How to Release the Golf Club | Body Release vs Forearm Rotation

⛳ Welcome to David Leathem Golf, where we unlock the secrets to perfecting your golf swing! In today's golf video, im diving deep into how to release the golf club - a fundamental aspect that can transform your golf game. Join me as we explore the nuances between forearm release and body release techniques, catering to golfers with varying club face tendencies and find the correct way to release the golf club for you.
🔍 Are you struggling with an open clubface? Discover the power of the forearm release, a game-changing method utilized by golf legends like Phil Mickelson and yours truly. On the other hand, if you're wielding a stronger clubface into impact, the body release, as seen in the swings of Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood, might be your ticket to precision.
🚫 One cardinal rule: avoid the mix-up! I'll guide you through the pitfalls of combining these golf club release styles, emphasizing the importance of committing to one approach. In the video, I'll unveil my personal favorite way to release the golf club, showcasing how it minimizes the rate of closure on the club, resulting in consistently straighter golf shots.
📽️ Ready to take your golf swing to the next level? Watch the full video for in-depth insights, step-by-step guidance, and actionable tips. Like, comment, and share with your fellow golf enthusiasts - let's build a vibrant golfing community together!
🌐 And before you go, check out www.gxgolfgloves.com for premium leather gloves at an unbeatable price. Use code DAVID at checkout for an exclusive 10% discount. Elevate your game, elevate your gear!
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[@NicLewis]

I've watch way too many golf videos but never seen this. Cheers!

[@dlgolftips]

Really glad you enjoyed, if ever you’ve any questions please just ask 👌

[@inuvik491]

Lot of good information here, nice work.

[@dlgolftips]

Thank you 🙏 really glad you enjoyed it. If you’ve ever any questions just reach out ⛳️

[@henrytan5707]

Very detailed and very nice 💯

[@dlgolftips]

Thank you Henry 🙏 really glad you enjoyed it

[@user-cl4uw7hq8p]

Best explanation I have heard from any instructor about the two different moves with either body or rotation of forearms. Really like your videos some of the very best on you tube. So glad o found you on Facebook. Thanks John.

[@dlgolftips]

Thanks so much John really glad you find the channel and that you’re enjoying the content. Plenty more to come ⛳️

[@richardcorrigan2399]

Good points!

[@dlgolftips]

Thank you Richard glad you enjoyed it 👌

[@wedgepitcher]

Thanks a lot for sharing this inside!

[@dlgolftips]

You’re very welcome I’m glad you enjoyed it

[@garrysutcliffe6254]

Underrated channel!

[@dlgolftips]

Thank you Garry 🙌 appreciate that. Let’s hope it can grow and reach and help more people 🤞

[@rekababa6671]

good video David....I played with Phil in San Diego 40 years ago! I also use the "rolling" release with a Vardon grip

[@dlgolftips]

So glad you enjoyed it 👍 that’s amazing I’m sure that was a great experience

[@joshuachoi1402]

This is awesome. What does the club head look like on the top of the back swing?

[@dlgolftips]

Glad you enjoyed it! Great question. So, for the more forearm release guy, there's a good chance at the top of the backswing the leading edge will match the lead forearm. And for the body release one, the club face at the top will probably point a little bit closed to the forearm. So the Club face will be a little bit more to the sky.

[@seadonkey6913]

Very good explanation. I was taught the L to L toe up. I got back into golf and took lessons and was taught the body release, I couldn’t pick up the concept until recently after seeing my current coach. Playing very good golf.

[@dlgolftips]

That’s brilliant, thanks for the comment. Really glad to hear you’re hitting it good 👍

[@larrytravis570]

I know the importance of release but never had the terminology that you so clearly explained today. TY I think that I've been a blender for a while. Sometimes I've managed well but there are times when I angle the club head in P6 to execute a body release only to find that I'm using my arms only, and duck hook it into the cabbage. Strangely enough, this only happens in my irons. I'm pretty straight with my driver. Thanks again I'll check out your other videos.

[@dlgolftips]

Thanks so much Larry. Really glad you enjoyed the video. Absolutely it’s interesting that the driver needs a little more face closure than an iron due to loft so that could explain things for you. I’m going to do a video on this in the near future. Think of you can get the two separated it could really help you. 👌

[@ryanpeterson1918]

My tendency has been an open face in that P6 position. I’ve been doing your drill with the hanger on the grip to feel the closing of the club face. I’ve seen much improvement with that. Thank you for your videos.

[@dlgolftips]

That’s brilliant really glad it’s been helping you 👌

[@clint330]

BRILLIANT!!! this is what I get stuck between!!! When i was younger (god that makes me feel old to say) I was all body, but when i hurt my hip i had to change to a hands release, slowly trying to get back to the full body swing

[@dlgolftips]

Sorry to hear you hurt your hip but cool you can work around it. Definitely don’t be afraid to play with the hand release. It can work really well 👌 thanks for sharing ⛳️

[@irmanseleman5591]

Thanks man. Im on my way to the range now 😅

[@dlgolftips]

Awesome let me know how it goes 💪

[@joevelte4252]

body release trajectory will be lower and more controllable and direct to the target but not as long I find.

