Yesterday first drive ended in right rough. Same on #2. 60% from 3 on and never missed another fairway. Speed kills unless it comes from the lower body. There are virtually no exceptions to this rule.
Very good. You are seeing it. Funny how people keep swinging super hard and not hitting fairways yet they keep doing it. Imagine how confident you would become if you rarely missed a fairway. Totally different game.
I had written you several days ago under the Distance – Arc tip, frustrated with my ability to hit a three-wood and not the driver. My drivers were nearly universally push fades with a lack of wrist release. Trouble off the tee like this leads to many doubles and triples.
Funny how you hear things a thousand different ways but it takes just one specific comment that turns on the light bulb for us. Your told me I was swinging too hard with the driver and that if I knew I had a “Zero” club in my bag I would hit the driver just fine. You also prescribed a heavy dose of rollover drills.
So… I visited the range this morning. I pretended I had a Zero club in my bag that was my Big Dog and the one wood in my hand was just my “get it in the fairway” club. I slowed down. Not just a little bit – way down. Viola, even though I felt like I was swinging at 50 mph the ball was rocketing deep and straight. Unreal!!!!
And in slowing down, just like this tip tells us, I had time to square the face and the rollover just seemed to happen on its own with no conscious effort from me. It just happened.
Paul, what a magic feeling this is. If I can groove this and take it to the course, golf will be great again for me. You totally rock!
Slow down anything and everything until it releases. This is the whole point of the tip. Slow down and let it release. However you need to do that then try it. Once you get the club releasing you need to speed up the hips for more power. Too slow and you won’t hit it very far.
Sunday I went to the range and spent most of my time doing your 2/3 distance drill. It is SO beneficial and feels so good. Straight flight and solid contact on every shot. I carried that feeling to the course on Monday. I went to the course brimming with confidence and one thought on my mind – SLOW DOWN. Not just on the backswing but all the way through.
So what happened? I hit 13 greens in regulation (8 on the back). I’ve been playing for 55 years and have never done that. Fairways and greens. And distance? Two drives 247 yd in very cold weather. Most others 235+. I really could feel my wrists release and the club face get closed up. It adds 30 yards. And it was so totally effortless. My Pre-Wilson drives were about 200-210.
I’ve followed instruction trends and read Golf and Golf Digest for 50+ years. Never have I heard someone preaching “slow down” like you. It is the magic elixir of the golf swing. Also, loose and relaxed wrists to where you really feel the door closing on its own at impact. Again, you are the only source of this vital information.
Thanks for making golf fun again. My golf morale is sky high as a result of what you have done for me.
Nice one. I told you that you are close. Next season will be great.
The ball and hitting is the problem. I will keep saying it. Actually it is human nature which no one but me talks about. I have studied why people don’t learn for years. Once people know “why” then maybe they will actually make the changes.
This is great advice, but one thing is sort of confusing, and that is the fact that the release just happens if you don’t prevent it. If your wrists are loose it happens. So when you speed up, it has to happen faster, but on the other hand, you can’t make it happen. Do you see my confusion?
If I could get people to loosen up and release it then I will have found the unicorn. No one loosens as much as I want. No one. Knowing this means they need to manually release it. Do this slow enough so you can actually do it.
Interesting that you have never found a student yet that has wrists as loose as you would like to see. At least now I don’t feel quite so bad that this is one element of the Wilson Swing that seems a bit elusive to me. Loose wrists must be one of the most difficult aspects of your teaching to achieve. What are the best videos for us to learn HOW to achieve loose wrists?
I’ve recently made big inroads getting my lower body powering my swing but it seems like getting my wrists looser is my next opportunity for additional distance and improvement. I do know that powerless arms are a condition precedent to achieving loose wrists, i.e., the wrists can’t possibly be loose if the arms are activated.
Most people let go of the club to get the feeling of loose wrists. This is not what I am doing. I am holding on. Only the wrist joint is loose. This takes understanding and practice.
with my irons I am hitting 90% of my shots to the right with no power, I know I am not releasing the club
at the right time. where in the downswing should I release.
