What Causes an Early Release in a Golf Swing?

That frustrating shot - the one that feels weak, balloons into the air, and falls woefully short of your target - is often the result of one single swing flaw: an early release. Also known as casting or scooping, it's one of the most common power-killers in amateur golf. This article will break down exactly what an early release is, uncover the most common reasons it happens, and give you practical, easy-to-follow drills to finally fix it and start compressing the ball like you've always wanted.

What Exactly Is an "Early Release" in Golf?

To understand an early release, it helps to first picture the ideal impact position. The best ball-strikers arrive at the ball with their hands well ahead of the clubhead. Their wrists have maintained the angle that was created at the top of the backswing, a powerful position known as "lag." This saved-up energy is then released like a whip through the ball, creating massive clubhead speed precisely where it matters most: at impact. The result is a crisp, compressed strike where the club hits the ball first, then the turf.

An early release is the exact opposite. It's the premature un-hinging of the wrists right from the top of the downswing. Think of it like casting a fishing line, instead of a fluid, powerful motion that sends the lure flying, you're throwing the clubhead at the ball with your hands and arms. By the time the club reaches the impact zone, all that powerful stored energy has been spent. The club is often flipping past your hands, leading to a "scooping" motion at the ball.

This single fault is the source of many common golfing miseries, including:

• Significant Loss of Power: You're wasting all your speed *before* you get to the ball. Your shots will feel weak and fly shorter than they should.
• Inconsistent Contact (Fat and Thin Shots): When you "scoop," the low point of your swing arc moves behind the ball. This causes you to hit the ground first (a fat shot) or catch the ball on the upswing, hitting it on its equator (a thin shot).
• Poor Trajectory and Direction: The scooping motion adds loft to the club at impact, causing high, floaty shots that are easily knocked down by the wind. It also makes squaring the clubface incredibly difficult, leading to pulls and slices.

The Top Causes of an Early Release

An early release isn't a random event, it's almost always a symptom of another problem in your swing. Your brain is incredibly smart and will try to make last-second adjustments to get the clubface onto the ball. Usually, casting is just one of these well-intentioned but flawed compensations. Let's look at the primary culprits.

1. An Over-the-Top Swing Path

The "over-the-top" move is the mortal enemy of a good golf swing. It happens when the downswing is initiated with the upper body - the shoulders and arms - instead of the lower body. This throws the club outside the correct swing plane, creating a steep, chopping motion down at the ball.

When your body senses the club is on this "out-to-in" path, it knows it can't hit the ball squarely. So, as a split-second fix, it casts the club. It prematurely throws the clubhead out and away from the body in an attempt to get the club back on a workable path to the ball. You might not salvage the shot, but your body is trying its best! To fix this, you have to remember that a good swing is a rotational action, powered by the turn of your body, not an up-and-down heave with the arms.

2. The Wrong Golf Swing Sequence

A powerful and consistent golf swing is all about proper sequencing. The downswing should be started from the ground up: your hips begin to open toward the target, which then pulls your torso, then your arms, and finally the club through the impact zone. This is what creates that effortless lag and power.

An early release is a tell-tale sign that this sequence is out of order. If your arms and hands start the downswing before your lower body has had a chance to lead the way, there's no room for them to drop into the "slot." They are forced to take a wider, casting path to get to the golf ball. Your body becomes a bystander as your arms try to generate all the power on their own, a battle they will always lose. The feeling you want is a slight shift of weight to your front foot, followed by the unwinding of your torso, pulling the club with it.

3. A Weak or Improper Grip

Your grip is the steering wheel of your golf club. If your hands are positioned incorrectly, you will be forced to make compensations throughout the swing. One of the most common grip faults leading to a scoop is a "weak" grip, where the hands are rotated too far to the left (for align-handed golfer).

With a weak grip, the clubface naturally wants to be open at impact, which would produce a slice. To counteract this, your intuitive self takes over and flips or scoops the hands at the bottom of the swing in a last-ditch effort to square the face. While it might occasionally work, it reinforces the early release habit. Ensuring a "neutral" grip - where you can see two knuckles on your lead hand and the V's formed by your thumb and index finger point towards your trail shoulder - gives you the best chance to deliver a square clubface without manipulations.

4. A Flawed Concept of Power

This cause is less mechanical and more philosophical. Many amateur golfers believe that they create power by consciously hitting the ball with their hands. From the top of the swing, they try to throw the clubhead as hard and as fast as they can directly at the back of the ball. This feels powerful, but it’s actually the most inefficient way to generate speed.

True power in golf is an accumulation of speed that peaks at impact. It’s achieved by using the big muscles of the body (the torso and hips) to rotate and pull the club. The arms and hands are just along for the ride, passively storing angle (lag) until the last possible moment. The release is a consequence of proper body rotation, not a conscious action. You have to trust that turning your body will create far more speed than hitting with your hands ever could.

Simple Drills to Cure Your Early Release

Reading about the problem is one thing, but fixing it requires you to feel the correct motion. These drills are designed to retrain your muscles and mind to maintain lag and sequence the downswing correctly.

Drill 1: The Pump Drill for Sequencing

This is a classic drill for teaching your body that the downswing starts from the ground up.

1. Take your normal setup and make a full backswing.
2. From the top, slowly start your downswing but only go halfway down, until your hands are about waist high. Focus on starting this move by bumping your lead hip toward the target. Critically, feel the wrist angle in your trail wrist remain intact.
3. Stop, and return to the top of your backswing.
4. Repeat this "pump" motion two or three times. This exaggerates the feeling of your lower body leading and your arms dropping into the slot.
5. After the final pump, go ahead and make a full, smooth swing through to the finish line.

Drill 2: The Split-Grip Drill

This drill makes it physically awkward to cast the club, forcing you to lead with the handle.

1. Take your normal setup but separate your hands on the grip by about six inches. Your lead hand will be in its normal position, and your trail hand will be lower down on the shaft.
2. Make slow, half-swings (from nine o'clock to three o'clock).
3. With this split grip, if you try to cast the club, your trail arm will interfere with your lead arm and it will feel very bizarre and jammed.
4. To swing smoothly, you are forced to pull the handle through impact with your lead side, which is the perfect antidote to scooping. You'll instantly feel your hands leading the clubhead through the hitting area.

Drill 3: The Headcover Under the Arm Drill

This drill promotes a more connected swing and helps precast casting that originates from an "over-the-top" path.

1. Place a driver or fairway wood headcover snugly under your lead armpit (the left armpit for a right-handed player).
2. Make slow, half-swings, focusing on a full body turn. The goal is to keep the headcover in place until after impact.
3. If you cast the club or throw your arms away from your body on the downswing, the headcover will drop to the ground.
4. This drill forces you to keep your arms connected to your torso's rotation, preventing them from starting the downswing and creating a more 'in-to-out' swing path.

Final Thoughts

Overcoming an early release is a game-changer. It unlocks the power you know you have and is the gateway to consistent, flush contact. Remember that casting is almost always a compensation for an issue elsewhere - usually in your sequence or swing path. By focusing on a body-led, rotational swing and using some targeted drills, you can retrain your motion and start feeling that satisfying compression at impact.

Developing new motor patterns takes time and the right kind of feedback. For those moments on the course when you feel that old, weak "scoop" creep back in and aren't sure why, we built Caddie AI to be your swing thought partner. You can get instant, actionable advice on swing faults or even snap a photo of a challenging lie to receive a smart, tour-level strategy for how to play the shot. It helps take the uncertainty out of your game so you can stand over every ball with confidence, trusting your swing and your decisions.