[@dlgolftips]

100% correct yes. Little less distance but definitely a lot more control 👌

[@Graemedargo]

Thanks David. This lesson was interesting. I was trained to rotate my forearms through strike but switched to a body release a few years back. I agree with you the body release has produced much more consistency for me. After watching your video the penny dropped as my tendency with the body release is to still rotate my arms after the strike, which results in everything drawing and frequent dirty big hooks (in particular when using a hybrid...I have a love hate relationship with hybrids). As a golfer who used to hit those high weak slices with the forearm release I am just fine with the draw pattern that body release has brought me. I will practice on reducing my forearm release. Great content as always! Slainte!

[@BrisGolf]

Hey Graeme, are you cheating on me with David 🤣🤣🤣🤣Funny seeing your comment. David is a great friend of mine and I actually worked with him when he played golf in college at South Alabama. You are getting good information on this channel.

[@Graemedargo]

@@BrisGolf Oh my. What a coincidence. Just goes to show that I really know how to pick the very best golf guru's on Your Tube. You guys are both awesome!

[@dlgolftips]

lol how funny. Small world and great taste in golf coaches Greame 👌 yeah me and Bris go way back, great guy.

[@dlgolftips]

100% Greame that sounds exactly like what’s happening. I’d say if you’re missing left you can definitely tone down the forearms and control the face so much better. Let me know how it goes 👌

[@jukkakymalainen]

I agree that both can work just fine and like you said, you have to chose which one you like more 👍 If you want natural effortles speed, then roll your hands. If you have strong core and flexible body, then body rotation is good way to get very more controlled and repeatable swing.

[@dlgolftips]

Yeah 100% both are different ways of getting it done. The body release no doubt is the stronger player where as the roll release can help get some real zip through the ball 👌 thank for your comment

[@user-fc9wv5gr2y]

Hi coach , thank u for the video.. anyway , coukd you please explain the driver movement (body release method) . Ive been struggling with it for years, and it keep on slicing / hook. Thks alot

[@dlgolftips]

Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And this is a great question. When it comes to the driver, and because of the loft element, it's always going to need a little forearm release. I do have in my notes to make a video to show the reason why this is. But I would definitely use more forearm release with the driver.

[@jld6608]

greath video, can you make one video Whats happen with the hands after impact in both cases?

[@dlgolftips]

hey thanks for the comment I'm really glad you enjoyed the video yes indeed I can add it to my notes to make a video on this just to elaborate do you mean the direction the hands travel or how much rotation they should have just so I know for when making the video

[@jld6608]

I mean if with the release of the body and with the release of the arms, after the impact at waist height the hands end up the same ?@@dlgolftips

[@josephoreilly7180]

Well this is a revelation. And something I've never heard before. Everyone else says you need to hinge your wrists, get a good body swing, then unhinge. I can't do it and see very few who can. It would be nice if all the instructors would get on the same page for once. Imagine if all driving instructors had a different technique, you'd have chaos on the roads. Like we have now on the course.

[@dlgolftips]

Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed the video and welcome to the channel. Yes, I completely understand what you mean. There can be so much conflicting information in the golfing world and I think while the impact with club and ball needs to be a certain way to hit a certain shot, there are multiple ways to get that job done, some more consistent than others. My only word of advice would be to educate yourself on what you believe is right and what works for you and silence the rest or pick one instructor who you like their teaching style and commit to everything they say.

[@mbillmiller1]

Hi David. Excellent video. Do you think a golfer can convert from roll release (almost flip release) to body release? I’ve been trying but find it very difficult. Thank you !

[@dlgolftips]

Yes absolutely 100% can be done but no doubt it’s difficult. I’ve done but with lack of practice I’ve reverted a little to my normal. So much more control with the body release

[@mrneutral5081]

I’ve just stumbled on to your channel and found this very interesting and helpful. However, when I look at Rory McIIroy and others, whilst you can see the body release, you can also see them roll their forearms. In fact, on KZbin if you look at World Class Golf videos he specifically shows the body release and forearms rolling of the tour players. Is it, therefore, a combination of both and more importantly a matter of getting the timing right? Again Rory is a great example of this, when his timing is off, his miss is usually left as his natural shape is a draw.

