Do the Twist

As a former slicer, you may--through various compensations--have developed a hook that occasionally--or maybe usually--turns into a vicious hook. On a bad day, you pull-hook a lot, which is partly left over from your slicing days. And then suddenly one day, you'll go back to slicing the crap out of the ball. And you'll marvel to yourself and wonder why and set out trying to hook the ball again. That's golf. Fun huh? But wait! Maybe you've never broken the slicing curse and have resigned yourself to trying to make the slice work.

The Thumb Press

I've posted before about ways to square the club face and ingredients for various ball flights. If you start slicing the ball (i.e., curving left to right unintentionally), your club face is open to the path upon which the club head is moving; this is why you can hit a pull-slice (ball starting left of target usually with an outside-in path), straight-slice (ball starting at target usually with an in-out-in path), or push-slice (ball starting right of target usually with an inside-out path). So path has an effect, but you can see that slice basically means 'open club face' in all three situations. If you're hitting a push-slice (starts right and curves further right), you're almost there and just need the club face to close through impact! If you're hitting a pull-slice, you've got the most work to do, because you're likely over-the-top (OTT) with an open club face. But in all cases, the club face must be squared! That should be your first priority; then you can work on ingraining the correct plane and swing path. As the saying goes, you can go from slicing to hooking to good golf but can never go directly from slicing to good golf.

Many fine instructors, such as Brian Manzella, teach that OTT (and many other related golfing errors like flipping) is a symptom of an open club face, not the cause (though you'll find others that absolutely attribute a slice to an OTT path). Why is OTT a symptom instead of the cause, some say? Because in an effort to compensate for the open club face, you move OTT (and again, the open face could be causing other swing flaws) in an unconscious attempt to get the ball moving left, so that the ball might slice into the fairway instead of the right woods. So OTT may very well be a compensation for the open club face, not the cause. This means that the open club face is actually discouraging you from hitting inside-out, which is the correct path into the ball!

Assuming a netural to slightly strong left hand grip, you should use a dorsiflexed right wrist (DRW) to hit the golf ball, because you'll ensure a flat left wrist (FLW) at impact, and this may be one of the few universal fundamentals espoused by all great golfers and teachers. And I believe there are various places in the swing sequence where great golfers achieve this position. Some great golfers cup the left wrist at the top (e.g., Hogan, Couples, Watson, Clement, etc.) but dorsiflex the right wrist coming down (thereby flattening the left wrist). Others (e.g., Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker) achieve a FLW at the top, and thus, a DRW at the top before starting down. And some teachers espouse creating the DRW as you move off the ball in the takeaway (the point of this blog post). Most weekend and high-handicap golfers should only hinge or dorsiflex the right wrist in the backswing and forget the temptation to squeeze more power out of the conventionally taught upward vertical wrist cock (i.e., radial deviation or thumbs pointing more and more toward you); vertical wrist action feels powerful (and it may be marginally), but it will cup the left wrist and straighten the right wrist at the top, and that all has to be undone properly by impact to square the club face.

Duval's Closed Takeaway

Grip strength plays a role on the left wrist. Stronger grips tend toward cupping at the top, while neutral to weak grips tend toward flattening or bowing at the top. Want to slice on purpose? Use a weak grip and then cup the left wrist at the top--instant banana ball without major compensations. That's actually a good combination to use in a greenside bunker; but I digress.

Why is a FLW at the top antithetical to left wrist radial deviation at the top? Because of biomechanics. It's easy to see how a FLW limits or restricts radial deviation (i.e., upward vertical wrist action); the more you cup or dorsiflex the left wrist, the more you can vertically cock the left wrist up and create what Shawn Clement calls 'snuff boxes.' With a FLW at the top, the left wrist is restricted and can't radially deviate more than 90 degrees, which is all that's needed--especially by weekend golfers. Likewise, the DRW can radially deviate slightly but is prevented from going too far because of the blocking action of the FLW.

Too much vertical wrist cock can contribute to collapsing at the top (in addition to opening the face), especially with weekend golfers. In Stricker's case, he uses very minimal vertical wrist action, and so he's very consistent and long enough to score well against the best professionals; he may have the best professional golf swing for amateurs to mimic because of its simplicity and minimal vertical wrist action; however, he uses plenty of right wrist dorsiflexion!

And now for the point of this post: Using one of Brian Manzella's teaching points (which other teachers such as Joe Dante and Tom Tomasello have also espoused in one form or another), try setting the club face in the correct position early--even as you take the club back, using only one conscious wrist motion. Manzella calls it "twisting" the club (i.e., "twistaway"), such that you dorsiflex your right wrist, palm down, without radial deviation, as you take the club away. The left wrist flattens immediately; it may even arch or bow slightly, and the back of the left hand faces slightly towards the ground. The club face is pointing more down at the ball, as you take it away, staying square to the arc (some detractors would argue "closed to the arc"). Then take it to the top (the club face pointing more skyward than a slicer is likely used to), keeping in mind that you must keep good width, good lower body pivot to start the downswing, and then return the DRW back to the inside part of the ball.

Some notes of caution about the downswing. You'll notice, when you "twistaway" like this on your takeaway, your right palm is roughly on top of the shaft, which means that your right arm is above your left arm. You should immediately discern that you can't come back down exactly the same way, or you'll be OTT, hit pulls, pull-hooks, tops, toe shots, and produce thin, toe-deep divots. During your downswing, you have to shift left (left hip bump over the left ankle) and your arms sort of reverse positions: The right arm feels as if it initially comes down UNDER the left arm (instead of on top of the left arm as it was in the takeaway). The right shoulder feels like it's moving down towards the right pants pocket. In a sense, you're opening the face up just slightly as you come down, because a strong lower body move to start down--in addition to adding tremendous power and great sequencing--has an opening effect on the club face that counteracts the closing affect of the palm-down DRW. This really puts you in a powerful impact alignment, pressuring the shaft, with the hands leading the club head down, with a FLW and DRW right wrist. You're making a bit of a loop--back steeper and closed, and down shallower and a bit more open, instead of trying to go back open and then close the face quickly on the way down (what's conventionally taught but is very tough to do consistently). In reality, your wrists aren't changing positions at all to create this more open club face position; your body and arms are changing to allow for the correct contact, so that your right palm comes back down a little more to the inside of the ball, as opposed to on top of the ball (which is how you executed the "twist" takeaway). Using the "twist" takeaway, get the feeling that the right arm and right hand are coming UNDER the left on the way down and you'll hit inside-out with a club face that's closed just enough--not too much, and with no extra, crazy squaring manipulations needed on the way through.

