
- Grip. Grip the club in the fingers of your left hand (for right-handed golfers). You should see two or three knuckles of your left hand grip.
- Backswing. Swing the club back with your shoulders and begin hinging your wrists. Keep your left arm extended as you turn your shoulders and hinge your wrists.
- Downswing. Start your downswing by moving your lower body to the target. This will help you bring the club down along a proper inside-out path.
- Follow Through. Keep turning your hips as you swing through impact and strike the ball. Let the club rotate over as your arms extend out to the target.
Full Answer
How can I keep my left arm straight?
PGA Tour player:
- Left elbow -3.6 degrees (hyper flexed) bent at address
- Left elbow 0.0 degrees bent at first parallel in backswing
- Left elbow 5.5 degrees bent at top of backswing
- Left elbow 6 degrees bent at second parallel in downswing
- Left elbow 8 degrees bent at impact
How to keep our left arm straight in the backswing?
Your right arm doesn't need to bend that much. You're thinking about creating width in the swing, which is free club head speed. Keep your right arm wide, and you don't need to fold it that much, and your left arm will stay perfectly straight.
How sitting can screw up your golf swing?
13 Rules of Golf Etiquette
- Show Up Early. This is one of the easiest things to do yet so many people still make this mistake every single day.
- Obey The Cart Path Rules. If you’re new to the game, you probably think golf carts are the best thing ever. ...
- Warm Up with Three Balls. ...
- Don’t Talk While Others Are Hitting. ...
- Talk to Competitors Shots. ...
How to stop getting stuck in the golf swing?
If getting stuck is one of your swing flaws then here's a review of the correct downswing sequence:
- The downswing is initiated by the hips unwinding, not the shoulders.
- Next, the torso starts to unwind.
- After that, the arms follow.
- And after that, the club lags behind hopefully carrying a lot of energy with it.

How to keep your left arm straight in golf?
Proper Left Arm Positioning. There are several key positions worth noting — takeaway, left arm parallel to the ground, the top of your backswing, downswing, and impact — that you can focus on to keep your left arm straight through your golf swing. First, as you start your backswing, keep your left arm straight and close to your body ...
How to swing backswing golf?
First, as you start your backswing, keep your left arm straight and close to your body until it approaches parallel to the ground and your wrists start to hinge. You’ll want to make sure that your arms and body are “connected” and your body is driving your turn away from the ball, not your arms. Remember that golf is a rotational game ...
Why is the left arm of the golf club important?
It largely determines the spacing and arc of your golf swing, it helps control the clubface and ensures power through impact. Too much bend in your left arm can throw off the timing of the rest of your body, costing you power and making it more difficult to square the club at impact and start the ball on-line.
What is the role of the left arm in golf?
Every part of the body has to be insync for a golf swing to work, but the role of the left arm in golf swing is one of the most crucial and easy to check components. This article will discuss proper positioning for your left arm in a golf swing, when to think about it, and how it should move throughout your swing. An important note, this page will discuss the importance of the left arm in the golf swing as most golfers are right-handed, but what we really mean is the lead arm in the golf swing. So if you’re a left-handed player, this article will be about your right arm.
What arm does the follow through do?
It also teaches you to make a full swing instead of decelerating at impact. During the follow through your left arm will remain straight after hitting the ball, but will bend as you rotate through to face your target and your arms come up to your finishing position.
How to push your arm away from a golf ball?
A good thought is to push your left arm away from the ball by rotating your shoulders and trunk with your left shoulder working down and under your chin. If you are using a Swing Align device the front of the rod will move down first (not out and around).
Why does my left arm bend when I swing?
If you find your left arm is bending at the top of your swing it is most likely because your body has stopped rotating and you are trying to generate more reach and power with your arms. This only serves to make it harder for you to make a well timed and connected swing down to the ball.
Why do you keep your left arm straight?
Keeping the left arm straight promotes a full swing amplitude. Indeed, by pushing the hands furthest away from the body, you are forcing your hands to travel the most distance during your swing. Furthermore, not allowing your left arm to bend also promotes shot consistency and reliability.
Why do golfers bend their elbows?
Golfers of a certain age whose flexibility is no longer what it used to be often resort to bending the left elbow a little bit. This helps them coil further in order to compensate for what would otherwise be a too narrow swing and it helps them gain yardages.
What does "don't bend the left elbow" mean?
Also Known As: “Don’t bend the left elbow”. This swing thought reminds you to keep your left arm stiff during your swing, including at the top of the backswing. This is in contrast to letting your left elbow bend, which some golfers tend to do as they proceed to the later stages of the backswing.
How to keep your left arm straight in golf?
Keeping your left arm straight during the swing requires the proper grip, arm swing, downswing path and body turn. Learn these fundamentals and you will consistently be able to create a powerful swing.
