Fix Your Early Release: 3 Drills for Better Impact Position

Struggling with inconsistent contact and distance? You might be suffering from ‘early release’ – the most common power leak in amateur golf. These three simple drills can help you maintain lag and deliver the club with tour-level impact.

Have you ever watched tour players hit seemingly effortless shots that travel 30 yards further than your max-effort swings? The secret isn’t strength or flexibility – it’s their ability to maintain “lag” and deliver the club to the ball with perfect timing. This skill, often missing in amateur swings, is what separates efficient, powerful ball-strikers from golfers who struggle with consistency.

The culprit behind most amateur power and consistency issues is what instructors call “early release” – the premature uncocking of the wrists before impact. When you release the angle between your lead arm and the club shaft too early, you lose both power and control.

The good news? This common fault can be fixed with targeted practice. Even better, you can work on these drills at home without hitting balls. Let’s explore why early release happens and how to fix it with three simple drills that will transform your impact position.

Understanding Early Release: The Silent Swing Killer

Before diving into solutions, let’s understand what early release is and why it’s so destructive to your golf game.

In an efficient golf swing, your wrists naturally hinge during the backswing, creating an angle between your lead arm and the club shaft. This stored energy – what instructors call “lag” – should be maintained well into the downswing, releasing just before or at impact for maximum power and control.

When you suffer from early release, this angle disappears too soon in the downswing. The club head overtakes your hands prematurely, resulting in:

1. Loss of potential power – like throwing away free distance
2. Inconsistent low point control – leading to fat and thin shots
3. Poor face control – causing pushes, hooks, and slices
4. Reduced compression – robbing you of that solid impact feel

Early release is remarkably common among amateur golfers because it’s actually the body’s natural instinct. Your brain wants to square the club face as soon as possible when moving at high speeds. Overriding this instinct requires specific training and feedback.

Drill #1: The Towel Pinch Drill

This first drill helps you feel the proper pressure and connection in your swing without having to hit balls.

What you’ll need:

• A golf club
• A small hand towel or washcloth

Setup:

1. Fold the towel into a small square (approximately 6″ × 6″)
2. Place it under your lead armpit (left for right-handed golfers)
3. Pinch it lightly with your arm against your side
4. Take your normal setup position with a golf club

Execution:

1. Make slow, deliberate swings while keeping the towel secured
2. Focus on maintaining the pinch throughout your backswing and downswing
3. If the towel drops, you’re likely losing connection and allowing early extension
4. Complete 20 swings, gradually increasing speed while maintaining the pinch

This drill teaches you to maintain proper connection between your arms and body throughout the swing. When your arms stay connected to your torso, it’s much easier to maintain lag and sequence properly. Many early releasers “throw” their arms away from their body, instantly losing any chance of maintaining lag.

Mike was a 15-handicap golfer who struggled with early release for years. After just two weeks of doing the towel drill daily, he began hitting the ball 15 yards further with his irons and dramatically improved his contact consistency. The key was developing the feeling of connection through the hitting zone.

Drill #2: The Wall Drill

This powerful drill provides immediate feedback on your release timing and helps develop the feeling of proper impact position.

What you’ll need:

• A golf club (preferably a short iron)
• A wall or flat vertical surface

Setup:

1. Stand in your address position parallel to a wall, about 6-8 inches away
2. Position yourself so that your trail side (right side for right-handed golfers) is closest to the wall

Execution:

1. Make a slow-motion backswing, ensuring your club doesn’t hit the wall
2. Start your downswing, focusing on maintaining the angle in your wrists
3. Feel how your body must rotate through impact to avoid hitting the wall
4. The wall prevents your hands from casting outward, forcing proper sequencing
5. Perform 15-20 repetitions, gradually increasing speed

This drill physically prevents the outward casting motion that causes early release. When practiced regularly, it helps ingrain the feeling of your body rotating while your arms and club “fall” into the correct slot. The wall serves as a boundary that forces your body to find the correct movement pattern.

Pay special attention to the transition from backswing to downswing – this is when most amateurs initiate the early release. The wall drill helps you feel how your lower body should initiate the downswing while your upper body and arms momentarily “stay back.”

Drill #3: The Rhythm Rope Timing Drill

This final drill directly addresses the timing element of your release – often the missing piece for golfers who intellectually understand lag but struggle to implement it.

