Golf Swing Release: What, Why, and How?

The Golf Swing Release:
What is it? Why Does it Matter?

Definition

In general, the golf swing release is defined as:

A series of movements in the wrists, arms, and body during the golf swing beginning in the downswing when the golf club is waist high and ending after contact, in the follow through, when the golf club is again waist high

The key action of the release is the “unhinging” of the wrists before golf ball impact, but also includes the related movements of the hands and forearms.

The following illustration of the golf swing sequence illustrations when the release occurs:

There is much discussion and debate about the definition of the golf swing release. Experienced and educated golfers can disagree over the exact meaning of “golf swing release”.

Effects of the Golf Swing Release

The swing release results in:

• The “squaring” of the golf club face with your target line at the moment of contact between the club face and the golf ball
• A “snapping” feeling of the arms and hands at the moment of impact between the club face and the golf ball

Why Is a Proper Golf Swing Release Important?
Why Does it Matter?

The golf swing release is important because it greatly effects the accuracy and distance of your shots.

• ACCURACY because proper swing release keeps your club head on the right path for impact with the golf ball and squares the club face at impact
• DISTANCE because correct swing release increases club head speed and club head speed is the most important factor in shot distance

Wrist Unhinging

The unhinging of the wrists is common to all golf swing release techniques.

“Unhinging” is the straightening of the wrists and the bringing the hands into line with the forearms as shown in the following image:

This “unhinging” or “uncocking” of the wrists completes just before contact between the golf club face and the golf ball.

The effect of the unhinging of the wrists is to massively increase the speed of the head of the golf club, which determines how far the golf ball will fly.

2 Golf Swing Releases Techniques
(And How to Do Them)

The two most common and popular swing release techniques are the roll release and the push release.

In this section, we show you the proper way to do each of these release techniques.

Technique 1: The Roll Release

The roll release is also known as a “crossover release”.

The correct form and sequence of this golf swing release technique is shown in the following picture:

It is very important to notice that the wrists unhinge at the moment of contact. This is true of all proper golf swing release techniques.

What distinguishes the roll release from the push release is that the forearms “roll” or “crossover” and the club face completes a full rotation from open to closed.

The following table steps through the sequence of forearm and club face action in a roll release:

Step	Forearm Action	Club Face Action
1	The lead forearm is in front of the trailing forearm with respect to the position of the golf ball and body	The club face is oriented outward and away from the body
2	As the club head approaches the golf ball, the forearms begin to “roll”, with the trailing arm coming forward and and over top of the leading arm	The club face begins to “close”–starting to turn towards the golf ball
3	At impact with the golf ball, the forearms will be in a “V” shape and at roughly the same depth with respect to the golf ball and the body.	The club face has now turned to be “square” with the golf ball. Ideally, the club face will contact the ball on the sweet spot and at the designed loft of the club.
4	After impact, the trailing forearm continues to roll over top of the lead arm.	The club face continues to roll and turn towards a closed orientation
5	At the conclusion of the release motion, the lead forearm will be “under” the trailing arm with respect to the body.	The club face has fully “closed” and now faces behind the body.

Technique 2: The Push Release

The push release is also known as a “square release” or a “straight release”.

The proper form and sequence of this golf swing release technique is shown in the following picture:

It is very important that the wrists are unhinged at the moment of contact, just like in the roll release.

As you can see, the motion and mechanics of a push release are simpler.

The following table describes the sequence of motion of the forearms and club face in a proper push release.

Step	Forearm Action	Club Face Action
1	Forearms are “stacked” in a “V” position	The club face is “open”, facing away from the body
2	As the club head approaches the golf ball, the forearms remain stacked	The club face begins to “close”–staring to turn towards the golf ball
3	At impact with the golf ball, the forearms will still be in a “V” shape and at roughly the same depth with respect to the golf ball and the body.	The club face has now turned to be “square” with the golf ball. Ideally, the club face will contact the ball on the sweet spot and at the designed loft of the club.
4	After impact, the forearms remain stacked through the end of the release	The club face stops rolling and remains in its square orientation through the end of the release

While the club face does roll slightly from open to square at impact, it remains square through the end of the swing release.

The forearms remain stacked in basically the same orientation to one another through the release.

Which Golf Swing Release Technique Is Right for Me?

Both releases can result in straight, long shots when mastered.

Both releases are used effectively by scratch and PGA golfers.

There is no “right” or “better” technique, though both have their advantages and disadvantages:

Roll Release Pros & Cons

Pro	Con
More popular, more examples of how to do it	Less consistent
Generates greater club speed	More difficult to master
Greater maximum distance than a push release	Dependent on timing
Good for intermediate to advanced golfers	Difficult for beginner golfers
Easier on the body

Push Release Pros & Cons

Pro	Con
Easier for beginners	Produces less club speed than a roll release
Simpler body mechanics	The maximum distance of a shot, for a given golfer, will be less
More consistent
Less dependent on timing

Ultimately it is up to you to decide which golf swing release technique is right for you.