You need to master the release of the golf club. Start slowly, then gradually speeding up. If you cannot do this drill at 1mph then you will not be able to do it at full speed. Start getting the golf ball going left, hooks. Then gradually speed it up. Then you will be able to add some legs to straighten the shot out. Try these:
The part of the arm that stays loose is not the forearm, because a firm grip tenses the forearm. It must be the upper arm, the shoulders, and perhaps even the chest.
You want your arms and really your overall level of tenseness to be relaxed. Most golfers I see are way too tight at the setup. The grip would be secure but the wrists loose. It is a fine line between holding securely to the golf club and having loose wrists. When I am set up with the golf club, my general tightness in my arms is pretty relaxed. Check out these tips:
I have seen few senior citizens hitting with drivers even in fairways and they are doing well. I’m 66 years old and tried to hit with the same way, it was not too bad. Do you think it is not a good practice.
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20 Responses to “Slow Down Until You Can Release The Club”
May 14, 2019
PaulBatesTried it today after a few slices on the range… straight as. Made such a great difference and simply felt so easy. Thanks for this!
May 20, 2019
Paul WilsonPaul,
Glad you tried it. Got to release the club. If you go so fast you can’t then when do you ever release it? Keep at it.
May 15, 2019
JimPlaceYesterday first drive ended in right rough. Same on #2. 60% from 3 on and never missed another fairway. Speed kills unless it comes from the lower body. There are virtually no exceptions to this rule.
May 20, 2019
Paul WilsonJim,
Very good. You are seeing it. Funny how people keep swinging super hard and not hitting fairways yet they keep doing it. Imagine how confident you would become if you rarely missed a fairway. Totally different game.
May 15, 2019
MichaelBarrettPaul,
How appropriate this comment was for me.
I had written you several days ago under the Distance – Arc tip, frustrated with my ability to hit a three-wood and not the driver. My drivers were nearly universally push fades with a lack of wrist release. Trouble off the tee like this leads to many doubles and triples.
Funny how you hear things a thousand different ways but it takes just one specific comment that turns on the light bulb for us. Your told me I was swinging too hard with the driver and that if I knew I had a “Zero” club in my bag I would hit the driver just fine. You also prescribed a heavy dose of rollover drills.
So… I visited the range this morning. I pretended I had a Zero club in my bag that was my Big Dog and the one wood in my hand was just my “get it in the fairway” club. I slowed down. Not just a little bit – way down. Viola, even though I felt like I was swinging at 50 mph the ball was rocketing deep and straight. Unreal!!!!
And in slowing down, just like this tip tells us, I had time to square the face and the rollover just seemed to happen on its own with no conscious effort from me. It just happened.
Paul, what a magic feeling this is. If I can groove this and take it to the course, golf will be great again for me. You totally rock!
Mike
May 20, 2019
Paul WilsonMike,
Glad it clicked. I will just keep saying it as many ways as I can think of.
June 12, 2019
mikeschickWhat do you think about the idea of slowing down the hips to allow the release to happen?
June 19, 2019
Paul WilsonMike,
Slow down anything and everything until it releases. This is the whole point of the tip. Slow down and let it release. However you need to do that then try it. Once you get the club releasing you need to speed up the hips for more power. Too slow and you won’t hit it very far.
November 26, 2019
MichaelBarrettPaul,
Sunday I went to the range and spent most of my time doing your 2/3 distance drill. It is SO beneficial and feels so good. Straight flight and solid contact on every shot. I carried that feeling to the course on Monday. I went to the course brimming with confidence and one thought on my mind – SLOW DOWN. Not just on the backswing but all the way through.
So what happened? I hit 13 greens in regulation (8 on the back). I’ve been playing for 55 years and have never done that. Fairways and greens. And distance? Two drives 247 yd in very cold weather. Most others 235+. I really could feel my wrists release and the club face get closed up. It adds 30 yards. And it was so totally effortless. My Pre-Wilson drives were about 200-210.
