I’m sure most of you are aware of just how important the ‘release’ is in the golf swing for maximizing club head speed and in turn distance. Your ability to hang on to the ‘magic’ 90 degree angle created between your target side forearm and the shaft of the club until the very last millisecond before impact is crucial for hitting the ball far. Just before impact you will unleash a ‘fury’ of club head speed at the helpless golf ball by unhinging your wrists with authority as your forearms rotate to square up the club face and continue rotating to get the toe of the club pointed up to the heavens post impact. Ahhhh… the release.
You can prepare your ‘speed hinge’ for the upcoming season by working on your wrist and forearm strength. Get yourself a ‘stress ball’ for your office desk drawer, and use it often whether you are stressed or not. You can use the old ‘wring out a wet towel’ exercise or any of the other wonderful wrist and forearm strengthening gadgets on the market. But here is my personal favorite…
Take a hammer or a plumbers’ pipe wrench and hold it right at the end of the handle. Rest your forearm on the top of a table allowing your hand to hang out over the edge. Now holding the hammer or wrench pointed straight up, rotate it ‘slowly’ to the left and right stopping when the handle gets to parallel to the table top (no need to go past parallel, and don’t overdo it). Now to focus on the wrists, simply hinge the hammer or wrench up and down with your wrists as if you were trying to hammer in nails with just your wrists in slow motion. Remember to work both arms and if you make this a regular routine, don’t be surprised when you hit the ball farther this spring.
It won’t be much longer now,
Dave Lengyel
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