
Should your left arm be straight in a golf swing?
The reason players are encouraged to keep their left arm as straight as possible through their golf swing is to create as much width as possible during the takeaway and backswing. You should try and make the biggest arc possible with your club, as this will generate the most speed and consistency in your golf swing.
How do you fold your arms when you swing a club?
Fold your right elbow, maintaining neutral joint alignment with your shoulder. If you add a little bit of rotation, that will allow the left arm to swing across your chest to put the club on plane at the top. It's not the left arm that's doing the work. The right arm folding is what puts the left arm where we want it to be.
How much should your left arm bend in the golf backswing?
Most professional players start with a straight left arm at address, which bends to around five degrees at top of their backswing. Their left arm continues to flex slightly in the downswing and will have around eight degrees of bend at impact.
How do you use your left arm in the backswing?
In your takeaway and backswing, make sure your left arm doesn't get stuck behind your body. Keeping your arms and shoulders in front of your chest will help you make a mover vertical move with your club path. As you transition to the top of your swing, raise your left arm vertically.

How straight Should your left arm be in golf?
So, what is the correct way to do it? Golfers should try and keep their left arm as straight as possible without it being rigid, or locked, but some bend is fine. Most professional players start with a straight left arm at address, which bends to around five degrees at top of their backswing.
How do I make my left arm higher in the golf swing?
3:587:29The Trick To Keeping The Left Arm Straight In The Golf Swing - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWorking up and back my right arm pushes away chest up shoulder. Up right arm pushes away let's goMoreWorking up and back my right arm pushes away chest up shoulder. Up right arm pushes away let's go ahead and do. That and that's where i would.
Where should the left arm be at the top of the backswing?
In an ideal position, at the top of the backswing, your lead arm should be straight and your wrists should be hinged. Your wrist hinge in the golf swing is one of the key components in creating and storing power.
How high should your arm be backswing?
To make a proper backswing, start by lifting your arms. Even more specific, use them to elevate the club's center of mass (signified by the red ball on my club) about 25 to 30 degrees as I've done here before even thinking of pitching the club upward with your wrists.
Should arms hang straight down golf?
your arms should hang straight down from your shoulder sockets at address, and. all golf clubs are built on an angle.
Do you pull with your left arm in golf swing?
You should pull the butt of the club toward the ball. Remember, this pulling down is done by the left arm. It's the controlling agent, and if you let it be you will escape the many troubles that result from trying to push the club down from the top with the right hand and the right shoulder.
Where should your hands be at the top of your golf swing?
0:391:17Hank Haney on the Correct Wrist Position at the Top of Your Golf SwingYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBeing open so to be more consistent. What I'd like to see is that left wrist flat to the forearm atMoreBeing open so to be more consistent. What I'd like to see is that left wrist flat to the forearm at the top of the swing. Then you can just bring it right down that plane.
Where should my left elbow point in golf swing?
The lead elbow, for those of you who are right-handed this would be your left elbow, should point down the line in the direction in which you are hitting. In other words, have the target side elbow (photo 1) point in the direction you want to hit your golf ball.
Where should golf clubs point at top of backswing?
Ideally, you want the golf club to be pointing directly at your target at the top of your golf swing. This allows you to uncoil your swing with the fewest moving parts and keep the swing on plane and on line the entire way.
How high should hands be at address?
At impact, your hands should return to the same place they were at address—no lower (as in closer to your body) and no higher (as in farther away from your body).
Should the left arm be connected to chest in downswing?
2:504:31Best Way to Improve Clubface Control - Keep Lead Arm Connected to ChestYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou should be able to hit shots. That won't overhook on you okay that won't over draw on you whichMoreYou should be able to hit shots. That won't overhook on you okay that won't over draw on you which is why i really like lead arm stuck to your chest.
Which arm is more dominant in the golf swing?
Don't get me wrong, they both need to work together. But in general, the hand opposite your swing is the dominant hand in the golf swing. That's why you will see a lot of guys warming up sometimes with just their left arm.
Where does the left arm stay in golf?
Instead, you need to understand this about the left arm in the golf swing: The left arm stays in front of the chest in the backswing. The role of the left arm in the backswing is...pretty much nothing. Your left arm stays right in front of your chest.
What arm do you push in golf?
Pushing with the left arm in the golf swing. Pushing with the left arm in the golf swing is one of the most common problems we see when teaching people rotation in the golf. In other words, many golfers take the club back primarily by pushing with their left arm across the center line - the sternum - during the the golf backswing.
How to take the club back in golf?
Many golfers take the club back by pushing the left arm across the chest. Pushing with the left provides little rotation or shoulder turn, so the big muscles are left out of the golf swing. When you push from the left, the right arm folds and the club goes deep. The right arm should dominate the backswing. Try practicing with your right arm only: ...
What happens when you push your left arm in golf?
Pushing with the left arm in the golf swing causes the right arm to fold. Looked at from down the line, if you take your left arm and push it across your body, where does the club end up? The photo to the left shows a common position; the club is very deep and back inside. The right arm is folded and the golfer is up out of the box.
How to swing a golf club on plane?
Fold your right elbow, maintaining neutral joint alignment with your shoulder. If you add a little bit of rotation, that will allow the left arm to swing across your chest to put the club on plane at the top. It's not the left arm that's doing the work.
What is the right arm folding?