I’ve followed instruction trends and read Golf and Golf Digest for 50+ years. Never have I heard someone preaching “slow down” like you. It is the magic elixir of the golf swing. Also, loose and relaxed wrists to where you really feel the door closing on its own at impact. Again, you are the only source of this vital information.
Thanks for making golf fun again. My golf morale is sky high as a result of what you have done for me.
Mike
November 29, 2019
Paul WilsonMike,
Nice one. I told you that you are close. Next season will be great.
The ball and hitting is the problem. I will keep saying it. Actually it is human nature which no one but me talks about. I have studied why people don’t learn for years. Once people know “why” then maybe they will actually make the changes.
November 30, 2019
mikeschickThis is great advice, but one thing is sort of confusing, and that is the fact that the release just happens if you don’t prevent it. If your wrists are loose it happens. So when you speed up, it has to happen faster, but on the other hand, you can’t make it happen. Do you see my confusion?
December 4, 2019
Paul WilsonMike,
If I could get people to loosen up and release it then I will have found the unicorn. No one loosens as much as I want. No one. Knowing this means they need to manually release it. Do this slow enough so you can actually do it.
December 6, 2019
MichaelBarrettPaul,
Interesting that you have never found a student yet that has wrists as loose as you would like to see. At least now I don’t feel quite so bad that this is one element of the Wilson Swing that seems a bit elusive to me. Loose wrists must be one of the most difficult aspects of your teaching to achieve. What are the best videos for us to learn HOW to achieve loose wrists?
I’ve recently made big inroads getting my lower body powering my swing but it seems like getting my wrists looser is my next opportunity for additional distance and improvement. I do know that powerless arms are a condition precedent to achieving loose wrists, i.e., the wrists can’t possibly be loose if the arms are activated.
Thanks
Mike
Thanks,
Mike
December 14, 2019
Paul WilsonMichael,
Most people let go of the club to get the feeling of loose wrists. This is not what I am doing. I am holding on. Only the wrist joint is loose. This takes understanding and practice.
My Grip Pressure: https://ignitiongolf.com/my-grip-pressure/
Secure Grip Loose Wrists: https://ignitiongolf.com/secure-grip-loose-wrists/
June 8, 2020
mikewhittakerwith my irons I am hitting 90% of my shots to the right with no power, I know I am not releasing the club
at the right time. where in the downswing should I release.
June 8, 2020
Paul WilsonYou need to master the release of the golf club. Start slowly, then gradually speeding up. If you cannot do this drill at 1mph then you will not be able to do it at full speed. Start getting the golf ball going left, hooks. Then gradually speed it up. Then you will be able to add some legs to straighten the shot out. Try these:
DRILL: 3 Ways To Roll It Over: https://ignitiongolf.com/3-ways-to-roll/
DRILL: Release and Rehinge: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-feel-release-rehinge/
DRILL: Smooth Wrist Release: https://ignitiongolf.com/smooth-wrist-release/
June 8, 2020
mikeschickThe part of the arm that stays loose is not the forearm, because a firm grip tenses the forearm. It must be the upper arm, the shoulders, and perhaps even the chest.
June 8, 2020
Paul WilsonYou want your arms and really your overall level of tenseness to be relaxed. Most golfers I see are way too tight at the setup. The grip would be secure but the wrists loose. It is a fine line between holding securely to the golf club and having loose wrists. When I am set up with the golf club, my general tightness in my arms is pretty relaxed. Check out these tips:
Grip Pressure: https://ignitiongolf.com/grip-pressure-swing/
Secure Grip Loose Wrists: https://ignitiongolf.com/secure-grip-loose-wrists/
April 21, 2023
SurjitSidhuGood morning Paul,
I have seen few senior citizens hitting with drivers even in fairways and they are doing well. I’m 66 years old and tried to hit with the same way, it was not too bad. Do you think it is not a good practice.
Thanks Paul
Surjit
April 24, 2023
Paul WilsonWell, if you can’t hit a 3 wood from the fairway you probably aren’t going to hit a driver. Stick with hitting fairway woods until you are good at them. https://ignitiongolf.com/stop-topping-fairway-woods/