Golf tips: learn to release
Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Neil Plimmer on how releasing the club through impact can add more power to the golf swing
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tC4f7ZTbCw9jkabdBXTG6m-390-80.jpg)
Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Neil Plimmer on how to add more power to your golf swing
Golf tips: learn to release
Fault: you slice the ball, and your swing suffers from a lack of power.
Fix: The release is a golfing term that I find is often misunderstood - it certainly doesn't mean letting go of the club! Instead, what it refers to is the flow of the arms and body through the ball.
Rather than working on the release itself, I like my pupils to focus on sequence of movements through impact that will naturally cause the angle in your wrists to release through the ball.
Notice here how my arms work with the rotation of my body. This is the sequence that will effectively deliver both power and control.
Crucially, you shouldn't be trying to hit 'at' the ball. Get the sequence right and the club will breeze through the ball, accelerating as it goes.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Having made a full turn at the top of the backswing, begin the turn back through the ball with your weight moving in the direction of the turn. If your arms can work with your body here, you will master the release.
In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf.
Throughout his time with the brand he has also covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points.
Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X
-
What's The Most Money Earned In A Single PGA Tour Season?
Scottie Scheffler's 2023 and 2024 seasons are the most lucrative in PGA Tour history with a combined $50m won in official prize money
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Do You Have To Chip Over A Sprinkler Head If It's In The Way Of A Putt From Off The Green?
If a sprinkler head is in the way and your ball is off the green, do you get a drop or do you have to take it on the chin and play it?
By Fergus Bisset Published
-
Andy Sullivan punch shot masterclass
Golf Monthly playing editor Andy Sullivan explains how to play the punch shot in golf
By Neil Tappin Published
-
Golf putting tips: see one straight line
By Neil Tappin Published
-
Rory McIlroy Pitching Tips
By Thomas Patrick Clarke Published
-
Rory McIlroy Masterclass: 5 Keys To Rory’s Open Win
We take a look at the five keys that transformed Rory McIlroy into an Open Champion and delve through the GM archives for an insight into the 2014 Claret Jug winner’s game.
By Neil Tappin Published
-
Luke Donald: My Wedge Set-up
Luke Donald gives his thoughts on his own, as well as other professionals, wedge setup to the Golf Monthly team.
By Nick Bonfield Published
-
Luke Donald Short Game Tips
Luke Donald talks to Golf Monthly about the relevance of technique and feel in the game and which he feels to be of premium importance.
By Nick Bonfield Published
-
How to Stop the Reverse Pivot
By Mike Smith Published
-
How to strike your wedges
By Mike Smith Published