Throw the club at the ball (release) when your hands are at your front thigh?

[MidwestHacker]

On the range tonight working on an unrelated drill, and I was so focused on doing the drill part right I was hitting the ball late, or put another way, not releasing or throwing the club at the ball until much later than normal, and I was hitting the ball way better.
 

That sent me down an entirely different rabbit hole of how “late” should I or could I release the clubhead and still hit the ball. After a couple reps, I realized if I released the clubhead at the ball when my hands felt like they were just at my lead thigh, I took a divot well after the ball (couple inches) and compressed the heck out of the ball. I only tried it with irons, I assume with driver the release might be slightly earlier so you can hit up on it. Is this just a one off matchup for conditions in my swing on this specific range trip (one might even call it bunk), or is it something I’ve ferreted out way later than everyone else? 

[MonteScheinblum]

You can feel anything you want if it gives a visual and practical result, but if you were doing what you’re saying in reality, that’s not good.

[sundaypins]

7 hours ago, MidwestHacker said:

That sent me down an entirely different rabbit hole of how “late” should I or could I release the clubhead and still hit the ball.  

 

What was the drill?   A late arriving swing, especially hand travel, is a good thing.  It means you could hit a ball located much farther forward than normal without running out of right arm.    Keep experimenting, some of those holes thought to be for rabbits only are filled with other surprises.   

[slytown]

9 hours ago, MidwestHacker said:

On the range tonight working on an unrelated drill, and I was so focused on doing the drill part right I was hitting the ball late, or put another way, not releasing or throwing the club at the ball until much later than normal, and I was hitting the ball way better.
 

That sent me down an entirely different rabbit hole of how “late” should I or could I release the clubhead and still hit the ball. After a couple reps, I realized if I released the clubhead at the ball when my hands felt like they were just at my lead thigh, I took a divot well after the ball (couple inches) and compressed the heck out of the ball. I only tried it with irons, I assume with driver the release might be slightly earlier so you can hit up on it. Is this just a one off matchup for conditions in my swing on this specific range trip (one might even call it bunk), or is it something I’ve ferreted out way later than everyone else? 

 

That feel can work for folks who don't rotate in the downswing and slide a lot. I would never tell someone to hold the release from the top though.

 

You are right though that a driver needs more release. It's partially to get the clubhead to work up more. It's also partially to square the face. But, it's also to just create more speed. Speed comes from arms and hands. If you are holding the release, you are losing yardage.

[MidwestHacker]

1 hour ago, sundaypins said:

 

What was the drill?   A late arriving swing, especially hand travel, is a good thing.  It means you could hit a ball located much farther forward than normal without running out of right arm.    Keep experimenting, some of those holes thought to be for rabbits only are filled with other surprises.   

Hand pathing drill, trying to stop throwing my hands out at the ball. "Stab your lead thigh with the butt of the club" was my one of my cues, which probably was getting me to lead with my hands more instead of dumping angles early, if I had to guess. By the time my brain had time to process "hit the ball" my hands were already almost at my lead thigh and I was "hitting" with the right hand later than normal. Thinking more about it this morning, I felt way more of the "skip the stone" feel than I normally do. My phone had died well before this so I didnt grab any video, but Im going to the range later this week to grab video and see what exactly was actually happening, if I can get that "feel" to work again, that is. 

 

 

[dpc]

9 hours ago, MidwestHacker said:

On the range tonight working on an unrelated drill, and I was so focused on doing the drill part right I was hitting the ball late, or put another way, not releasing or throwing the club at the ball until much later than normal, and I was hitting the ball way better.
 

That sent me down an entirely different rabbit hole of how “late” should I or could I release the clubhead and still hit the ball. After a couple reps, I realized if I released the clubhead at the ball when my hands felt like they were just at my lead thigh, I took a divot well after the ball (couple inches) and compressed the heck out of the ball. I only tried it with irons, I assume with driver the release might be slightly earlier so you can hit up on it. Is this just a one off matchup for conditions in my swing on this specific range trip (one might even call it bunk), or is it something I’ve ferreted out way later than everyone else? 

I'm not going to contradict anything any other instructors may post here, but the bold phrase reasonably describes what I felt at a lesson a month ago.  I've not posted about it because it seems anyway I phrase it can be boiled down to "feel isn't real", or "if it works for you, great".  The trouble is in finding the words.  "Holding the release or throwing the club later" implies handle dragging, but the rest of your description leads me to believe that's not in reality what you were doing.  

