Learn to groove your release by doing this drill

You slice. You hook. We all do. Exaggerating these misses, however, is exactly what you need to straighten out your irons for good.

I’ll make it simple. Without a club, swing into your release. As you move through your mock impact, pretend you’re holding on to the club so that, in your release, the back of your forward hand points to the sky and your thumb (as it would rest on the handle during a real swing) points to the right of the target line (above left). Welcome to high and right.

Make another swing. This time, really rotate your lead hand, so much so that the back of it points toward the ground and your thumb points to the left of the target line (above right). You guessed it: low and left.

Feeling these two extremes is the best way to get your lead hand in the correct position to hit the ball straight, with the back of your lead hand pointing at the target and your thumb pointing straight down (above middle).

Joe Hallett, the 2024 PGA National Teacher of the Year and GOLF Top 100 Teacher, is director of instruction at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Nashville, Tenn.