You don't have to be tall or muscular or even strong to hit the ball far. The common denominator of all long hitters is a delayed release on the downswing: As the hands drop to hip-height, the wrists remain cocked, forming a 90-degree angle between the right arm and clubshaft.
This sets the clubhead like a spring so it can snap into impact, maximizing clubhead speed. Few shorter hitters have a solid wrist cock. Far more common is the exact opposite, called casting-an early uncocking of the wrists on the downswing, in a motion similar to casting a fishing rod.
The result is a loss of clubhead speed and the inability to make a descending blow. You'll hit woods solid but short, and your irons lack crispness, because of the sweeping nature of the swing.
FOCUS ON THE LEFT HAND
The key to a delayed wrist cock is in the left hand. It must cock at the top of the swing and remain cocked until the last possible moment during the downswing.
To learn the feeling, stand erect and bend your left arm at the elbow as if you were reaching to shake somebody's hand. Flex the wrist so the thumb points back toward your chest. That's a fully-cocked position.
Add your right hand and make an imaginary grip. This is the wrist cock you want at the top of your backswing. Make some practice swings, first without a club then with a club, feeling the left wrist cock and uncock.
PULL THE CLUB
To keep the left wrist cocked as long as possible, imagine you are pulling the grip end of the club along the target line on the downswing. The farther you can move the grip toward the target while keeping the butt pointing along the target line, the closer to impact your release.
DRILL: CROSS- HANDED GRIP
Get a good feel for a delayed release-and a descending blow-by hitting 5-irons with a 10-finger, cross-handed grip. Because the left hand is higher than the right, it will cock quickly and resist uncocking. Keep the left wrist cocked as long as possible during the downswing.