You no longer have to swing OTT, cast, or flip to keep the ball from going right; you've removed the cause. You no longer need to rotate the hands over in a flash to close the club face. You have to learn to trust that you can hit inside-out, start the ball to the right, and then draw it back to the left, because you've already ensured a square club face. No manipulation coming down is necessary, other than just starting down properly. Manzella teaches this in his "Never Slice Again" video, but he's also published parts of it on his web site and in Golf Magazine. Joe Dante's "Four Magic Moves" book is also an old classic that covers this precept. Many others teach very similar concepts, and just as many are opponents of this kind of thing (like many golf theories--lots of contradictory opinions, with everyone of them thinking their way is the "right" way).

Duval Closed at Top

Are there touring pros who are or have been shut or appear shut at the top? David Duval, Zach Johnson, Lee Trevino, Graeme McDowell, Greg Norman, Boo Weekly, Payne Stewart, Tom Lehman, Tom Weiskopf, and Dustin Johnson to name a few. But remember that this "shut face" position can be achieved at the beginning of the downswing or at any point before impact, and many pros, including Tiger Woods, do it this way (i.e., club face angled more toward the ground coming into impact due to the right palm rotating down toward the ground). Hogan went from cupped at the top to bowed left wrist at the bottom. Taking the club back already in this position and keeping it that way prevents the timing issues associated with achieving the position on the way down--very important for weekend golfers!

Why do you think you slice, because you come ‘over-the-top’? Reverse Pivot? Cut across the ball? ‘Hang back’ on your back foot, etc.? Nope. You may do one or all of the above, but these ‘flaws’ don’t cause the slice, you do them because you slice. You slice, because the clubface is too open. Period. Fix the clubface, and the slice goes bye-bye forever. The compensations will often also go away quickly when they are no longer needed.

Brian Manzella - Never Slice Again!

Once the hands move beyond the right thigh, the right wrist will start bending back which is classified as "dorsiflexion." This bending back of the right wrist creates the corresponding "flat left wrist" that is so well known in golf instruction.

As the backswing continues to progress beyond the right thigh area and the wrist bends back, the right elbow will start to fold. The right elbow actually does not travel very far in a good backswing. It simply folds and points toward the ground as the right palm faces the sky in the classic "waiters’ tray" position at the top.

Right Wrist Action for the Perfect Golf Swing

The best way to describe the right arm on the downswing is that it should be "pushing down and out."

"Pushing down" allows the right arm to actively straighten while maintaining its bend in the right wrist.

"Out" is the second half of the equation as it directs the right arm to deliver the club head from the inside. Most players need to feel as if they are driving the right arm not only "down," but "out." I often times describe this feeling as if the right arm is being directed more towards right field.

TPC News and PGA TOUR Golf Events - TPC.com

The down cock of Hogan and Garcia has nothing to do with achieving distance. It is the maintaining of the cock [the hinge or DRW] in the right wrist until waist high in the down stroke that produces club head speed. The left wrist cock is unnecessary mechanical motion that must be recovered from. The left wrist cock[s] in a plane that is 90 degrees to the plane of the swing. Left wrist cock is one of the most unnecessary and hardest to recover from mechanical motions in golf.

"The Professor" Jack Kuykendall Answers Your Questions

When it is done, without moving the hands other wise, the right hand breaks backward at the wrist and the left hand breaks forward or inward, the hack of the left hand going under and facing, in a general way, toward the ground.

The Golf Backswing Part 3: The Thumb Press

Good wrist action is no wrist action. This is something I have been saying for years and years. It's one of my Surgisms. Yet, every so often I get a critic who is adamant that I actually cock my wrists. Well Surgites, today I'm going to let the video do the talking!

No Wrist Cock, PERIOD! | Swing Surgeon

A strong grip is by far the most common error I see with players who curve the ball too much from right to left. The right hand drifts to the right--away from the target--and moves underneath the club, as shown in the photograph below. With the right hand in this position, it will tend to turn over too much through impact. Because the position of the right palm roughly replicates the clubface, it's easy to see why this turning over of the right hand causes the clubface to close and the ball to curve left.

Hank Haney: Stop Losing Shots To The Left : Golf Digest

As you drive through the hitting zone, give the ball a slap with your right hand, changing your right wrist from bent back to bowed. Check the positions at left to see what it looks like.

Make a Power Release - GOLF.com

I have had tremendous success with this technique – primarily, I believe, because it taps into a [slicer's] instinct that screams – in order for my ball to not leak right I must swing as much to the left as possible. Essentially the drill gives the golfer a reason, something they’ve never had, to swing to the right.

• Tilt the face down 30 degrees (1 hour)
• Take normal grip
• Adjust shoulders and arms to square the face at address
• Swing out to right field

From Slicer to Bomber | Andrew Rice Golf

If you understand the above-described biomechanical maneuver, then you should realize that this "twistaway" maneuver is automatically/naturally used by a TGM hitter, who doesn't use a takeaway swivel action.

Backswing

At this stage [downswing, shaft parallel to the ground] the right wrist should still be bent back fully but the palm is now facing the ground not the sky. With the palm facing down this insures the clubface is also facing down or toward the ball and requires no scooping or manipulation to be squared up in time for the hit.

