The Late Hit

One of the most important parts of any powerful golf swing is "the late hit." This is the instance right before impact when the wrists release the clubhead with a surge of speed directed at the back of the ball.

If you look at any long-hitting tour player, you will see this position. Players such as Fred Couples and David Duval offer great examples. They both hold this angle well into their downswing, thereby storing the energy in their swing until the last moment, right before impact.

There are also players who don’t have this late-hitting action, which is a main reason why they are not long hitters. Most high handicappers don’t achieve this late-hit position. They release the club much too early on the downswing, which is known as casting. If you cast, all of your swing’s momentum and energy is lost.

A drill you can do to convince yourself of the importance of this late-hitting action is to throw a baseball with your wrist completely flat. Don’t move it at all. You would in essence be throwing the ball with only your arm and shoulder. Do you feel how much weaker your throw is like that? The majority of the speed comes from that last second when your wrist snaps, or releases. The same holds true in the golf swing.

Although it is quite obvious that long hitters have this late release, it is not a conscious move on their part. It is not a position that they think about putting themselves into. Many golfers have trouble when they knowingly try to obtain a late-hit position. They will usually pull the handle of the club so fiercely at the ball that they end up wiping across it with a glancing blow. The clubface is left wide open, and a weak slice results. That’s too late of a hit.

From looking at the great players’ swings, there are a couple things that must be done to achieve a late hit. First is a strong, left-hand grip. There has yet to be a player with a late hit who does not have a strong left hand. Tiger Woods offers a perfect example. And how about John Daly? His grip is so strong that you can see all four knuckles of his left hand at address. This gives him unbelievable leverage with his wrists.

To achieve a strong left hand grip, you need to have the V of your left hand pointing at your right shoulder. If it’s pointing at your chin, it’s weak. The other important thing in obtaining a late hit is to swing down from the inside. This will create the proper angle between your club and left arm and allow you to hold that angle as your right elbow approaches your side. If you get your right side moving out above the plane, you will lose the angle.

So if you can get a strong grip and swing down from the inside, then you are guaranteed of achieving this late-hit position.

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