[@dlgolftips]

Hey, thanks for the comment and I appreciate that you're enjoying the content. You're exactly right. Different golfers on tour are going to exhibit different releases. Some will have a combination of both. The likes of Rory is quite a high forearm player, which works really well for him. And as you say, when his timing is off, he can tend to close the clubface a little much and struggle with missing it left. Then we look at golfers with much stronger clubfaces like Victor Hovland, for example. And you'll see that he will require less forearm release and more body release in order to keep the clubface controlled. So yes, you're going to find a mix of both on tour. But by and large, the majority will definitely favor the stronger clubface and a little more body release. While there will be a few outliers, like Phil Mickelson, who is much more active with the forearms because the face is not a strong.

[@jamiesloan7259]

I play both ways sometimes. Forearm roll is a great way to add effortless speed. I tend to use this method more, when playing a high draw. I feel like the arms, and body stay more connected, and I’m mainly just allowing the club to swing more freely. My strike, and distance is better, but I struggle with direction a little bit swinging this way. However, if I’m trying to hit a tight fairway, or pin hunting, I’m using the body swing. I’ll feel more like I’m keeping the face more square to the arc, throughout the entire swing. I’ll also turn more aggressively from the top, which naturally kicks the club out a bit. Then through impact, I’ll add some right side bend, which helps stabilize the face. This swing feels a little more restrictive, and doesn’t usually go as far. Strike even suffers a little sometimes. However, it comes out as a very predictable baby fade, almost every time. Great video! I don’t see people compare these two styles very often.

[@dlgolftips]

Hey, thanks so much for the comment. I completely agree, it is fine to interchange the two. I definitely think the forearm release can feel that little bit more powerful through the golf ball with extra hand speed. But, without a doubt, yes, makes it more difficult to control the club face. When it works, it's great. But the other body style release is definitely more controllable and, yes, won't go as far. So it is nice when you're able to change the two depending on the shot you want to hit. Thanks for your comment. Welcome to the channel. And I appreciate your positive feedback on my video.

[@jamiesloan7259]

@@dlgolftips Thanks for the reply. I just subscribed.

[@dlgolftips]

Appreciate that thank you 🙏

[@MatthewLoughton]

This was great explanation! I'm a low single digit and definitely a body release guy... I've always been known for my iron consistency and short game because of it. I just struggle to close the club face with driver for some reason. I think the club being far forward in my stance and being "behind the ball" creates an illusion where square feels extremely shut for me... Controlling the club face with an iron just feels so easy and natural... There's not one combination of traj and shape I can't hit on demand with any iron. Hitting up on the ball seems to lose my sense of the club face and path. Does what you explained apply exactly to driver as well?

[@dlgolftips]

Hey Matthew thank you for the comment. That’s great you have such control and confidence in the irons 👌 love that. Yes applies to driver but because the club is longer the spine is more upright but still the club should match, now the driver does tend to require a little bit of forearm rotation to square up. This is due to loft, the less the loft the more it wants to point to the right therefore requires a little each help. Someone else actually asked this to and have made a note to do a detailed video on this topic soon.

[@rossmasters3281]

When you did the forearm rotation version, your lead arm/hands still ended up very left. Any videos on this? I tend to roll my forearms down the target line and ive lost all consistancy.

[@dlgolftips]

Ah, yes, I know what you mean. That's very common. Hands traveling down the target line for too long and the club flipping. So, yes, the thing that would help you with that is more of the handle exiting low and left. I will do a video on this, as it reminded me I was teaching a guy the other night this very move.

[@rossmasters3281]

@@dlgolftips ahh okay. I’ve been trying to feel it high and left for some reason assuming that the handle has to go up? Or is that just the raising of the lead shoulder?

[@richdarlowgolf]

Very interesting, I toe the iron in slightly before taking my grip and hit a soft draw which i like, what do you think of this method David?

[@dlgolftips]

I personally like it starting straight however I’m also a big fan of doing what works for each individual. If this is working I’d keep doing it. Can also have its benefits in helping you lean the shaft more in order to square and potentially use the body better through the ball. So I quite like it 👌

[@Robert-ts2ef]

Which method gives more speed because you need club head speed for distance. My own opinion is that the snap of the wrists used in the forearm rotation method would be faster than trying to turn your whole upper body to generate speed and finally which one is better for an old guy 73 like me? Your thoughts?

[@dlgolftips]

Hey Robert yes absolutely I aim to do a video in future on this, but definitely would recommend you don’t be afraid to use your hands and arms for speed. I wouldn’t suggest for you in particular to trying using mostly body as it may slow you down. Does that make sense?

[@rodneyhooper1689]

@dlgolftips Great video! I have a question that nobody has ever answered for me. I’ve tried to teach myself a body release. I try to rotate and leave my hands and arms behind but this always creates problems as the club gets outside, plus the arms have to catch up. In your video, you get to the P6 position without really rotating the body. Then the rotation seems to come after that. How do you get to the P6 position? Is this a matter of letting the arms move 1st to get to P6 and then allowing the body to rotate so the club stays with you instead of running past you?

