How to Release in a Golf Swing

Letting the clubhead go through impact is the source of effortless power and accuracy, yet for most golfers, the release feels like an elusive, complicated move. You’ve probably heard advice like release the club or turn your hands over, but this often leads to more confusion and poor shots. This guide will clear up the mystery, explaining what the release really is, common mistakes golfers make, and giving you practical drills to develop a powerful, consistent release that happens naturally.

What is the Golf Release? (Hint: It’s Not a Conscious Flip)

First, let’s get rid of a common misconception. The release in a golf swing is not a harsh, last-second wrist flip or a forced forearm rotation. When golfers try to consciously make this happen, it almost always ends in a hook or a thin shot. Think of it less as an action you do and more as something you allow to happen.

At its core, the release is the natural un-hinging of the wrists and rotation of the arms through the impact zone, allowing the clubhead to accelerate past your hands.

Imagine this: throughout the backswing and the start of the downswing, your wrists are "hinged," creating an angle between your lead arm and the club shaft. This angle is a primary source of stored power. The release is simply the unwinding of that stored power. It’s what happens when a properly sequenced downswing - led by your body rotating - catches up and pulls your arms and the club through. The speed and inertia of the clubhead cause it to “release” past your hands right through impact. It’s a consequence, not a cause.

It All Starts with the Engine: Your Body

The coaching material we rely on emphasizes that the golf swing is a rotational action powered by the body. The arms are merely extensions of that rotation. When you focus on turning your torso and hips through the shot, they pull the arms along. This continuous rotation is what creates the space and time for the club to release passively and powerfully. If your body stops turning at impact (a very common fault), the only thing left to do is flip your hands at the ball in a weak attempt to generate speed. A great release starts with a great pivot.

Body Release vs. Hand Release: What’s the Difference?

You may hear people talk about different “types” of releases. In simple terms, they mostly boil down to what a player is focusing on. For our purpose as golfers looking for consistency, understanding the two main feelings is helpful for diagnostics.

The Body-Driven Release (More Consistent)

Modern golf instruction, including our core philosophy, is built around this concept. This is where the release is a product of excellent body rotation. Here’s the sequence:

• Your lower body starts the downswing.
• Your torso and chest continue to rotate towards the target through the ball.
• This rotation pulls your arms down and through impact, keeping them connected to your chest.
• Because your body keeps turning aggressively, the clubhead is essentially flung past your hands.

The feeling is one of the club, arms, and body moving together as a unit through impact. Your hands feel relatively "quiet." This is the path to consistency because it relies on the large, stable muscles of your body, not the small, finicky muscles in your hands and wrists.

The Hand/Arm-Driven Release (More Timing-Reliant)

This is a more "traditional" feeling where the forearms and hands are more active in rotating over each other through impact. Many all-time greats used this style effectively. However, for the average amateur, it can introduce serious timing issues. One day you time it perfectly and hit beautiful draws, the next day, you’re hitting snap-hooks and blocks because your timing is just a hair off. Trying to force this type of release is often the root cause of the dreaded "flip."

For most golfers, focusing on a body-driven release is the simpler and more reliable path to better golf.

Common Release Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Understanding what goes wrong is half the battle. Here are the three most common release faults we see and how to identify them in your own swing.

1. Casting (The Early Release)

This is arguably the most common power-killer in golf. Casting is releasing the wrist angles far too early in the downswing, usually right from the very top. Instead of storing that power, you’re throwing it away before you even get to the ball.

• What it feels like: An urge to "hit" the ball from the top using your hands and arms. It often feels powerful, but the result is the opposite.
• What it looks like: The angle between your lead arm and the club shaft is lost near the start of the downswing. The clubhead is "thrown" outside the proper swing plane.
• The Result: A steep swing, deep divots behind the ball, slices (from an out-to-in path), and a massive loss of power and distance.
• The Fix: The fix is to feel the downswing starting from the ground up. Initiate with a slight lateral hip bump toward the target, followed by rotation. Feel like you are keeping your back to the target for as long as possible while the club drops into position.

