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Single Arm Wedge Release Discussion

Understanding the difference between the stock swing release and the finesse wedge release can be a real eye opener for a lot of low handicap golfers. If you are a 90's shooter, this is probably a little too technical, but as you understand and play more, you will find the difference helpful as well. One of the most frustrating things is when you can have success with one part of your game but struggle mightily with another. 

Full Swing release is to get leading edge contact with shaft lean and compress the golf ball. Finesse wedge is to get ground and ball contact at the same time with only a slightl shaft lean and more of a controlled swing. This difference requires different release patterns.

Watch to learn how the trail and lead arm differ in each swing in this video.

Playlists: Train Your Release, Finesse Wedge - Chipping and Pitching

Tags: Pitch, Chip, Release, Concept, Advanced, Intermediate

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This video, we're going to discuss the difference between the single arm releases for the

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full swing as the wedge swing or the finesse wedge swing.

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So I, with good golfers, so golfers under about a 10-handy cap, if you're aware enough

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of what your body is going on or if you're aware enough of what your body is doing,

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I really like to separate the release.

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There's a big advantage to if you know exactly what the right arm should do and you know

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what the left arm should do and they're both trying to do the same thing to the club

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as opposed to having each hand kind of doing whatever it wants and hoping that I coordinated

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and it just works out.

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So one of the, one of the questions that I get is the, when I teach the finesse wedge feels very

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different than the full swing.

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And there's a reason for that as I explain in the finesse wedge, we want to be weak, we want

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to be controlled as opposed to kind of power and striking.

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So there's some key differences in the release and we'll go through both the right and

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the left hand.

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So if I was to make the, let's say the stock swing, single arm release with the right hand,

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it's going to be a lot more of this extension movement and you can see the grip actually

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works away from me during that release as my arm does that kind of wipe and shot put

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movement working more across my body.

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So it gets to here as I release that was okay but we can do better.

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So I'm going to get to here and then that was a good one.

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So now you can see the increased distance, you can see if I turn and face you and did

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that the club face is kind of closed and this is on top and it's come from a more kind

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of closed position.

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So if I'm doing down the line, you would see that as I start down, this is already starting

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to close which will allow my body to rotate because I'm going to be in very different body

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impact alignments compared to the finesse wedge.

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So now if I did the finesse wedge with a seven iron, this is a little bit trickier, but

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basically it's going to rotate open and then as it comes through it's going to stay much closer

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to my body and kind of work around my body with the pivot kind of like that.

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So now if I did that facing in the camera, you'd see that finished position for the finesse

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wedge is going to be much more close to my body compared to that full swing.

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So the reason why these releases are going to be different is my goal for hitting the golf

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club is totally different.

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On the finesse wedge I want the shaft pretty much vertical, bottoming out using the bounce,

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hitting the ground in the ball close to the same time.

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Not a lot of shaft lean, more for control.

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With the full swing I'm trying to hit ball before the ground so the club has to continue

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extending away so that's why the grip has to work away for me.

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Now if we did the left hand version, it's going to mirror what the right hand version is

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going to do so I'm going to get it to about waist height for the stock full swing.

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I'm going to close the club face and then I'm going to rotate my body through but you can

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see it still see there's a good amount of distance on the way through.

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So you can see that increased distance if I turn and faced that club faces in a much more

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kind of closed position and the only reason this wrist is still flat at that point is

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because my right hand hasn't overpowered it.

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So if I'm just doing the left hand it's more flat and out kind of like so.

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If I was to do the finesse wedge version it's going to finish in a very different position

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that wasn't very good.

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I kind of used my full swing body movement so we'll get that better.

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That was pretty good.

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So now if I turn and faced you it finishes a lot more kind of close to my body club faces

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more in a neutral position.

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So that full swing one, the single arm releases together are trying to get the club to

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work out away from me, increasing that arc with the increasing that flat spot with the

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finesse wedge there's very little flat spot to this shot.

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So as a result I'm going to have very different hand mechanics.

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Now if you're struggling with one part of your game if you're really good at chipping

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but you struggle with the full swing or if you're really good with the full swing but

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you struggle with the chipping and pitching there's a good chance that the release is at

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least somewhat involved.

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So figure out which one you struggle with which shouldn't be too hard but then try to

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identify by going through and doing some of these drills why you're struggling with it so

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that you can ultimately make some long-term improvement to both your release and your

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pivot pattern.

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Another quick little point is when we're doing these finesse or the single arm releases

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the sequencing is going to be very, very important.

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So when I'm doing the single arm releases with the stock full swing you'll see that my lower

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body clearly leads I'm pushing through the ground to apply the force to the club and

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I'm creating some of this tilt inside bend and rotation.

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My body is leaving and all my arm is doing is kind of this simple little release move

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just like that where it's basically just rolling over in order to hit it straight.

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So it's just rotating kind of like so.

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When I'm doing the finesse wedge you'll see that I have a lot less body leading it's

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a lot more of this club kind of dropping.

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In fact one of the things that I personally feel but I don't have any good data for

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it so I don't it's not an absolute it's just something that I personally feel is in the

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full swing I'm going to feel like I'm basically applying force in the direction of the club

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face so I'm basically pushing the club and then my body kind of triggers the release

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and I'm still kind of pushing even though the hand pad says that I'm not and there's

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no way that I'm actually am something that I definitely feel with the finesse wedge to

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swings I feel like I'm pushing more perpendicular or almost straight down so I feel like I'm pushing

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straight along the club base as opposed to perpendicular to the club face.

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That allows my arms to kind of lead and not get too much shaffling for those finesse wedge shots.

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So hopefully that combination of what the arm is doing in by itself and how the body is working with it

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will help you understand whichever single arm release you may be struggling with.

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Once you have a good feeling you can put both hands on and you can either work on the finesse wedge

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or you can work on your 9 to 3 more in the stock full swing style.

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You'll see that it is a challenge to jump back and forth between the two but with my

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close to scratch players this is definitely something that I'll have them do and then once they have a decent

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feel you can go ahead and hit some full shots.

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