[@dlgolftips]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pam8goqJYrOiapYsi=e8bJUuAIawDauCrF

[@dlgolftips]

Hi Rodney, thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I've linked a video above for you that I did a few months ago more specifically on getting to this P6 position. You're right, there's very little turning involved to this point but more of a shift. It's kind of hard to explain in a message and I will do more videos in future but I think that this video I made will really help you out.

[@Vnam72]

Thanks, how about driver?

[@dlgolftips]

Great question and call for a video to explain but the spine is slightly more upright with the driver but still want to match it, now when hitting the driver I’d alway advocate a little roll of the forearm due to the loft wanting to point more to the right because it’s a lower loft.

[@Koboltgolf]

I have a closed club face at p6 with irons and use more of a body rotation BUT with driver I have more of a open club face at p6 and I guess I need more of a roll release… is it common to have a another release pattern with the driver?

[@dlgolftips]

Hey, thanks for the comment. You're absolutely right. The face will appear more open at P6, as we're trying to match it to the spine, and because the driver is longer, the spine is a little bit more upright, so the face doesn't need to appear as closed in P6. But if you are a touch open, that is fine, because of the loft element of the driver, and the less lofted clubs, it actually needs a little bit more encouragement to square up. So having some forearm roll with the driver is absolutely fine. Look at Rory, he has quite a lot of it, and it works really well for him. So it is fine to have two releases for irons and driver.

[@jacobr4558]

Would each swing type recquire specific equipment?

[@dlgolftips]

Good question 👌 not really to honest. But a good question for sure

[@jacobr4558]

@@dlgolftips really I feel like the mechanics are so different how would you have the same type of feel or intention? For example if you're using your body more you're going to have a lot more vertical force and a lot more hip extension and the club moving out away from you correct so for example let's say one would feel like a sledgehammer while the other would feel like a sledgehammer upside down? Or if you were swinging a broom and you're holding the handle like normal where the head feels heavier or if you had the bristles under your hands verses at the other end. I'm honestly under the impression that most golfers are making tons of micro compensations in subconscious compensations because of the equipment in their hands. It's like a little league kid swinging an end-loaded bat when they're not strong enough for it. In other words the golfer can't fully counterbalance the club yet instead of counterbalancing the club itself to fit the golfer they tell the golfer just to be stronger or do something different. I honestly think it's a broken system

[@jeremywise3915]

David do you recommend anything for me ? I am struggling with consistency I used to pure my irons and wedges just be weight slightly forward and start off in the impact position and just turn my body thinking of an in to out path but now I’m struggling with no power shots getting no height and coming over the top swiping even when I’m having an out to in feeling . I think my grip is inconsistent do you have any tips for addressing the golf ball and some ideas I can use to help with consistent divots

[@dlgolftips]

Hit Ball Then Turf and Compress The Golf Ball INSTANTLY kzbin.info/www/bejne/apCpdWWFobCXfKM

[@dlgolftips]

Hey, thanks so much for the comment and welcome to the channel. There's a good chance that by starting in the impact position over time has caused the hips and everything to be pre-opened and when you swing back the club is getting thrown over the top. Ideally, you would want to start in a normal impact position in which I have a video coming on setup which I think would really help you. I've also attached a video above to help you understand and be able to take a divot after the ball. It's a really simple concept I think would help you out.

[@cclarsen72]

Like a lot of people I learned the roll release first. Then after having issues with hooks I've been trying to learn the body release. I've been struggling with the roll release while doing this body release making my left misses even more drastic as you mentioned. I have made sure that I'm not coming over the top but I feel like I might be opening up too quickly and I notice when you demonstrate this you swing back and then come down to paralell before you turn. Is this intentional or do you feel you are turning straight from the top? Please clarify the entire movement from the top of the backswing. Thanks!

[@dlgolftips]

Hey thanks for the comment. Yes think as some point years ago we were taught to roll the forearms. Can be a stubborn one to get rid of. But yes this is partly intentional on my part, club has the biggest distance to travel its best when it goes first then everything can turn through the ball together, very common for a lot of golfers to spin out to soon. I have a few videos on my page about this, I’ll attach one of them below, hopefully it helps clear some of this up for you.

[@dlgolftips]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pam8goqJYrOiapYsi=PeNXa5ZS1mNZbIzo

[@gerryg1151]

Does one provide more speed/power than the other?

[@dlgolftips]

Hi Gerry, great question. They each have their benefits. The hands or forearm release uses more of the arms and definitely are much faster. I mean the body can only move at around a maximum of 20 miles an hour so the speed has to be coming from the hands as well. Now in an ideal scenario both would be working together to generate speed but I would say if it's speed you're after you want to be using as much hand speed as you can and obviously keep the body rotating as well. If we just use the body as as the release then you can find you get a lot more control, a slightly lower trajectory and much straighter but definitely when the arms and forearms get involved it can be much faster.