What you’ll need:

• A Golf Swing Rhythm Rope Trainer (or a substitute like a resistance band)
• A clear space for swinging

Setup:

1. Grip the handle of the Rhythm Rope with your normal golf grip
2. Take your address position as if preparing to hit a shot
3. The rope should hang behind you, creating slight tension

Execution:

1. Start with slow-motion swings, feeling the resistance of the rope
2. Focus on the transition from backswing to downswing
3. Feel a slight pause at the top before initiating your downswing
4. Let the resistance of the rope help you maintain lag
5. Count “one” on backswing, “and” at the top, “two” on downswing
6. Complete 20-30 swings with this deliberate timing

The Rhythm Rope creates resistance that naturally helps you maintain lag. More importantly, it teaches you the proper sequence and timing of the golf swing. The slight pause at the top – what instructors call “the transition” – is where many amateur swings break down.

The counting element is crucial. Most early releasers rush from the top of the backswing into the downswing, leaving no time for proper sequencing. The “one-and-two” cadence creates the necessary separation between movements, allowing your lower body to lead while your upper body and arms follow.

The Golf Swing Rhythm Rope Trainer is specially designed for this purpose, with the perfect amount of resistance to train proper sequencing without altering your natural swing mechanics. Unlike standard resistance bands, it provides progressive resistance that increases as your swing speed increases – just like a real golf swing.

Your Daily Anti-Early Release Routine

For fastest improvement, implement this simple routine daily:

Morning routine (3 minutes):

• 20 repetitions of the Towel Pinch Drill while getting ready

Lunch break (2 minutes):

• 15 repetitions of the Wall Drill

Evening practice (5 minutes):

• 20 repetitions with the Rhythm Rope, focusing on the “one-and-two” timing

Consistency is key – five minutes daily will yield better results than an hour once a week. These drills work by reprogramming your muscle memory, which requires frequent, deliberate repetition rather than marathon sessions.

A college golfer once gained 20 yards with his driver in just three weeks by implementing this routine. The difference wasn’t that he suddenly got stronger – he simply learned to stop wasting energy through early release.

Transferring to the Course

To apply these new skills on the course:

1. Pre-shot routine: Incorporate a practice swing with the “one-and-two” rhythm before each full shot
2. Mental trigger: Use a simple word like “patience” or “lag” during your transition to remember the proper sequence
3. Start slow: Begin with 80% swings to maintain your new sequencing, gradually building back to full speed
4. Manage expectations: Your dispersion pattern may temporarily increase as your body learns the new pattern

Remember that under pressure, you’ll tend to revert to old habits. Having a simple physical trigger like a practice swing with the correct tempo can help maintain your new movement pattern when it matters most.

The Feel vs. Real Challenge

One significant challenge in fixing early release is that the correct feeling often seems strange to golfers accustomed to casting. Many report that proper lag feels like they’re going to hit the ball fat or that their hands are “too far ahead” at impact.

This disconnect between feel and real is normal. Trust the drills and the feedback they provide rather than your initial sensations. Your internal “calibration” will eventually reset to recognize the correct positions as normal.

Equipment Considerations: The Rhythm Rope Advantage

While these drills will help regardless of your equipment, the right tools can accelerate your progress. The Golf Swing Rhythm Rope Trainer provides the ideal feedback mechanism for developing proper sequencing and lag.

Unlike generic resistance bands, it’s specifically calibrated for the golf swing, with progressive resistance that increases with speed – just like a real swing. This unique property helps you develop swing-specific strength in the exact movement pattern needed for proper lag and release.

The comfortable grip and portable design make it perfect for home practice, office breaks, or pre-round warmups. Many users report feeling the difference in their very first practice session.

Final Thoughts: Patience and Trust

Changing your release pattern takes time and repetition, but the payoff is enormous. Few changes will impact your golf game as dramatically as fixing an early release issue.

Remember that this is a sequential learning process:

1. First, you’ll develop awareness of the problem
2. Then, you’ll learn the correct movement pattern through drills
3. Next, you’ll be able to execute the proper sequence with conscious effort
4. Finally, it will become automatic through repetition

Don’t rush this process. Each stage is essential for lasting improvement. Be especially patient during stage three, when you can do it correctly but it requires focus. This is when many golfers revert to old habits out of frustration, just before the breakthrough to automaticity.

The difference between average golfers and good golfers isn’t always talent – it’s often knowing exactly what to practice and having the right feedback tools. These three drills, performed consistently, will help you develop the lag and sequencing that characterize great ball-strikers.

Ready to stop leaking power and start compressing the ball like a tour pro? Start with these three simple drills today. Your playing partners won’t know what hit them when they see your new, powerful ball-striking.

Ready to accelerate your progress? The Golf Swing Rhythm Rope Trainer gives you instant feedback on your timing and helps develop the perfect transition. Add it to your practice routine today.