Please release me

I continue to be fairly frustrated with the many and varied aspects of the golf swing. However, having mastered some of these aspects or fundamentals, as I've often called them, I now embark on what I sincerely hope is the final frontier - release.

I will define release here as the action of the club head through the ball, not the release of lag in the downswing; that is another matter.

I've been studying the many theories and descriptions of the release of the club head, including the two main types of release - hand roll release and body turn release - my terms, simplified from some usages in some texts.

Speaking about the hand roll release first, my tendency, like many faders and occasional slicers, is to hold my release, that is, not allow my right hand (right-handed golfer) to cross-over my left hand, at and just after impact. This is usually described as a 'hold off' and is used by good golfers to hit deliberate fades or slices.

Unfortunately, this hold off move comes naturally and often unintentionally to many average golfers trying to keep the club face square at impact.

The spin from an open face (open relative to the club head path or plane) will be slice spin. The ball will curve to the right (right handed golfer). This is usually not what is intended.

Now, the other type of release, which is practised by fewer good golfers who are in the public eye (though perhaps more of them in recent years than in the past) is the body turn release. Zac Johnson is a classic example.

This release involves keeping the club face relatively closed throughout the backswing and downswing, generally utilising a stronger than normal grip, and rotating the body rapidly through the ball. The hands are passive and not rolled over in the hitting zone.

The aim with this type of release is to minimise the need to time the hand action, since the club face stays squarer to the plane throughout the swing. The release is achieved by the somewhat more active and more rapid body rotation.

The potential difficulty with this body turn release is the need to make an athletic body motion, which might be difficult for some older players or golfers with less flexibility, because balance, amongst other things, can be compromised.

The bottom line is, however, that some form of release is needed for relatively straight golf shots.

If the hand roll release is adopted, timing the actual release is the challenge. Unplanned variations in its timing will result in a wide range of shot shapes.

If the body turn release is adopted, the player needs to commit to an athletic lower body turn. Not enough turn and horrible pull-hooks will result.

Investigating the timing of the hand roll release will be the aim of my next experimental round of golf. I've tried the body turn release with a little bit of success, but I'm not totally convinced that it's for me at my stage of golfing life.

And by the way, all of my rounds of golf are experimental, if nothing else. It's half - no - most of the fun!