Golf Lag: Stop Casting, Lag like Tiger Woods

A clubface that points down was said to be a closed clubface. We now know that this is not true and in fact is a square clubface position. The clubface angle should match the angle formed by the back of your left hand on the takeaway. The more you have to manipulate the hands, the more clubface control you will lose. So next time you swing a club look at the toe position at your waist height. Is it open, square, or closed? [Toe-up means the club face is open.]

clubface position at waist height | Golfeneur

This golfer eliminated the shank very quickly when we got him to stop rotating the face open during the take-away. At the start, he was rolling his arms, right palm toward the sky, on the backswing, and he changed that to keeping the right palm facing down toward the ground for as long as he could throughout the backswing. Yes, it felt awkward as could be. The shanks disappeared instantly, but returned every time he failed to execute the new move. That’s good. There’s nothing like immediate feedback! But now his solidly struck shots went well left of the target. I explained that he no longer needed to try to flip the club closed through impact to correct the formerly wide-open face. He began to hit far better shots when he felt like he was keeping the face from closing through impact. His sensation was closed back, open down. It worked! Funny game.

The Case for the Face | John Dunigan Golf

The philosophy of the golf swing is that the position of the clubface throughout the entire golf swing is the single most important fundamental there is. It effects all other major fundamentals and is the glue that holds the golf swing together. When we swing the club with a square clubface, we naturally improve the path in which the club head comes into the ball, the angle that we approach the ball, our ability to get into a great impact position, our acceleration through the shot and our overall rhythm.

What is a Square Clubface?

[Tiger Wood's] right palm twists outwards as he starts the downswing. The motion is as if you are directing traffic to stop coming from your right side. There is a little straightening of the right arm along with the palm rotating to face away from you. This is the little secret that no says much about. Yet it happens in most good golf swings.

One of the biggest misunderstandings of the golf swing is that the hands have to rotate through impact. While this may be partly true, it directs the attention of the golfer to a point in the swing where all is lost already. This golfer has the same odds at getting the clubface squared at impact as me getting into a size 32 pants There’s too much error built into the swing and we already know what’s going to happen.

Secret to Squaring Your Clubface

Do you know why golfers don't change club path on the course? It is because they don't understand and cannot control the club face. When you have a club face that is open, the golfer will always correct this by swinging over the top, or left. Simple.

It's the Club Face Stupid! | Jim McClean

In addition to Dustin Johnson, many tour players have played successfully from a closed-face position, including Zach Johnson, Paul Azinger and Rory Sabbatini. The common denominator amongst them is they all rotate their body very aggressively through impact. This rotation neutralizes the clubface and prevents the ball from curving left. This technique can hold up very well under pressure because these players are not required to consciously close the clubface at any time through impact. Rather, the opposite is true: the harder they rotate and do nothing with the clubface, the straighter the ball will typically fly.

Video: Analyzing Dustin Johnson's Swing : Golf Digest

"David’s [Duval] clubface is amazingly square through impact," says David Leadbetter. "His clubface is closed at the top, the face pointing a bit toward the sky, which along with the strong grip would be a recipe for hooking for some players. But David works the club `under’ on the downswing, a bit like Lee Trevino, and that move can make a player incredibly accurate, especially with the irons."

David Duval’s Golf Swing | Golf Swing Gallery

 

 

Dump the Tray to the Floor

The left wrist should be flat at impact (assuming a right-handed golfer). That seems to be a universal point of agreement among most teaching professionals, regardless of what else upon which they disagree (and disagree they do). The converse of the flat left wrist (FLW) at impact is a corresponding dorsiflexed or hinged right wrist at impact; the two are inseparably linked, thus you can't have one without the other. Given these near universally accepted tenets of golf, if you study long enough you will find teachers that relate the position and loft of the clubface to the back of the left hand (Hank Haney), or you will similarly find teachers that take the opposite approach and match the clubface to the palm of the right hand (David Leadbetter). Either is correct as they have an inverse relationship. And either can help the golfer be aware of the loft of club (i.e., how delofted) and the direction of the club (i.e., whether pointed left, straight ahead, or right) at impact. If you're a right-handed player, you may find it easier to relate the club face position and loft to your right palm, but you've got to do it the right way.

Dorsiflexed RW, palm down.

There are numerous posts on the use of the wrists on this blog. But it's a good idea to revisit accepted fundamentals from time-to-time with a fresh look. In this post, I'm going to examine using the dorsiflexed right wrist and right palm to add power and direction in the downswing, without flipping at impact.

First, all the grip and downswing fundamentals (using the appropriate grip pressure points and arm-chest pressure points) apply. I've posted about this right palm-right wrist concept before. The right palm should begin rotating down towards the ground in the downswing when the club is about parallel to the ground; the right elbow maintains the bend established at the top of the backswing as this is happening. I think the way it's sometimes presented can be confusing, especially for golfers who utilize PP #4 (upper left arm pressed against the left chest). It can be an active or passive process, but I'm going to focus on using it somewhat passively. The grip pressure points in particular allow one to maintain awareness of club face position and lag pressure throughout the swing.

What is this? We all know that the right wrist dorsiflexes on the backswing into a position that looks similar to holding a tray of pizza or dishes at the top of the backswing. At least that's how it has been described. This is where many reputable teachers disagree; some want you to have a FLW at the top (or even on the way there), while others want you to have a slight cup in the left wrist at the top. I think that it's during the transition to the downswing when a good player will often max out this slightly dorsiflexed postion of the right wrist, producing the tray position and a FLW. Most weekend golfers would be better off forgoing the vertical wrist cock on the backswing (taught by many great instructors) and instead focus on just hinging the right wrist backwards (thereby insuring a FLW at the top). Another way to think of this is that the heel of the right hand comes into the ball first, not the right palm! The right palm is trailing the heel of the right hand and the right palm is facing the ground.

