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 I keep my left elbow straight during the golf swing?
The left elbow should be kept as straight as possible during the golf swing before hinging after impact in your follow-through. 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.
Can you hit a golf shot with a bent lead arm?
Sure, you can play with a soft, or bent, lead arm and still hit good shots, but most players find that approach more challenging. Keeping that lead arm straight – the left arm for a right-handed player – should likely be your goal.
Why is it important to straighten your lead arm?
Starting with your lead arm straight is going to make it dramatically easier to keep it straight once the swing gets going. If that lead arm is bent at address, you’ll struggle to straighten it out at any point during the swing, even if the rest of your technique is spot on.
Should lead arm be straight in golf swing?
During your swing, you don't need to feel as though your left arm is rigidly locked into place, but it needs to be relatively straight. This starts with the left elbow, as it is the hinge in your arm that controls its bend throughout the golf swing.
How do you keep your lead arm straight in golf?
3:517:44The TRICK To Keeping The LEFT ARM STRAIGHT In The Golf SwingYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSlide your right hand further down the grip. So you're gripping. It nice and wide apart like that inMoreSlide your right hand further down the grip. So you're gripping. It nice and wide apart like that in like a hockey style sort of grip. And what you can do is make your back swing and what you'll.
Should left arm be straight 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.
Should left arm and club be in a straight line?
Focus on keeping your left arm in a straight line with the shaft of the club while turning your shoulders away from the target. This technique will keep your backswing simple, and it will also give your backswing the width it needs to develop plenty of power later on.
Should right arm be straight at impact?
The final stage is impact and the followthrough. In a perfect world, both arms should be connected, forming a triangle with the golf ball. Additionally, the right arm should be just in front of your hip. The right arm should not straighten before impact.
Which arm should control the golf swing?
Third, Hall said golfers must have their lead arm and hand in control of their swing. That's the left arm for right-handed golfers and the right arm for lefties. By leading, you avoid hitting at the ball.
Which arm is most important in golf?
Overview. For right-handed golfers, the left arm is one of the most important aspects of the golf swing. The left arm determines the swing arc for a shot and helps release and rotate the wrists and club on the downswing.
Should you pull down with your left arm in the 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.
Is the golf swing left arm dominant?
Some golf professionals believe the left hand should be dominant in golf while others believe the right hand leads the way. There are positives and negatives to having both the left and right hands active in the golf swing. The majority of golf teaching professionals believe the left hand should lead the way.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How many degrees should your arm be bent when you wrestle?
As we always say…. You don’t arm wrestle with a straight right arm and at impact your right arm should feel exactly the same way, bent at almost 45 degrees.
What does Ben Hogan mean by "If the average golfer went out and did the opposite of everything they thought to
As Ben Hogan said, “If the average golfer went out and did the opposite of everything they thought to be true they would hit it much better.”. It’s a counterintuitive and contradictory game.
Is teaching golf an art?
Teaching golf is an interesting art. For a relationship between coach and student to become a successful one many things have to go right. It’s a lot more complex than most could ever imagine. One of the most important aspects of fixing a student’s golf swing is understanding their concepts.
Is it dangerous to have straight arms?
One of the most common concepts I hear and see is “make sure you keep your arms straight!”. But this can actually be quite a dangerous concept: Straight arms can often lead to loss of power, over-active wrists and an over-active body. Straight arms are almost never seen in any other sport.
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 ...
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 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 ...
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.
What arm do professional golfers have?
Having looked at the swings of top tour players, it’s clear that many of them play with a bent left arm. Elite players all have different moves with their left arms – most of them have a slightly bent left arm at some point before impact. Most professionals have a fairly straight left arm at address.
Why does the left arm straighten when golfing?
As the body rotates during the downswing, this creates centripital forces that throw the arms outwards. This force causes the left arm to straighten naturally. So the golfer doesn’t need to think about keeping the left arm straight at all. Proper rotation and good timing allows the move to take care of itself.
What is Tiger's left arm?
The left arm is generally somewhat flexed, or “soft” as the backswing starts to change direction . Tiger’s left arm is very straight right before transition into the downswing. Even the golfers who appear to have a straight arm rarely do when you view their swing in slow motion. Take a look at the images of Tiger below.
What is a chicken wing in golf?
A chicken wing in golf is where the left arm is bent through impact and especially into the followthrough. It’s not something you cook on a BBQ! Classic golf tuition tells us that it’s a bad move. But as we’ve seen, most pros have a slightly bent left arm at impact. A chicken wing in golf is not a halfway snack!
Why is my left arm not straight?
If your left arm doesn’t want to stay straight naturally then it’s for a reason. Your arm and shoulder are reaching their maximum range of motion and have to bend in order to continue moving. Trying to keep them straight at this point will likely lead to tenison and discomfort.
What is the worst thing to do in golf?
Many people try to force the left arm to stay straight, which is probably the worst thing to do. This will almost certainly lead to a large amount of tension in the swing. Forcing the left arm to stay straight this could introduce a great deal of tension in your swing, unless you are incredibly flexible.
Do golfers have a straight left arm?
Having said that, there are very few world class golfers that have a straight left arm at impact. Even golfers that play with a “straight left arm” tend to have some degree of flexion at impact.
What is the right arm for golf?
As Tattersall says, your trail arm — which is your right arm for right-handed golfers, or left arm for left-handers — can and does a variety of different things on the backswing. “The right arm can fan a little bit, it can rotate, and it can lift. All those things happen in most people’s backswing,” Tattersall says.
Why is the trail arm important?
Your trail arm has an incredibly important role in the golf swing, one with the ability to both help — and hurt — the outcome of the shot you’re about to hit. When something goes wrong in a golfer’s downswing, it generally does so in one of two ways: Either the arms both work too far behind you at the start of the downswing ...
