How to Avoid Early Release

Too many golfers destroy their swing by starting their downswing with their arms and wrist release from the top of the swing. If you are one of these golfers you need to “FEEL” A NEW approach to your swing. You will never improve the consistency of your swing unless you commit to learning the correct way to swing. START YOUR DOWNSWING WITH YOUR LEADING KNEE AND YOUR LOWER BODY ROTATION.

As shocking as it may seem, your downswing STARTS WITH YOUR WEIGHT SHIFT TO YOUR LEADING LEG as your backswing reaches the transition from swinging up to down.

Because this is a new approach for your swing, you should learn this move at half the speed of you normal backswing. Remember that the change in direction from up to down is ZERO MILES PER HOUR. The transition of your club reaches a dead stopped at the top BUT YOUR LOWER BODY IS IN CONSTANT MOTION as you start your down swing with an EARLY LEADING KNEE BEND for a weight shift to your leading leg.

Your backswing and downswing must include:
1/ a rotation of your hips and shoulders to coil up your body for POWER and wrist cocking for lag at the top of your swing.
2/ a BEND IN YOUR LEADING KNEE for weight transfer to your leading leg during the transition at the top of your swing.
3/ a straight leading arm (and flat wrist) or a leading arm that will straighten out before the impact with your ball to keep a consistent distance to the ball for your setup and your point of impact.

These 3 images are critical for your golf swing success. (1) Shoulder Slope for your driver and less slope for your irons as you setup with your ball back in your stance, (2) Bend your leading knee during the transition to allow your weight to transfer forward and (3) Shallow your downswing (with your bent trailing elbow) from the inside and up your target line.

How to Create Your Weight Transfer
1/ Weight transfer happens as your swing approaches the top of your backswing. YES, your body weight is shifting forward with the momentum of your backswing. It happens as you reach the transition point where you change club direction from up to down. Give yourself more time in your backswing to make this weight shift. Instead of using the UP and DOWN cadence of “1, 2”, mentally think the words “1 and 2”. Adding the word “and” to give you a little more time to bend your leading knee to shift your weight to your leading foot and cock your wrist to create lag at the top of your swing.

NOTE: Your weight shift and wrist lag are your focus so that early release of your wrists is not happening.

2/ As your weight shifts to your leading foot, your hips are already rotating forward so you are uncoiling from your legs up to your shoulders as your arms start to drop without an early release of your wrists.

3/ Your straight leading arm drops and finally releases your wrists to whip your club through impact at the bottom of your swing. [Early wrist release is the killer for lost power so practice creating a whooshing noise with and inverted club at the bottom of your swing.]

To feel your corrected swing, practice with a mid-iron AND SAY THE CADENCE “1 and 2” in your mind (where “2” is the start of your downswing. An iron is shorter and lighter than your driver so it’s critical that you learn this forward weight transfer with an iron. Use your GOLFSTR+ to learn to swing with a straight leading arm for your backswing and then flip the plastic plate to test for your trailing arm lag at the top of your swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #58: A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.

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