Correct and Flip Wrist Actions.

Regardless of whether you achieve a FLW at the top or during the transition (or later), I think a loose right wrist is essential in allowing the weight of the club to maximize the dorsiflexed right wrist angle in the transition and downswing. You can try to hold the wrist angle (as I once tried to do when first learning of this fundamental), but you'll likely find your shots heading right (unless you compensate somehow).

However, holding the angle is a good way to learn the position and the feeling of the hands-first-clubhead-second necessity, and you can start by just hitting chip shots this way, ensuring you have a FLW and dorsiflexed right wrist (DRW) at impact; you will find that your chip shots will be very crisp, and if you're remotely curious, you'll ask yourself how you can have that same crisp feeling in your full swing shots. You can! When chipping this way, I allow the weight of the club to set my right wrist, and then I hold it coming through. I can feel PP #1 and PP #3 working, sensing lag. I even feel PP #2 in the pinky and ring fingers of my left hand as they resist the breaking down of the left wrist. PP #1, 2, and 3 really work to maintain and feel this lagged position. Boom! A solid, compressed chip shot. Going back and hitting chips like this is a great tool for regaining the correct impact feel in the full swing, if you find yourself suddenly losing it.

But I don't want to consciously hold that angle (DRW) in a full swing, because it will slow down the momentum and deter the continued closing of the club face. The kicker is that you can feel the weight of the club set the right wrist at the top, when the club is still going back, and that's a signal for your brain to start the transition. You can then deliver the DRW at impact without having to forcefully hold it as in the chip example above. One must fight the urge to flip at impact, and again, the simple chip can help you learn to fight this; the correct way is to release the DRW well past impact (it's actually more of a right palm over rotation, where the club shaft and right arm form a straight line point at the ground). But the ball is long gone by this point, and the term "flip" is irrelevant by then (you can't flip at something that isn't there); if your left wrist cups late in the followthrough, don't obsess about it--you want it flat at impact and just beyond. Another swing thought or feel to use is that you're collecting the ball with a DRW (heel and palm of the right hand) by first contacting the inside portion of the ball and then slinging it out towards the target during the release!

Antecubital and right palm face right field.

This fundamental has been described in many ways. But let's go back to the tray at the top analogy. You want to take that tray and dump its contents on the floor in front of the ball! So on the downswing, you come into the inside portion of the ball with the right palm rotated downward and bent back on itself. The more bent back, the more your selected club is delofted. Likewise, assuming an inside-out path, if the palm is aiming is initially aiming right and closing at separation, you will get a push-draw. So you can see that there are numerous combinations of side-to-side and up-down motion of the palm that can produce a variety of shot trajectories and starting directions.

Now another important facet of this concerns the right elbow--specifically the opposite side of the right elbow or the inside-bending part known as the antecubital fossa. The interior bending part of the right elbow should actually face, along with the right palm, towards right field at impact (while still slightly bent), whereas an illusion is that it faces the target line. In other words, the right elbow itself should be rougly pointed directly AWAY from the target at impact, not directly at the right hip. And it's important to note that the still bent right elbow rides near or against the right hip rotating into the impact area and then quickly shoots past the right hip in the release.

So, let's put this altogether. At address, focus on the correct grip pressure points. Keep a loose right wrist (almost floppy feeling) and swing to the top. Let the weight of the club set the wrist into a dorsiflexed position at the top, with a corresponding flat left wrist. Coming down, begin rotating your right palm down to the ground WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY increasing the dorsiflex in the right wrist (PP #1 feels as if it's increasing--pushing into the left thumb joint), as the still bent right elbow gets close to the right side. This must all be timed with the rotation of the body and while feeling connected, with the left arm pinched against the chest (PP #4). At impact, the DRW collects the inside portion of the ball and begins to release forwards (straightening) and turn over (rotating palm slightly down). Your right antecubital fossa should face out to the right at impact, while still remaining slightly bent (it straightens fully in the release slightly out to the right).

Get used to the feeling of that right wrist passing in front of you still bent backwards a bit. Then start putting with that motion through the ball. Then chipping, then pitching, and finally your full swing with that same bend in your right wrist. It might take a while to get this down, but the effort you put into it will pay off handsomely.

The Recreational Golfer™: Your Wrists at Impact

Your hands at this point will be slightly ahead of the ball, slightly--not leaning way over [but] just a slight bit [ahead], and the right wrist is bent back or "cocked." [actually hinged or dorsiflexed] One way to think about this is to push the pad of your right thumb down onto the knuckle of your left thumb. This will bend the right wrist. Or push the wrist bent.

Here's an Easy Golf Swing Lesson That Will Give You Huge Results

The Answer: What I did next changed my swing immediately. I let all the tension go in my right wrist, so when I took the club back, it set back on itself naturally. I felt a lot of pressure in my trigger finger of my right hand, so I know I was on to something. Before I could never feel that.

What I Did (Drill): I kept the fingers in my right hand very relaxed, and focused on a slight pulling motion. But the key was to pull down with the big fleshy pad under my right thumb, which helped retain the wrist cock in my right wrist. Following me?

What’s important here, is to feel your right hand bent back on itself, and staying there as you pull down. This is called “retaining lag”, and is a must if you want to hit the ball a long way.

Believe it or not, in the pictures below, you might not be able to see it, but my right hand feels and looks right on top of the shaft, with the palm literally facing the ground.

The second picture at impact, I feel like I’m smothering the ball with my right hand. That’s the feeling you need to get to compress the ball squarely, and achieve the nirvana of smashing that golf ball!

Golf Swing Release Drills - Watch This Video

Train the forearms to cross to show the ball who’s the boss immediately after impact. This is known as the release interval and the right palm (for right-handed golfers) should be facing the ground to multiply the power to the punch.