What arm should be straight at the top of the backswing?
By John Wagner. The left arm should be straight at the top of the backswing. One common phrase heard around driving ranges and golf courses is "keep your left arm straight.". This advice can help right-handed golfers create power in their swings.
How to swing a golf club backwards?
Swing the club back with your shoulders and begin hinging your wrists. Keep your left arm extended as you turn your shoulders and hinge your wrists. Stop your backswing when your left shoulder is under your chin and your arms are slightly higher than your shoulders .
How to follow through on golf swing?
Follow Through. Keep turning your hips as you swing through impact and strike the ball. Let the club rotate over as your arms extend out to the target. Halfway through the follow-through the left arm should finally bend as you fold both arms to a finish position. Your shoulders and hips should face the target at your finish.
How to get a golf club to swing down?
Downswing. Start your downswing by moving your lower body to the target. This will help you bring the club down along a proper inside-out path. Turn your hips toward the target and keep your left arm extended as you continue swinging down to impact. Turn your hips through the impact position and hold onto your wrist hinge until just before ...
Where should the V point on a golf club?
The "v" formed by your left thumb and index finger should point toward your right shoulder. Grip the club in the fingers of your right hand with the right pinky finger overlapping the index and middle finger of the left hand. This grip will give you leverage to hinge your wrists while keeping your left arm straight.
How to swing your arms?
Stand in front of a mirror and make small swings watching how your arms work. Keep the back of the front or left arm firmly against the chest on the down swing . Notice that your arms can rotate easier before, at and after impact.
Which arm controls the path of a golf club?
Golf Instruction. The left arm is the one that primarily controls the path that the club will travel on. For this reason we need to try to keep the path from changing during the swing to produce consistent results. That means you will need to feel as if you keep the arm straight from the set up position until impact.
What does it mean when your left arm moves back in the back swing?
Obviously this means your body must move in an athletic manner with the hips moving towards the target to start the downswing.
What is the most counter intuitive motion that most golfers ever have to make and feels powerless and uncomfortable at first?
The way the left arm moves and rotates after impact is one of the key contributors to a great golf swing. This is the most counter intuitive motion that most golfers ever have to make and feels powerless and uncomfortable at first. Most good players do not keep their left arms completely straight during the back swing.
How to get hips to move after a ball flight?
After accomplishing a ball flight that curves left next try to get your hips to move laterally from the top of the swing and then try to get the hips 20 to 40 degrees open at impact. This may take a little time but it is well worth it. This is how a good athletic motion produces extremely long consistent shots.
How to hit a ball relatively straight?
To hit a ball relatively straight the arms and body sequence and speed must match up. Once you learn to curve the ball left with proper arm rotation you will then need to change the sequence of your body motion. Most amateurs have their hips facing the ball at impact.
How long does it take to learn to hit a ball curving left?
A person who slices can learn to hit a ball curving left within 40 minutes after learning proper use of the left arm. The typical comment during the change is how unnatural or uncomfortable it is to move your left arm correctly after impact. The key is how the left arm moves very little forward in the down swing.
What is the downswing in golf?
The downswing occurs right after the top of the swing position is reached. It consists of the movements that occur as you bring your hands and the club back down. The downswing ends with the ultimate impact with the ball.
Where should weight be transferred in golf?
Weight Should Transfer Towards the Left Foot. As you start bringing your hands down during the downswing your weight should start to transfer onto the left – front – foot. It should do so progressively through the rotation of the hips and the shoulders that follow. The opposite of this will see a golfer finding most of his weight on his left foot ...
How to keep the hinge in your wrists?
Keep the Hinge in your Wrists during the Downswing. The full hinge that was set progressively in the backswing should be kept intact as you being the downswing. This is in contrast to unhinging your wrists early in your downswing in what is referred to as the casting swing error. In a proper swing, the wrists only unhinge very late in ...
What happens if you fail to do a downswing?
Indeed, failure to do so will open the door to the deceleration swing error.
What should the clubhead do in golf?
Clubhead Should Follow an Inside-Square-Inside Path. Coherent with the fact that the club moves around the golfer’s body – its axis, the clubhead should come in towards impact from the inside of the target line. It should do so in order to be square at impact and move back to being inside in the follow through.
Which part of the body should be first in reversing action?
The hips should be first in reversing action – or uncoiling – when reaching the top of the swing. This is in contrast to the arms and shoulders leading the way and the hips simply following their lead.
Can you see a golf club come in from the inside?
It is best to avoid seeing the club come in from the inside so much that it becomes ‘outside’ after impact. Such a club path is referred as being inside-out. Alternatively, golfers who suffer from an outside-in club path will see the club come down during the downswing outside of the target line and continue on inside after impact.
