Improve Your Release with the Sammy Drill for Better Consistency

The Sammy drill is a simple way to train a better release, improve face control, and clean up the arm motion that often leads to a chicken wing through impact. The beauty of this drill is that it gives you instant feedback. You can feel resistance in your hands and arms, and in some versions you can even hear whether the club is releasing properly. That combination makes it much easier to sense the difference between a free, extending release and a stalled, bent-arm motion that robs you of consistency.

How the Drill Works

This drill uses a retractable cord attached to your shirt and then looped around one of your fingers. A commercial version exists, but the concept is simple: a clip attaches near your shoulder seam, and a light elastic or retracting cord connects to your hand. As you move the club, the cord provides resistance and feedback.

You can use it in two main ways for release training:

Trail Arm Version

Clip the device to your trail-side shoulder seam and loop the band around your trail hand, often the pinky works especially well. From there, make swings and pay attention to what the cord is telling you.

If your trail arm works correctly, you’ll sense the arm extending and rotating through the strike. If you hold the face open, “wipe” across the ball, or keep the arm too bent, the feedback changes immediately. This is what makes the drill so useful for golfers who struggle to release the club naturally.

Lead Arm Version

You can also clip the device to your lead-side shoulder and connect it to the lead hand, often around the thumb or pinky. This version helps you feel the lead arm extending through the ball instead of collapsing after impact.

That’s important because many golfers trying to control the face do the opposite of what they need. They tighten up, pull the arms inward, and let the lead elbow fold too soon. The result is a weak release and the classic chicken wing look. This setup encourages the opposite: extension through the strike.

Step-by-Step

Attach the clip to your shirt. Place it near the shoulder seam on the side you want to train. Start with the trail side if your main goal is learning how to release the club more naturally.
Loop the band around a finger. The pinky often gives a very clear feel, though the thumb can also work depending on the setup.
Take your address position. Grip the club normally and make a few slow rehearsal motions first so you can feel the cord tension without worrying about the ball.
Make slow backswings. Notice whether you maintain width and structure. The device can help you feel if your arm motion gets too narrow or disconnected.
Swing through with a release. Through impact, allow the arm to extend and the club to rotate naturally. You want the motion to feel free rather than held off.
Listen for the feedback. On the trail-arm version especially, a proper release often creates a more noticeable extension of the cord. If you stall the release or drag the handle, you’ll get much less feedback.
Switch to the lead-arm version. Once you understand the trail-arm feel, move the clip to the lead shoulder and rehearse the lead arm extending through the shot.
Hit short shots first. Start with half-swings or punch shots. This helps you learn the release pattern before taking it into full speed.

What You Should Feel

The biggest sensation is that your arms are not collapsing through impact. Instead, they are extending while the clubhead is allowed to release.

With the trail-arm setup, you should feel:

Light resistance as the hand and arm move correctly
A sense that the club is releasing past you, not being dragged by the handle
More natural forearm rotation instead of a held-off face
Auditory feedback that changes when the release is correct

With the lead-arm setup, you should feel:

The lead arm staying longer through impact
Less urge to pull the handle inward immediately after contact
A straighter, more extended motion instead of the elbow separating and folding early
A cleaner follow-through with less chicken wing

A good checkpoint is this: through the strike, your arms should look and feel as if they are moving outward with the club, not shrinking inward toward your body. That doesn’t mean stiff arms. It means the release has room to happen.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using too much speed too early — if you start at full swing pace, you’ll miss the feedback and likely revert to old habits
Holding the face off — many golfers keep the handle moving but never allow the clubhead to release
Bending the lead arm too soon — this is one of the main causes of a chicken wing finish
Trying to force a flip — the goal is not a handsy throw; it’s a coordinated release with arm extension
Letting the drill become only a hand exercise — your body still needs to keep moving so the release happens in sync with pivot and rotation
Attaching the band poorly — if the clip is loose or the angle is awkward, the feedback won’t be reliable

How This Fits Your Swing

This drill helps you understand a key truth about release: clubface control is not just about your hands. It comes from how the arms, wrists, and body work together through impact. If your body stalls, your arms often overtake too much. If your body pulls too hard without allowing the club to release, you can leave the face open and cut across the ball. The Sammy drill helps you find the middle ground.

It’s especially useful if you tend to:

Leave the face open through impact
Hit weak fades or glancing strikes
Finish with a bent lead arm
Feel like you “drag” the club instead of releasing it

Used correctly, this drill teaches you that a good release is not a frantic hand action. It is a blend of extension, rotation, and timing. The trail arm helps the club release, and the lead arm keeps the motion from collapsing. When those pieces work together, the clubface becomes easier to square and your contact becomes much more predictable.

In the bigger picture, this is a bridge drill. It connects the feel of a proper release to the actual motion of your swing. Once you can sense the difference between extending and stalling, you can take that awareness into normal practice and eventually into your ball striking on the course.