A TRUE RELEASE
LETTER FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
Greetings Eaglebrooke and Merry Christmas ! I hope all those new golf gizmos and gadgets under the tree will bring your game to the next level in the coming New Year !
In the previous months we have taken some quick looks at many different parts of bio-mechanics and how they relate to the golf swing . This month I wanted to go over the most important parts which is the trail hand grip , or your dominant hand . To review , there are 3 basic trail hand grips . An on top grip , a side-on grip , and an under grip as well as anywhere in between .
“ On Top ” “ Side On ” “ Under ”
Each one of the three different trail hand grips will produce different looking swings , but for our purposes we are going to look at how the club releases after impact to matchup the grip to the release . The best training aid for feeling a true release of the club is a swim paddle that is worn on the dominant hand . The paddle has the player keep the hand open palmed to feel where the club needs to go to release it properly .
We first will look at the on top grip release . With the trail hand on top , the path of the takeaway will tend to be outside , and also will generally have a steeper takeaway . The path of the club on the downswing will tend to be inside , but the arm should feel as if it pushes the club down and also to the left .
“ On Top Release ” “ Side On Release ” “ Under Release ”
The second grip is side on release will tend to be more linear during the take away , and more of a straight back and straight through motion . This is the most neutral of all the grips and will have the more “ textbook ” looking swing motion . T he Last grip is the Under Release and the path of the club will swing inside on the takeaway and swing out on the downswing . The under grip tends to be a much shallower angel of attack , and usually doesn ’ t produce as spin as the other two grips during a pitch shot .
I hope you all enjoy your Holiday Season and wish you the best of luck on the course in the coming New Year ! Hit ‘ em well !
Ben Johnson
PGA , Teaching Professional
SEPTEMBER eaglebrooke newsletter 5