The right arm folding is what puts the left arm where we want it to be. The left arm may do a little bit, but most people aren't going to feel that it's playing any active role whatsoever. It's the right side that takes the club back and puts it in position.
How to do a backswing on golf club?
Letting the right arm perform the backswing. Go ahead and try it. Hold the club in your right arm only. Fold your arm, get it into neutral joint alignment, rotate it a little bit and turn to the top. As you can see in the photo to the left, you're pretty much exactly where you want to be at the top.
Which arm holds the key to all your power in the swing?
The left arm holds the key to all your power in the swing, right? Generally speaking, yes. The range of motion in your upper back will greatly impact how straight you can keep your left arm to make a complete back swing. The straighter you can keep it the better.
What happens if you bend your left arm?
A severely bent left arm robs you of power and also produces inconsistent ball contact. Some players can play with a slightly bowed left arm. Take a look at Jordan Spieth at the top of his golf swing.
How to make a golf ball turn over?
Don’t feel like you have to roll your wrists over at impact. Just by keeping your lead arm (the left one) slightly higher than your right one , you’re going to make the ball turn over and draw. Take this knowledge and try it out for yourself.
Can you draw with left arm high?
It can, and it’s not hard to do. In a drill called, left arm high, right arm low, you can easily shape your ball flight into a nice draw with only a minor modification to your swing. Todd Kolb explains more here: When you set to the ball (assuming you’re right-handed by the way) make sure your left arm is positioned just a bit higher ...
Why do arms elevate in the backswing?
When the arms elevate more in the backswing, there is more potential energy due to the simple fact that they will be falling from a greater height and gravity will be happy to assist with the initial acceleration.
What is the most distinctive element in a golf swing?
The most distinctive element that will be apparent in your golf swing is the amount of lag you will have in your golf swing based on the amount of arm elevation.
Do your arms move vertically during the backswing?
It's crucial to realize that the amount your arms move vertically during the backswing directly impacts how you'll be able to, and should, power your downswing, no matter how you swing the golf club.
STEP 1
Hinge your right arm at the elbow, with your thumb in a hitchhiker’s position.
STEP 2
Look at your thumb relative to the top of your right shoulder. If it’s even or below your delt (1), you’re a candidate for a flatter backswing. If it’s hovering above (2), start experimenting with a steeper swing.
How many degrees should a golfer's left arm be?
Golfers should try and keep their left arm as straight as possible without it being rigid, or locked, but some bend is fine. Most professional players start with a straight left arm at address, which bends to around five degrees at top of their backswing. Their left arm continues to flex slightly in the downswing and will have around eight degrees ...
Why is it important to keep your left arm straight in golf?
How important is keeping a straight left arm in golf? The reason players are encouraged to keep their left arm as straight as possible through their golf swing is to create as much width as possible during the takeaway and backswing.
What causes a player to turn their body and shoulders too far inside the swing plane?
Complete locking of the left arm causes many players to turn their whole body and shoulders too far inside the swing plane. The only way they can then get any height in their arms at the top of the backswing is to lift them up, which in turn can create some poor movements – such as an over-the-top slice – during the downswing.
What is the biggest killer of golf swings?
As the common saying goes, tension is the biggest killer of every golf swing. Below is a video demonstrating a great drill to release tension in your arms, wrists and hands while maintaining a straight left arm throughout your swing.
What happens if you lock your lead arm?
The arms and shoulders need to be relaxed to get the club going fast. But at address, if you lock up your lead arm then your body gets really tight … and can lead to some really poor (backswing) and downswing motions. If we don’t (keep the arm straight) it actually acts as another lever, if you bend your arm.
Should you bend your left arm in golf?
It (your left arm) is allowed to bend. It shouldn’t be ram-rod straight unless you have ultimate, super flexibility. But if there’s a little bit of bend in it, then it’s generally OK.
Does Rick Shiels golf have to be straight?
Rick Shiels from Rick Shiels Golf: It doesn’t have to be perfectly straight, it’s not absolutely crucial. The more we can keep it straight, the better but there’s many golfers out there who keep it as straight as they can (but still have it a little bent at the top).
What is the correct position for your left arm?
And the correct position for your left arm to be in once that you’ve your posture up is for your left arm to be dangling quite vertically and relaxed and hanging freely under the shoulders. So that’s the correct position for your left arm address looking this way on.
What happens if you swing your left arm out?
If the left arm is out — away from the body and you’re reaching for the ball too much, as you swing back and swing back in, you’ll put you’re left arm into this more natural relaxed dangling position and you’ll end up hitting the ball off the toe.
What happens if you play with your left hand?
If you’re playing with your left hand so that’s it’s at more between the legs, your hands are back too far and that’s going to promote you to scoop the ball through impact which is going to give you wishes on connection and power and direction.

What's Shoulder/Arm Elevation?
Leverage vs. Rotation in The Downswing
- The most distinctive element that will be apparent in your golf swing is the amount of lagyou will have in your golf swing based on the amount of arm elevation. As you'll see in the video, if your arms don't elevate much in the backswing, you'll need to use more body rotation for power and vice versa if you have more elevation. This can most clearl...
Watch This Premium Video to Help You Decide
- It's simply a matter of preference; the key is to determine how you prefer to move your arms in the golf swing, and in this golf instruction video, I give you the facts to help you decide. Related Premium Content: (Learn About Membership) 1. Create More Speed Using Less Effort 2. Two Ways To Create Massive Speed 3. Learn To Move More Efficiently In The Downswing