In golf, we are constantly confronted with decisions: should I chip or putt, should I lay up or go for it, should I order the burger at the turn or just get a piece of fruit? One decision that you should have made a long time ago is whether to release the club face at impact or hold onto it. Not sure? Ok, let me explain.
There is much more to the term “release” than many think, but for simplicity I am going to focus on the wrists. For the release, the wrists will “hinge” on the takeaway and then “unhinge” at impact. For the “hold on”, the wrists will “hinge” on the takeaway and then hold onto, or not unhinge, the wrists at impact. The “release” opens and closes the club face during the swing whereas the “hold on” keeps the club face square or closed the entire time. Holding on through impact takes much more hand and arm strength, so I would discourage this style unless your club head speed is over 110 mph.
Decide which one of these you prefer and stick with it, changing back and forth will be extremely detrimental to your timing and consistency. The examples are Dustin Johnson “holding on” and Rory McIlroy “releasing”, notice the impact zone.
