Pro’s Tip: Good shots come with correct release

Adam Candee

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 | 9:15 a.m.

Adam Candee

You exhibit great posture, a fluid takeback and a pronounced shoulder turn. All of these lead you into a smooth golf swing as you begin turning your hips and transferring your weight from your back leg through to your front side. And the ball is darting like a Fernando Valenzuela screwball into the trees.

It could be your release. Nothing can undo as much good work in a golf swing so quickly as the hands doing too much or not enough. This week, Don Callahan of the Butch Harmon School of Golf shows the proper form for releasing your hands at the bottom of the swing.

As Callahan puts it, there are only three things that the hands can contribute to a golf swing: a twist, a flip or nothing. The first one is correct; the other two will produce bad shots. A flip of the wrists can easily create a hook and if you do nothing with your hands approaching impact -- also known as blocking -- the ball is likely to slice off the right.

At setup, form the traditional triangle with your arms -- also known as a "V" formation. The clubface will naturally open during your backswing as you cock your wrists, but the real work to be done is putting it back into place at contact.

That is best done by turning your "V" into an "X." In other words, you want to roll your hands and wrists through the bottom of the swing, squaring the clubface at impact and ending up with your top arm on top of your bottom arm as you complete your turn. It's just one element of a good swing, but a proper release is crucial to straightening out those shots.