The function of the hands in the golf swing

Then, during your downswing, rotate your right palm toward the ground through the impact zone, to square the face. It's a counterclockwise rotation of your right hand. If you practice turning your palm through impact, not only will you lose your slice -- you'll be able to hit a draw, cut, or straight ball, at will. You'll be dangerous!

Johnny Miller: My No. 1s - GOLF.com

When your right hand reaches waist height, try to face your right palm toward the ground. At impact, you should feel like your right palm is facing the ground as well. David Leadbetter said the right palm mirrors the clubface. So by squaring up your right palm, you will be able to square your clubface. Some players have stronger grip, so your right palm doesn't exactly mirrors [sic] the clubface. But it's close. It's a good idea to use your right palm to control your clubface.

The Tips to Fix a Slice: Use Your Right Palm | Golf Tips & Lessons

The position of the right hand not only dictates the direction of the ball, but also the trajectory of the shot. Using the right hand as the controller again, make the palm face up at impact. Not only does this aim the club right but also adds loft to the club (see photo 4). This will allow you to hit a higher trajectory shot if the situation calls for it. Now, take the controller (palm) and face it downward, this de-lofts the club and causes the ball to come off the face much lower than its intended trajectory. The placement of the right palm at impact also affects the spin of the ball once it hits the green. A palm that is looking downward at impact is prone to have less backspin on the ball which means that it will roll out further onto the green. With the palm in an upward position at impact the ball will have more backspin which means less roll and more stop.

Princeton - Control The Ball With Your Palm - Chad Darby, PGA - The Turn Golf Magazine

Through impact, the hands lead a trailing clubhead. That delofts the clubface and makes it possible to hit down on the ball and squash it against the face. If you've ever wondered how good iron players make their shots bore through the air, this is it. Every effective iron player maintains the semi-cocked position in the right wrist through impact, the right palm facing down. Every bad ball-striker has the palm up. As I said only half-jokingly on a telecast last summer, if you want to be a terrible iron player and avoid getting to single digits, just flip that right wrist so the clubhead scoops and passes your hands.

Johnny Miller: 10 rules for sticking your irons: Golf Digest

A lot of people will talk about the #1 Power Accumulator (the folding and then straightening of the right arm) as like a boxer throwing a punch. The arm certainly moves in that type of motion. However, the HAND and the WRIST does not because in the boxing punch the wrist flattens. In the golf swing, the right wrist should be bent at impact.

3Jack Golf Blog: Hitting Revelations, Part II

Next, get your right hip and club driving TOGETHER to and through the ball towards the target. ALL GREAT PLAYERS unwind this way. Most will get a FEEL of the hip and the club head working and driving together IMMEDIATELY from back swing into the down swing.

Are you unwinding correctly?

The best way to describe the right arm on the downswing is that it should be “pushing down and out.”

“Pushing down” allows the right arm to actively straighten while maintaining its bend in the right wrist.

“Out” is the second half of the equation as it directs the right arm to deliver the club head from the inside. Most players need to feel as if they are driving the right arm not only “down,” but “out.” I often times describe this feeling as if the right arm is being directed more towards right field.

TPC News and PGA TOUR Golf Events - TPC.com

Hitting Lag: More on Pressure Points #1 and #3

Lag Pressure.

I've posted before on the subject of lag and on various ways that have been cited to acquire it. To review for the uninitiated, the word lag is used in the full golf swing to describe how the club head SHOULD lag or trail the hands into the ball. All professional golfers have this lag to some extent, and it's responsible for powerful, compressed, penetrating shots that are associated--at least in the case of irons and wedges--with divots well ahead of the ball. This should not be confused with lagging long putts close to the hole.

Lag isn't necessarily holding wrist angles, especially in the case of the left wrist (assuming a right-handed golfer). But in TGM circles, lag is strongly associated with feeling Pressure Point #3 (PP3), which is essentially located somewhere along the side of the first-finger base knuckle of the right hand (again, assuming a right-handed player). Pressure in this side area of that first right hand finger is applied--as a pushing force--to the shaft on the downswing along with a dorsiflexed right wrist, straight through impact and beyond. This pushing force is applied by the gradual straightening of the right arm through impact (called Power Accumulator #1 or PA #1 in TGM); the right wrist doesn't really do anything except stay bent back. This is also called lag pressure, and many golfers feel that keeping a "trigger finger" helps them to feel this. Doing so automatically flattens or even bows the lead left wrist and ensures that the hands lead the club head into the ball.

I have found it easier to focus on PP3 and the right wrist position rather than trying to produce a flattened or bowed left wrist, which may be a valid way for others to teach and learn this fundamental. I will not go deeply into the differences discussed in TGM between swingers and hitters in this post, but PP3 is more associated with the hitter style (though it can be felt more passively in the swinger style). There are also other Pressure Points and TGM concepts that I'm not really going to discuss in detail here; all you need to do is Google TGM or buy Homer Kelley's complex book and you'll have an endless supply of advanced golf theory to consume.

PP1 and PP3

But there's an equally--if not more--important pressure point associated with the right side or hitting style (PA #1): Pressure Point #1 or PP1. The is where the lifeline of the right hand encloses the left thumb on top of the grip. The left thumb should NOT be visible to you when you apply this pressure point correctly (you should use a "short thumb"). And the kicker is, you should feel downward pressure applied to the base of the left thumb, which means the right hand may be rotated over to the left more than you may think or may have been told, even if you have a strong left hand grip. This helps secure the two hands together, helps prevent the club from moving around in the hands, and helps prevent independent movement. PP1 helps to produce lag pressure felt in PP3. You should feel PP1 through impact, as if the heel of the right hand is pushing the base of the left thumb through the ball (again, use a "short thumb" with your left hand). This pressure flattens or bows the left wrist through impact automatically, keeping the club head behind the hands where it must be. This assumes that your left wrist is kept very relaxed to allow the push force of the right hand heel to flatten or bow the left wrist.