 

FWIW, the closest description I can muster is from P6 on I don't do anything active to move the club to the ball or square the face.  I just keep turning, and the club, "pops out" of it's accord as my hands move past the ball and begin to rise, and the most I'm doing is controlling the momentum, but not the club or face.  

 

I would discuss it with your instructor, but if you're experiencing what I experienced, I'd say go with it.  But beware of handle dragging and manipulating the club or face.

[Gsea]

22 minutes ago, MidwestHacker said:

instead of dumping angles early

I'm the opposite I dump all the angles asap

[MidwestHacker]

4 minutes ago, dpc said:

FWIW, the closest description I can muster is from P6 on I don't do anything active to move the club to the ball or square the face.  I just keep turning, and the club, "pops out" of it's accord as my hands move past the ball and begin to rise, and the most I'm doing is controlling the momentum, but not the club or face.  

The bolded is probably a more accurate description than anything I've come up with yet.  It's like timing up when the momentum of the swing throws the clubhead at the ball, maybe? I "feel it" as a late hit with my right hand, but Im not really manipulating it with my right hand per se, I dont think. It doesnt feel like a handle drag at all, I dont feel like Im actively trying to pull the handle in front of the ball so much as its happening because of my lack of earlier inputs. Is anything else as hard to describe as a specific feel in the golf swing? 

[Pnwpingi210]

Sounds like flipping at the ball.

[dpc]

1 hour ago, MidwestHacker said:

The bolded is probably a more accurate description than anything I've come up with yet.  It's like timing up when the momentum of the swing throws the clubhead at the ball, maybe? I "feel it" as a late hit with my right hand, but Im not really manipulating it with my right hand per se, I dont think. It doesnt feel like a handle drag at all, I dont feel like Im actively trying to pull the handle in front of the ball so much as its happening because of my lack of earlier inputs. Is anything else as hard to describe as a specific feel in the golf swing? 

I would wager an uncomfortable amount we are referencing the same feel, but can't quite nail the description.  To answer your original question, provided we're talking about the same thing, I think it's something you (and I) have ferreted out later than others.  But hey, better late than never.

[dpc]

3 minutes ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

Sounds like flipping at the ball.

If this is an active thing, then yes it can be correctly defined as flipping at the ball.  Incorrect: hold the release or delay throwing the club until the last second.  Less incorrect: don't do anything active to release the club at the ball and it feels like the release is later.  

[Pnwpingi210]

12 minutes ago, dpc said:

If this is an active thing, then yes it can be correctly defined as flipping at the ball.  Incorrect: hold the release or delay throwing the club until the last second.  Less incorrect: don't do anything active to release the club at the ball and it feels like the release is later.  

I get what you’re saying.  For me that feel would lead to me flipping the club head and likely burying it behind the ball.

 

i think of it more of the opposite, almost pulling up on the shaft as i rotate and extend my lead side.  Not exactly it, but closer to that

[rsballer10]

1 minute ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

almost pulling up on the shaft as i rotate and extend my lead side.

I believe this is what *actually* happens in good golf swings, but I could be wrong. 

[dpc]

58 minutes ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

I get what you’re saying.  For me that feel would lead to me flipping the club head and likely burying it behind the ball.

 

i think of it more of the opposite, almost pulling up on the shaft as i rotate and extend my lead side.  Not exactly it, but closer to that

 

55 minutes ago, rsballer10 said:

I believe this is what *actually* happens in good golf swings, but I could be wrong. 

I agree with what both of you and the OP are saying.  It's just tough to come up with a universally accepted phrase to describe this because ultimately it comes down to describing a feel which the player can implement, and that's going to be different to most everyone.

[rsballer10]

39 minutes ago, dpc said:

 

I agree with what both of you and the OP are saying.  It's just tough to come up with a universally accepted phrase to describe this because ultimately it comes down to describing a feel which the player can implement, and that's going to be different to most everyone.

The golfing machine got a lot wrong, but one thing it got right. I think the best thing to do is know what the correct mechanics are, and create the feel based off that. We know the grip end of the club is at it's lowest somewhere around the trail thigh. The grip end moves up into impact. I say do that and see what the feel is.