First, I want to say how much I enjoy reading everyone's post here and what a great attitude this forum has. I finally hooked up with a TGM instructor and also picked up the little yellow book. Went from shooting in the 110's to shooting in the high 80s. Made me a believer.
To my question:
On the downswing, what does a proper release feel like in the hands? Should you feel a "releasing" sensation in your hands or should there be lack of any feeling? I ask this because I was working on my swing last night playing around with different releases and realized when I was trying to do an automatic snap release, I actually couldn't feel a release per se. It was just this constant momentum with no change in feeling direction or acceleration (that I could tell). But sometimes I would try to whip the club around to get a bit more club head speed and feel a release. That's what I thought a proper release should feel like. Now I'm starting to think this lack of feeling in the hands is what a proper release should actually feel like?
Is there a sensation in the hands during the release that tells me I'm doing it correctly (an on plane automatic snap)? I've tried to look, look, look, but oops, downswing blackout.. One of the parts I am able to monitor is the feeling of the club in my hands.
Is there a sensation in the hands during the release that tells me I'm doing it correctly (an on plane automatic snap)? I've tried to look, look, look, but oops, downswing blackout.. One of the parts I am able to monitor is the feeling of the club in my hands.
I have a good release when I can get to, what I call, "Informed Indifference". I can feel everything and know where my hands are all the way down and through to arms straight. If all is well I feel #2 break on plane and #3 on top of shaft then left wrist "roll" to vertical and #3 is behind the shaft. #4 is still keeping everything moving. If I am lucky I get that clear "whack" and I am happy because something just happened that I was quite indifferent about milliseconds before.
That is my swinging feel. May be wrong but that is my present feel.
After one year of working on the release I feel I am finally getting some where. I have blocked it for years working on impact, wall of china, impact bag and I was good at it - the result was blocking it.
Golfgnome told me to forget about the details just hit the hell out of it. I think sometime we are to focused on the details of what we read on the forum. After you have studied all of this stuff there is a time to just hit it. I know with my 10 2 D grip I have to come thru knuckles up. I know the clubhead had to pass the hands. I am aware of hinging. I am aware of karate chop and hands to the plane. If you are swinging the left arm it will almost work automatically and everything will line up. If you try to exert too much control - at least for me I screw up. I now feel centrifugal force "throwing the club naturally" down the line and everything working. Of course I remember Lynn's get around, get around comment. I found Lynn's video on the on plane motion of the left arm, where is cocks up and uncocks forcefully into the ground and then points out that the same motion is carried out on plane from the top to impact has been helpful. Instead of using the pivot to get around I use the momentum of the release to carry me to a full finish. The power from impact to finish is a shoulder and arm momentum thing - not hips. Swing down on plane after a proper back swing, clearing the hips, sitting down to a firm base or firm left side and letting it go mindlessly works for me. Lynn taught me to load no 2 pp so I monitor 3 and 4 and unload 2 shooting the tee or marble at the ball, Lynn's drill with the dowel on shoulder pointing at ball tracing down the plane line as helped. Putting a dowel with a "noodle" on it several yard out in front and trying to hit it with the ball has helped. I have worked for years on good fundamentals, tracing, impact fix, proper alignment, watched all the videos but now it is time to forget about details I have worked on. It is put up or shut up time. Work with my teacher and practice, practice, practice, play, play and play. The point is to get it into the hole in the fewest strokes. I have enough knowledge I just have to know how to use it. That is where an instructor comes in. My "chickens are hatching" and I am thankful for the help of the forum and the help I have had from Lynn and TFM instructors.
Last edited by david sandridge : 07-23-2010 at 07:26 PM.
Reason: clarity
The feel of a release depends on the pattern/hinge.
hold your left arm out in front of you, thumb up/back of the left hand to your target, at shoulder high.
A horizontal hinge motion feels like a 90 turn back, 180 degree roll through.
Lots of turn/roll feel. Sequenced release. Let the palm turn down and then make a karate chop on plane and then let it roll.
An angled hinge motion feels like no roll at all. On this plane, think frisbee throw.
Now take those same feels to the angled plane.
that horizontal hinge turn/roll 'feel' - is actually keeping the left wrist vertical to the ground (relative to the left shoulder and the ground).
the left shoulder is the hinge on the door. The straightening right arm controls how it shuts.
so on the 'tilted roof' plane, by turning and rolling, your left wrist is staying vertical - like it was in the frisbee toss feel on the horizontal plane -
That might be confusing to some, but remember, the left wrist is either vertical to the ground, or vertical to the angled plane
In a nutshell - if you are swinging, feel that 'door' open and slam it shut.
if you are hitting - feel that frisbee throw on the tilted roof
__________________
"Support the On Plane Swinging Force in Balance"
"we have no friends, we have no enemies, we have only teachers"
Simplicity buffs, see 5-0, 1-L, 2-0 A and B 10-2-B, 4-D, 6B-1D, 6-B-3-0-1, 6-C-1, 6-E-2
The feel of a release depends on the pattern/hinge.
hold your left arm out in front of you, thumb up/back of the left hand to your target, at shoulder high.
A horizontal hinge motion feels like a 90 turn back, 180 degree roll through.
Lots of turn/roll feel.
Actually holding the arm out straight at shoulder height the horizontal hinge (HH) will have ZERO roll just like a swinging door. It is only on the angled golfing plane that we get the swivel/roll when using HH.
The feel of a release depends on the pattern/hinge.
hold your left arm out in front of you, thumb up/back of the left hand to your target, at shoulder high.
A horizontal hinge motion feels like a 90 turn back, 180 degree roll through.
Lots of turn/roll feel. Sequenced release. Let the palm turn down and then make a karate chop on plane and then let it roll.
An angled hinge motion feels like no roll at all. On this plane, think frisbee throw.
Now take those same feels to the angled plane.
that horizontal hinge turn/roll 'feel' - is actually keeping the left wrist vertical to the ground (relative to the left shoulder and the ground).
the left shoulder is the hinge on the door. The straightening right arm controls how it shuts.
so on the 'tilted roof' plane, by turning and rolling, your left wrist is staying vertical - like it was in the frisbee toss feel on the horizontal plane -
That might be confusing to some, but remember, the left wrist is either vertical to the ground, or vertical to the angled plane
In a nutshell - if you are swinging, feel that 'door' open and slam it shut.
if you are hitting - feel that frisbee throw on the tilted roof
That's exactly what my instructor was telling me this weekend. What I felt was my "release" was actually swinging with an angled hinge aka trying to steer it a bit. After working on horizontal hinging (especially the rolling of the forearms), that lack of feeling I thought was good release was actually me performing a horizontal hinge correctly!
Actually holding the arm out straight at shoulder height the horizontal hinge (HH) will have ZERO roll just like a swinging door. It is only on the angled golfing plane that we get the swivel/roll when using HH.
Correct - on the horizontal plane
on the angled plane, you must turn/roll to keep that left wrist vertical to the ground
the 'feel' of that, the horizontal hinge on the angled plane, is what I am showing in the drill
__________________
"Support the On Plane Swinging Force in Balance"
"we have no friends, we have no enemies, we have only teachers"
Simplicity buffs, see 5-0, 1-L, 2-0 A and B 10-2-B, 4-D, 6B-1D, 6-B-3-0-1, 6-C-1, 6-E-2
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