The Midnight YouTube Spiral

Like any average golfer, the second my game starts falling apart, my immediate reflex is to open YouTube. We’ve all been there—it’s midnight, you’re staring at a screen, hoping some swing guru has the magic pill to cure your latest miss.

Last year, my crisis was the short game.

The “One Length” Hangover

I had just made the switch back to traditional clubs after playing with One Length irons. While I loved the concept, switching back meant I suddenly had to re-teach my body how to chip and pitch with normal-length wedges again.

My chip shots were a complete mess. Because my old wedges were the length of a 7-iron, I had spent months choking down and shoving the ball way too far back in my stance just to compensate for the long shaft. When I went back to standard wedges, that muscle memory stuck around. I was stabbing at the ball, losing all my feel, and honestly, dreading any shot within 50 yards of the green.

That’s when the YouTube algorithm threw me a lifeline: a video featuring Master PGA Professional Dan Grieve and his “Three Releases” philosophy.

Overcoming the “YouTube Guru” Skepticism

I’ll be honest: I was highly skeptical at first. There are a million golf coaches on the internet, and half of them contradict each other. I thought Dan was just another guy with a slick video trying to get clicks.

But as I watched him explain his system, something just clicked. It resonated with me in a way other coaching videos hadn’t.

What are the Three Releases?

Dan’s entire philosophy is built around how the club head releases through the ball. Instead of giving you a thousand mechanical thoughts about your wrists or elbows, he focuses on the intent of the club. He breaks down exactly how to execute three specific shots, and more importantly, exactly what you should be visualizing to pull them off.

Here is the quick, high-level breakdown of the system:

• Release One: The low-flighted, “bump and run” style shot.
• Release Two: The soft-landing, higher-trajectory shot.
• Release Three: The high, spinning lob shot/flop shot!

Trusting the Process (and Reaping the Rewards)

This wasn’t an overnight fix. It took me a couple of months of dedicated practice to really dial it in. I decided to double down on Release One and Release Two, since those are the bread-and-butter shots you actually need most often around the course.

But once the confidence started to return? Everything changed.

Securing a reliable short game completely freed up the rest of my round. I stopped stressing if I missed a green, because I knew I could get up and down. That peace of mind actually allowed me to play more aggressive, sensible golf from the tee to the fairway.

My Biggest Takeaway: Kill the Information Overload

If there is one thing I’ve learned on this journey, it’s that the golf world is absolutely flooded with information. Trying to process ten different swing thoughts at the same time is a recipe for disaster. Having a single, simple concept to focus on—like Dan’s releases—is infinitely better.

I’m only giving you the brief overview here, but if you are struggling with your wedges, do yourself a favor and check out Dan Grieve’s YouTube channel. He also has a fantastic book on Amazon called The Three Releases which goes into serious depth.

Coming Up Next…

(Oh, and one final teaser for my next post: through this whole process, I also realized that your equipment choices matter just as much as your technique. Stay tuned for that…)