Lag is also known by other synonyms, such forward shaft lean, delofting the club, hitting down on the ball, pinching the ball off the turf, trapping the ball against the turf, etc. Pinching, trapping, and hitting down are descriptions of feel, and many golfers get caught up the verbatim trap of trying to achieve these feels in reality. Forward shaft lean and delofting are the best synonyms of these when attempting to describe reality--what actually occurs when the hands lead the club head into impact.

The opposite of good lag into the ball is a cast or club head throwaway right from the top, followed by a flip at the bottom, where the right wrist flips forward early and the left wrist breaks down and dorsiflexes, the left-hand knuckles rising both skyward and targetward. Even a small amount of cupping through impact has a detrimental effect. This is a classic high-handicap, hacker error that adds loft to the club (e.g., turns a 7-iron into a 9-iron, depending on the degree of flip). In a sense, this mistake has the two wrists in antithetical positions at impact compared with their correct positions; in a flip, the right wrist straightens and the left wrist bends backwards in a conscious or unconscious attempt to lift the ball into the air, causing weak, uncompressed, high shots that don't fly very far and many other potential mishits like fat, thin, and sliced shots.

Since exploring and researching this topic more thoroughly, I wanted to post additional references to material on the internet that I've found helpful, especially since this seems to be a subject that isn't taught much or taught in a manner that's easy to understand. The mop drill demonstrated by many professionals goes a long way towards getting the amateur golfer familiar with the sensation of using PP1 and PP3, but I sometimes wonder if this tidbit isn't kept purposefully vague among golf teaching professionals much the way magicians are sworn never to reveal their secrets; yes, I think this fundamental of golf is that important to improving beyond the hacker stage, at least with respect to feel in the hands and arms.

Another drill that golfers may find helpful is the aiming point drill, where a point ahead of the ball becomes a target for the hands. In other words, the hands must get to that point before the club head, and where that point is will vary by the club length and the player (body type, swing speed, etc). With longer clubs the driver and woods, the aiming point moves closer to the ball or possibly even behind it.

I like Tom Watson's description of using PP3); he likes to keep everything loose on the backswing. But on the transition and downswing, he wants to feel that pressure in PP3 increase dramatically and feel that the right wrist dorsiflexes even more than it was at address. This down-cocks the wrist and produces tremendous lag without creating any tension at address or during the backswing; this creates more of a swinger style with some elements of a hitter style. It should be noted that some teachers want their students to create pressure at PP1 and PP3 right at address and carry that pressure all the way through; in other words, the grip pressure should be constant from address to finish. In this same vein, Mr. Watson also states that that a golfer should hit the ball hard with their right hand at the bottom, provided they start down from the ground up. As Mr. Watson says, "Hit it hard!" Also why Ben Hogan stated he wished he had three right hands!

You should still feel PP1 and PP3 when driving the ball. They key is to keep the ball well forward in your stance with the shaft leaning away from the target slightly at address. Even though we've been told to play the ball more back in the stance to hit a draw, using PP3 for your driver can cause you to hit down on the ball unintentionally, causing pop-ups that go nowhere. Keeping the ball more forward, especially if you don't sway off the ball, allows the club to release. In a sense (just as with the aiming point drill), you're allowing yourself time to let the right wrist straighten a bit more, square up the club face, and hit the ball more on the upswing.

And now, caution. Feeling PP1 and PP3 and pushing against the shaft with that right hand knuckle feels very powerful, but pushing too much with the right arm (without enough lower body's initiating movement) can also send the shaft outside too early, causing an over-the-top move (and thus a pull or slice). The way to counteract this potential error is to keep the butt-end of the club pointing down towards the ball for as long as possible in the downswing, while maintaining the feeling in PP1 and PP3. The end of the handle should first point out to the right of the target line (inside the ball) when coming down from the top, gradually reaching a point where it points towards the target, and then finally pointing behind the golfer's left hip when the fully rotated into the ball. If the end of the club points directly at the golfer during the downswing, that golfer is probably over the top.

Using PP3 can also be thought of as using a "trigger finger." The pressure in the right index finger can also be felt in the crook that wraps around the shaft, especially if that finger is well separated from the others. Using the finger this way increases swing awareness of not only where the clubhead is in relation to the hands (i.e., lagging or releasing) but also where the clubface is pointing at all points in the swing. During the release, the right arm and shaft should form a straight line pointing into the ground, and that trigger finger should be rotated over.

I vacillate between concentrating on PA#4/PP#4 (swinger style of pulling the club through) and PA#1/PP#3 (hitter style described in this post), but I sometimes believe that the swinger style (while still feeling PP#1 and PP#3) is more efficient and passive. For me, I need to make sure that I press that right hand knuckle into the right-side-top of the grip at address, which ironically also seats PP#1 better; then I'm free to swing using PP#4 and can forget about PP#3 and active hitting with the right hand. In other words, a solid connection with the right hand and the club is essential, regardless of the swing style. My tendency is to hold the club with no connection or a loose connection of the right hand pressure points. Now, keep in mind that you can vary the pressure with which you press this right hand knuckle into the shaft; experiment with different pressures--lighter pressures are most likely to yield right-to-left shot shapes, while tighter pressures are better suited for fades. Whatever PA/PP combination used, it's important to keep the end of the club handle pointing down-target for as long as possible to ensure an inside approach. Swingers may very well feel PP#3 but it should be passive and not active as it is for hitters.

How can this be fixed? Well, there needs to be an understanding that the clubhead will always follow whatever the other end of the club does. So, the grip actually should lead or direct the club towards the ball. Once the golf club reaches the "set" position at the top of the backswing (a right angle between the left hand and the shaft of the club) that position should stay the same until the hands and the grip of the club are about even with the golf ball. At that point the hands will begin to unhinge and release down into the golf ball.