2. Flipping (A Stalled Body Release)

A "flip" is a scooping motion with the hands and wrists right at impact. This is almost always a compensation for a body that has stopped rotating. To get the club on the ball, the hands have to take over and flick the clubhead forward.

• What it feels like: A frantic, weak flick at the bottom of the swing. The feeling of the clubhead passing your hands way too early.
-

The lead wrist breaks down (cups) through impact instead of staying flat or slightly bowed. The club handle slows down dramatically while the clubhead flips past. -

Thin shots, chunked shots, high and weak ball flight with no compression. -

Keep your body rotating! The feeling should be that your chest and belt buckle are pointing at the target (or even left of it for righties) at the finish. Continuous rotation pulls the hands through impact, preventing the need to flip.

3. Holding On (The "Chicken Wing")

This is essentially the anti-release. Out of fear of hooking the ball or just pure tension, the golfer prevents the arms from extendings and the club from releasing at all. The body pivots, but the arms get stuck and pull into the body after impact.

• What it feels like: A jammed, restricted, and powerless feeling. A sense that you are steering the club through impact.
• What it looks like: The lead elbow bends and points away from the body right after impact, creating the classic "chicken wing" shape.
• The Result: Weak, high slices and pushes. No feeling of effortless acceleration through the ball.
• The Fix: Feel your lead arm stay straight and your trail arm extend and rotate over your lead arm *after* impact. The goal is to feel your arms extending "down the line" toward the target.

Actionable Drills to Master a Natural Release

Enough theory. The best way to learn the feeling of a proper release is with drills. Find an open space and make some swings without a ball first to get the sensation.

Drill 1: The Nine-to-Three Swing

This is a fantastic drill for feeling how body rotation and clubhead speed work together.

1. Take your normal setup.
2. Make a shortened backswing, only taking the club back until your lead arm is parallel to the ground (the 9 o’clock position).
3. From here, simply rotate your body through to a finish where your trail arm is parallel to the ground (the 3 o’clock position).
4. Focus on the “swoosh.” Listen for the sound of the clubhead accelerating. It should be loudest after where the ball would be. Don't try to make the swoosh with a wrist flick, create it by turning your chest and hips aggressively through the impact zone.

Drill 2: The Towel Connection Drill

This drill forces your arms and body to swing in sync, promoting a body-driven release.

1. Place a small towel or an extra golf glove under each armpit.
2. Take half to three-quarter swings. The goal is to keep the towels pinched in place throughout the swing.
3. If you get "armsy" and swing independently of your body, the towels will drop.
4. This will force you to use your torso rotation as the engine, which naturally slots the arms and lets the club release properly without any manipulation.

Drill 3: The Motorcycle Drill

This provides an exaggerated feel for getting the clubface square through impact without flipping.

1. At the top of your backswing, hold the position.
2. Feel like you are revving a motorcycle with your right hand (for a righty). This motion shallows the club and gets your lead wrist into a slightly bowed (flexed) position, which is a powerful impact key.
3. Start your downswing slow, maintaining this feeling. As you rotate your body through, you’ll find it much harder to flip the club at the bottom. Your body pivot will deliver a powerful, compressed strike.

Final Thoughts

Remember, a great release is not a complicated, forced movement. It’s the natural outcome of a well-sequenced golf swing where the body rotates and the arms and club are simply delivered to the ball. Shift your focus from "making" the release happen to building a swing where your body leads the way, allowing the club to release its power freely and on its own.

If you're out on the course and feel your release breaking down, it can be tough to know if you're casting, flipping, or holding on. With Caddie AI, we help take the guesswork out of it. You can describe your shot, talk through your swing thought, or even capture a video of your motion and get instant, personalized feedback on what might be going wrong with yoursequence. Our AI serves as your 24/7 golf coach, giving you clear insights so youcan stop guessing and start developing the feel for that perfect, effortless release.