You should experiment with both in order to make an informed choice.

Golf Swing Release Practice Drill

1. Perform your swing in slow motion.
2. Concentrate on the key actions of the swing release:
   • For the roll technique– concentrate on rotating the trailing arm over the leading arm through impact.
   • For the push technique-concentrate on rotating the club face to contact while keep the forearms stacked.
   • For BOTH techniques – concentrate on unhinging the wrists before impact.
3. Stop at impact to check whether your club face is square. If it isn’t you have either
   1. over-rotated your forearms (roll technique)
   2. over-rotated the club face (both techniques)
4. After trying this slow golf swing release a few times increase the speed gradually until you’re comfortable with the feeling of the motion and sequence of the swing release.

HTG Recommends: Swing Release Practice Equipment

To further enhance your chances of perfecting golf swing release, the SKLZ Smash Bag is a pretty good piece of equipment to help your simplify learning.

Many teaching pro’s use it to help students understand the correct position you should be in upon impact, including helping you correctly time the unhinging of the wrists in your swing release.

Common Golf Swing Release Questions

Where is The Release Point In the Golf Swing?

The golf swing release does not have a “point.” Instead the release is a phase in the golf swing. A proper release in the golf swing begins in the downswing as the club reaches waist height. The release continues through contact and ends as the golf club reaches waist height in the swing follow-through.

How Do I Release My Wrists In My Golf Swing?

In the golf swing release, the wrists “unhinge”. This is also called “uncocking”. This is a fluid movement in the downswing prior to contact. The movement transitions the wrists angling the hands out and backward to being in a straight alignment with the forearms.

What Does the Golf Release Feel Like?

The golf swing release is often described as creating a “snapping” or “cracking” feeling. This sensation is the result of a rapid acceleration of the club head caused by the unhinging of the wrists in the downswing happening at the same time as solid, square contact.

How to Release the Club without Flipping?

“Flipping” during the golf swing release occurs when the golf club head gets “past” or “ahead of” your hands immediately before or after contact with the golf ball. In other words, club flipping happens during the golf swing release. This results in inconsistent or poor contact.

There are two causes that must be fixed to properly release a golf club without flipping:

• Cause #1: A club face that is too “open” (facing out away from the golfer) in the lead up to contact. Golfers compensate for this openness with their wrists, resulting in a flip.
• Cause #2: An angle of attack that is too steep in the downswing. In order to make contact, golfers compensate for this steepness by either standing up (straightening at the knee or hip) or flipping the club in order to make the angle more shallow.

These are the two fundamental causes of flipping in the swing release that must be fixed in order to stop flipping.

What Is the Best Golf Release Trainer?

As mentioned above, we love the SKLZ Smash Bag. This great training aid helps you understand and improve the position of the club head at contact.

HTG also recommends the Greatlizard Golf Swing Training Aid. This swing trainer has a great track record and awesome reviews. It is designed to train the full swing–release included. It benefits the release in particular by helping you develop the timing of your swing.

Why Do My Forearms Touch During Release?

In a proper swing release using the roll technique, the forearms will often touch after contact as the follow-through begins. This is not a problem. If the forearms touch prior to contact, the most likely reason is that the timing of the rolling of the forearms is off. Practice your release timing to fix this problem. Take video of your swing in slow motion to identify what is going wrong.

Why Do I Release Too Late In My Golf Swing?

A late release in the golf swing is not necessarily incorrect.

However, if you notice you are losing distance on your shots or hitting low balls, you might have a problem. To correct this, first, take video of your swing in slow motion to confirm that you are unhinging your wrists to late in the release. If this is the case, practice the timing of your swing and do it on video if possible. Video will allow you to get instant feedback on what you’re doing.

Also check out the swing training aids HTG recommends: the SKLZ Smash Bag and the Greatlizard Golf Swing Training Aid.

Why Do I Release the Golf Club Too Early in My Golf Swing?

Early release in the golf swing is most often a result of the club face being too open in the early phases of the release. When this happens golfers will uncock the wrists too early to bring the club face square.

Another common cause of early release is that the golfer doesn’t understand the idea behind the golf swing release–the timing and effect of unhinging the wrists to increase club speed and square the golf had at contact.

If you are releasing too early, you are losing club speed and thus shot distance. You may also be struggling to make good ball contact.

To correct this, first, take video of your swing in slow motion to confirm that you are unhinging your wrists to late in the release. If this is the case, practice the timing of your swing and do it on video if possible. Video will allow you to get instant feedback on what you’re doing.

Also check out the swing training aids HTG recommends: the SKLZ Smash Bag and the Greatlizard Golf Swing Training Aid.

Conclusion

The golf swing release is mostly about the unhinging of the wrists.

The two most common releases are the “roll” release and the “push” release.

Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages, and both can be used at the high levels of golf skill and competition.

The release is a crucial part of the golf swing, but, of course, there is so much more to the golf swing!

Hitting The Green wants your golf game to suck less, so keep reading: