or proper release it is a key component of any strong golf swing. Without it, you will never maximize your endurance and results.
But what exactly IS a release? It’s how you allow the clubhead to pass through your hands through the stroke. Do it correctly and you can create a lot of power and create the conditions for a sustainable club look through influence. Do it the wrong way and it can create a lot of problems.
For more on how to practice a proper release, check out the video below from GOLF Top 100 Teachers Dave Phillips i Titleist Performance Institute.
Instead of teaching players to “hold the corner,” Dave Phillips prefers to teach them to practice the release.
Here he demonstrates a favorite drill he learned from @padraig_h which helps train a golfer’s proper timing and release pattern. pic.twitter.com/jTTW8bl15B
— TPI (@MyTPI) November 19, 2025
How to open a proper release
When it comes to improving the feel of a proper release, Phillips says he likes to use a drill he learned from three-time major champion Padraig Harrington.
“It’s the ‘hit-and-hold’ drill,” says Phillips.
Executing the workout is simple. All you have to do is go through your normal swing, but right after impact, feel like you’re suddenly “stopping” the clubhead.
“If you can hit the ball and stop here,” Phillips says. “What it really takes is it brings out your perspectives and forces you to put the club in the right position.”
When you feel like you’re stopping the clubhead right after impact, it puts your wrists in the right release position.
“I don’t want to hold (on my wrist position) and stop it,” Phillips says. “It puts a lot of stress on the shoulder, elbow and wrist.”
If you’re struggling to feel the correct release pattern through the stroke, try this drill. Not only will it teach you the feel of a proper release, but it will also make you a better hitter of the ball.