Casting Recall: Stop the Power Loss

PP#1- Right heel pad of hand against left thumb

PP#2- Last three Fingers of left hand

PP#3- Right index finger against shaft

PP#4- Left arm against chest

Golfers use different combinations of these pressure points. A golfer who is referred to as a “swinger” because they’re left side is pulling the golf club primarily use pressure points #2 and #4. Golfers referred to as a “hitter” because they’re right side is pushing the club primarily use pressure points #1 and #3.

Positions, Pressure Points, And Power Accumulators | Matt DeJohn Golf

The problem most golfers have is that they have no concept of pressure points and lag pressure and they almost inevitably maximize their lag pressure in the startdown. And because you lose lag pressure immediately after you maximize it, the golfer has lost the lag pressure once they arrive to impact. And remember, once you start to lose the lag pressure, you cannot regain it in that swing.

What usually happens when the golfer loses that lag pressure at impact is that their hands stop or slow down greatly in the downswing and they wind up using their wrists (flipping) to move the clubhead towards the golf ball. One of the main things I try to emphasize in the FLW (flat left wrist) at impact is that in order to obtain it, the golfer should avoid trying to actually keep the left wrist flat at impact. Instead, use lag pressure properly and that will get your FLW at impact.

3Jack Golf Blog: Lag Pressure, Key Concept in the Golf Swing

Probably the biggest question I get in regards to TGM is about 'swingers' and 'hitters.' Before I go on explaining the difference between the two styles, I will note that according to physicist Dr. Aaron Zick, who was brought to the latest TGM Teaching Summit, there is no such thing as a 'pure hitter' or a 'pure swinger' on full golf swing shots. Instead, everybody does a little of both.

3Jack Golf Blog: Understanding the Basics of TGM -- Part III

During the past two years, my thinking has become more refined and I have moved beyond the limitations of TGM thinking, which believes that the swing styles of swinging (drag-loading) and hitting (drive-loading) are mutually exclusive swing styles. I now believe that it is perfectly acceptable to mix swinging elements with hitting elements in the same swing if a golfer can successfully manage to synergistically mix the two elements in a time-coordinated and synergistically synchronous manner.

Power mechanics of swinging

One of the most overlooked fundamentals of the golf swing is the point of pressure created by the club resting against and across the middle joint of the right-hand forefinger. This pressure point transforms that finger into the "trigger finger," meaning it plays a major role in the loading of the club on the backswing and the lagging of it on the downswing.

Where the grip falls across that finger is where we feel the lag of the club. To use this effectively, lay the handle diagonally across the middle joint of the trigger finger. During the swing, you want to feel the club's weight in that spot the entire time.

Breaking 80: Bobby Clampett: Golf Digest

You know that the Lag is felt during the downstroke as a steady pressure in the index finger of your right hand (aka Pressure Point #3 (PP#3)). Done properly the hands and the clubhead combine as Clubhead Lag feel that can be directed, or aimed at a target.

Consequently, the Aiming Point is a target on the delivery line where you fire the pressure in your index finger (PP#3) to. The Aiming Point is very rarely at the ball. Therefore you must not consider the ball as your target. Instead, the Aiming Point replaces the ball and becomes your new target.

The Aiming Point Concept from the Golfing Machine | Golf Lag Tips

2. BOTTOM HAND FOREFINGER PRESSURE

HERE’S AN IMPORTANT POINT: Nearly every bad shot in golf results from the shaft coming off the bottom hand forefinger before impact. When this occurs, it’s all but impossible to control the clubhead. As you address the ball, you should feel very little pressure on your bottom hand forefinger. However, as you start your swing, the weight of the club puts pressure onto your forefinger. This pressure must be sustained throughout the downswing, with the forefinger staying in front of the clubhead. To help maintain this pressure through impact, when taking your grip extend the forefinger down the shaft.

3. BENT BOTTOM HAND WRIST

AT IMPACT, THE FORWARD leaning shaft and clubhead exert force into the ball. When the bottom wrist is bent back, pressure is applied to the lead arm and shaft as the clubhead approaches impact. If the clubhead weight passes the hands prematurely, the bottom hand wrist straightens, slowing down the clubhead. To ingrain the correct feeling of the bent bottom hand wrist, sprinkle some grass on your left thumb and take your grip. Make some short pitching-length swings. If the right wrist stays bent, force is sustained during the downswing and the grass will remain in place.

For maximum distance here are four little known..but key points

When a ball is struck with "Lag" it explodes off the clubface! Without this "lag" the sound turns into one of mush, a soft Impact instead of a driving Impact.

So we have a Clubhead Lag Pressure Point (Pressure Point #3) which is the Right Forefinger and this is always directing the club to where, the inside back quadrant of the ball.

Golf Swing | The Secret of Golf

The right hand “V” will point straight up toward the chin, and the secret is accenting the forefinger position so it looks like a “trigger finger.” Going further, be sure the first joint segment of the finger is pressing into the side of the club in a manner that slightly puts the first knuckle on top of the handle as pictured here. The trigger finger will maintain side pressure on the handle from start all the way to impact.

Right Wrist Action for the Perfect Golf Swing | Herman Williams Golf Instruction

A trigger finger can help you better engage your golf swing. What’s a trigger finger? John Daly, for instance, as well as several other top players use some separation between their index finger and the rest of their grip as a “trigger” to help sustain proper grip pressure and assist in better hand rotation and in preventing the club from slipping too far into the palms of the hands. Give it a try and see what a trigger finger can do for your feel and overall swing.

Master Your Iron Play | GolfTipsMag.com

If you are holding the club with the last three fingers of your left hand and the middle two fingers of your right hand, and if your left thumb is cradled firmly in that little pocket of your right hand, with the part of the right hand below the thumb keeping a steady pressure, then you've got it.

You may have trouble keeping the pressure on with your right hand below the thumb. But believe me, this is the right way to hold the club. Master it and you are more than halfway home as a golfer.

