate this you swing back and then come down to paralell before you turn. Is this intentional or do you feel you are turning straight from the top? Please clarify the entire movement from the top of the backswing. Thanks!
body release trajectory will be lower and more controllable and direct to the target but not as long I find.
My tendency has been an open face in that P6 position. I’ve been doing your drill with the hanger on the grip to feel the closing of the club face. I’ve seen much improvement with that. Thank you for your videos.
BRILLIANT!!! this is what I get stuck between!!! When i was younger (god that makes me feel old to say) I was all body, but when i hurt my hip i had to change to a hands release, slowly trying to get back to the full body swing
Thanks, how about driver?
This was great explanation! I'm a low single digit and definitely a body release guy… I've always been known for my iron consistency and short game because of it. I just struggle to close the club face with driver for some reason. I think the club being far forward in my stance and being "behind the ball" creates an illusion where square feels extremely shut for me… Controlling the club face with an iron just feels so easy and natural… There's not one combination of traj and shape I can't hit on demand with any iron. Hitting up on the ball seems to lose my sense of the club face and path. Does what you explained apply exactly to driver as well?
I agree that both can work just fine and like you said, you have to chose which one you like more 👍 If you want natural effortles speed, then roll your hands. If you have strong core and flexible body, then body rotation is good way to get very more controlled and repeatable swing.
Very good explanation. I was taught the L to L toe up. I got back into golf and took lessons and was taught the body release, I couldn’t pick up the concept until recently after seeing my current coach. Playing very good golf.
I play both ways sometimes. Forearm roll is a great way to add effortless speed. I tend to use this method more, when playing a high draw. I feel like the arms, and body stay more connected, and I’m mainly just allowing the club to swing more freely. My strike, and distance is better, but I struggle with direction a little bit swinging this way. However, if I’m trying to hit a tight fairway, or pin hunting, I’m using the body swing. I’ll feel more like I’m keeping the face more square to the arc, throughout the entire swing. I’ll also turn more aggressively from the top, which naturally kicks the club out a bit. Then through impact, I’ll add some right side bend, which helps stabilize the face. This swing feels a little more restrictive, and doesn’t usually go as far. Strike even suffers a little sometimes. However, it comes out as a very predictable baby fade, almost every time. Great video! I don’t see people compare these two styles very often.
I’ve just stumbled on to your channel and found this very interesting and helpful. However, when I look at Rory McIIroy and others, whilst you can see the body release, you can also see them roll their forearms. In fact, on YouTube if you look at World Class Golf videos he specifically shows the body release and forearms rolling of the tour players. Is it, therefore, a combination of both and more importantly a matter of getting the timing right? Again Rory is a great example of this, when his timing is off, his miss is usually left as his natural shape is a draw.
Very interesting, I toe the iron in slightly before taking my grip and hit a soft draw which i like, what do you think of this method David?
Does one provide more speed/power than the other?
greath video, can you make one video Whats happen with the hands after impact in both cases?
Underrated channel!
Very detailed and very nice 💯
I've watch way too many golf videos but never seen this. Cheers!
I know the importance of release but never had the terminology that you so clearly explained today. TY
I think that I've been a blender for a while. Sometimes I've managed well but there are times when I angle the club head in P6 to execute a body release only to find that I'm using my arms only, and duck hook it into the cabbage. Strangely enough, this only happens in my irons. I'm pretty straight with my driver. Thanks again I'll check out your other videos.
Lot of good information here, nice work.
Good points!
Thanks man. Im on my way to the range now 😅
Which method gives more speed because you need club head speed for distance. My own opinion is that the snap of the wrists used in the forearm rotation method would be faster than trying to turn your whole upper body to generate speed and finally which one is better for an old guy 73 like me? Your thoughts?
David do you recommend anything for me ? I am struggling with consistency I used to pure my irons and wedges just be weight slightly forward and start off in the impact position and just turn my body thinking of an in to out path but now I’m struggling with no power shots getting no height and coming over the top swiping even when I’m having an out to in feeling . I think my grip is inconsistent do you have any tips for addressing the golf ball and some ideas I can use to help with consistent divots
Well this is a revelation. And something I've never heard before. Everyone else says you need to hinge your wrists, get a good body swing, then unhinge. I can't do it and see very few who can. It would be nice if all the instructors would get on the same page for once. Imagine if all driving instructors had a different technique, you'd have chaos on the roads. Like we have now on the course.