Train Your Release
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Over the years, many golfers have compared the golf-swing to a throwing motion; even Ben Hogan has been famously quoted as saying he would like (3) right-hands during the release. While this comparison is fair, I believe it is often misunderstood. That is, I have seen this concept demonstrated with the wrong timing by players and coaches alike. Or in other words, I have seen golfers throw the ball straight down (or at roughly their ball position).
However, if we account for the proper mechanics of the trail arm, it would not be in full extension at this point. As an example, the average Tour Pro has their trail elbow bent roughly 40 degrees at impact (with a driver). Thus, we need to pay attention to where we are throwing the ball (i.e. when our arm extension occurs) and how this should change as we work our way through the bag.
Tags: Poor Contact, Not Straight Enough, Iron, Driver, Release, Concept, Intermediate
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This concept video is discussing the ball throwing timing as it relates to a golf swing.
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So many golfers and golf instructors have talked about how the golf swing is similar to
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throwing.
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Hogan talked about wanting three or eight hands and describing of it the right arm extension
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pattern as being more like a throw.
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Now what I've seen in other videos and what I've seen from students is that sometimes
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they can get confused by the timing of when that throw actually happens compared to the
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golfsball, especially with the longer clubs.
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So figured we'd break that down real quick.
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If I was going to throw a golf ball but getting golf faster and basically make a swing or
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make a throwing motion as if I was throwing a golf ball.
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As if I was hitting the golf ball, what I would find is that I wouldn't throw it at the
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golf ball so I wouldn't throw it there.
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Instead I would throw it more out towards the target and the longer the club the more that
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it would go out towards the target.
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So an iron I might be throwing it through there kind of down like that maybe with a short
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iron but then with a driver might actually look like I'm actually skipping a stone or
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throwing it almost parallel to the ground.
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So the tour average is that the trail arm is bent about 40 degrees at impact with a driver.
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Well when you release a baseball or a football the arm is closer to straight than 40 degrees.
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So the timing if we were to kind of take that throwing model and layer it on top of the
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golf model is I'm hitting the golf ball right about there even though I'm throwing the
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ball way out there.
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So the timing is different and if you're used to trying to get the feel of that throw
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there being happening into the golf ball instead of through the golf ball that's going to
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cause a predictable set of contact miss and direction miss patterns.
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So if you're struggling with taking divots being more of a picker of the golf ball
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you're struggling more with the longer clubs if you're struggling with more toe contact.
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This could be one avenue that you would want to explore.
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In order to change it you're going to have to work on how you control the club face or
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how you control low point or the feeling of the rhythm through the shot.
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Any one of those can lock you into a pattern of more trying to get that trail arm to
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straight to stone instead of having the good white movement that we talk about and having
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the arm extension timing and direction through the ball.
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So it help you visualize that.
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Here's that throwing motion and then here's that hitting motion and if you were to stop
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them both at impact they would be in the same area they'd be close to each other in
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terms of the timing and the direction of where those arms were extending.