The Swing is Simple - Arnold Palmer - SI Vault

Power is applied to the left hand, not the club itself, using the base of the right wristbone pressing against the top of the left thumb, to help the left hand move along its arc around the shoulder fulcrum.

The Wrong and Right Way to Apply Force

When your right palm exerts this slight pressure against the left thumb extending the grip away from your left shoulder, you will not need to have any tension in your left arm to help it remain straight and your left arm will have the same radius around your left shoulder from start up, through your back swing, down swing, and through impact. [This] pressure point has another function as well, it monitors the cocking and uncocking of the right elbow and sends this information to the motor cortex. It only feels this hinging motion and should never add or contribute to the actual cocking or uncocking of the right elbow.

TGM 101 - The GOLFING MACHINE

Again, the palm of the right hand presses hard against the thumb of the left.

Cure A Golf Slice - Harry Vardon

 

Extend Fully Back and Through

Full extension in the backswing and release is definitely something upon which I'm still working. I have a bit of "flippy wrists" and "collapsing arms" remaining in my swing due to my beginning golf instincts that I need to overcome.

Of course, the best way to help extension and thus width is to extend on the backswing by pushing the club as far away from you as possible using the right arm; this will also help increase distance and help with thin and fat shots, as the left arm will be fully extended coming down.

Part of making extension work is keeping the head behind the ball at impact; I have a bad habit of drifting past it, which contributes to the wrist flip release and loss of distance.

The ball focus should be on the inside of the ball (not the top), as if you're trying to hit it to right field. Finally, the club should be moving it's fastest about two feet past the ball, so this means one must accelerate through the ball (not accelerate AT the ball). As a matter of fact, a neat trick is to imagine that you're hitting 3 balls in a row starting with the first ball (the real one); this will encourage extension through the shot. Do this for irons and woods!

It is so critical to feel like you’re behind the ball at impact. Your goal to improve golf driving distance will not happen if you don’t do this. Most of us get ahead of it and end up throwing the club at the ball, instead of driving through it and getting a full extension like the pro’s get. Staying behind it is the ONLY way to achieve that full extension and maximum power through impact.

[From How To Increase Driving Distance In Golf | Perform Better Golf Blog]

Overswinging and power loss occur when you collapse your elbows on the way to the top, which drops your hands toward your head. Instead, maintain a firm left arm and try to keep your hands as far away from your head as possible to create maximum width.

[From Create a Powerful Backswing | GOLF.com]

Golfers who move their swing center in front of the ball at impact will always raise up their spine at impact. So keep your swing center behind the ball at the point of contact.

[From Jim Suttie: Stay in your posture for more accurate shots » Naples Daily News Mobile]

The greater width you have in your backswing, the bigger your swing arc will be. This increased swing arc will give your swing more time to increase your club-head speed as you strike the ball. More speed means more power, which equates to increased distance. To increase width, you need to increase the spacing between your right hand and right shoulder (right-handed golfers) during your backswing. Practice taking a backswing holding the golf club with just your right hand. Keep your right hand as far away from your body as possible during these practice swings. During this drill, reach your right hand toward the sky at the top of the backswing.

[From Golf tip: Remember, in your backswing, width equals power - GolfInstruction.com]

Rotational force is the most important fundamental of power. The more you extend your arms during the backswing and the longer they remain extended in the downswing, the farther you'll hit the ball. Watch Tiger Woods: He does this brilliantly, creating tremendous width in the backswing to set up a powerful arm swing through the ball.

As you start the club back, focus on extending your right hand away from the target, keeping the right wrist firm. This should prevent the right arm from collapsing and thereby narrowing the swing arc. This way, you create leverage on the backswing and store power for the downswing.

[From Widen Your Arc to Increase Your Driving Distance | GOLF.com]

A good way to keep width in the backswing is to feel the right arm pushing away from your chest, not the left.

[From Golf Swing Tips, Golf Lesson Driving, Power Golf Swing Grip Tips]

Compression: Role of the Right Arm

Hang around online long enough and you'll discover a plethora of golf teachers with varied opinions on the role of the right arm in the golf swing. Some teach that the left arm should be dominant (players sometimes called "swingers" who pull with the left arm), some argue the right arm (players called "hitters"), and some both ("switters" or "swing-hitters"). Some say that both arms should be passive, neither pulling or pushing, and merely responding to gravity and body movement.

And you'll find examples of successful touring pros who use each one. In The Golfing Machine (TGM) parlance, the active straightening of the right arm (primarily driven by the right tricep) is described as using Power Accumulator (PA) #1 and is heavily associated with the "hitter" swing style.

Regardless of what is taught, used, or believed, there seems to be one universal truth, at least visually, with regard to the right arm in the full golf swing when we examine the swings of great players: The right arm folds in two places--the elbow and wrist--in the backswing, and the right arm gradually unfolds in the downswing, reaching it's fully extended, released position (right wrist and elbow straight) a foot or so past impact. The left wrist never breaks down or bends backwards (i.e., flips). The right arm straightening can be passive for swingers or active for hitters.

The first element of properly using PA #1 involves keeping the elbow and wrist of the right arm bent for as long as possible coming down. Ernie Els describes this as "keeping the box." The right elbow should still be slightly bent at impact, reaching a fully extended, released position only a foot or so past impact, with the right wrist still bent backwards (even just after impact). Doing both automatically extends the left arm fully and keeps the left wrist flat through impact. Pressure should be felt in the first phalanx or base knuckle of the right index finger from the top and through impact. In a sense, that phalanx or inside base knuckle of the right index finger can and should serve as a guide to the club face position throughout the swing. The right hand thumb and index finger should be completely loose around the club handle; you can even take them off! Only that phalanx or base knuckle is important.

If the right wrist straightens in a way that causes the left wrist to bend backward at impact, this creates a "flipping" motion and the club head will pass the hands (lag is lost and the effective loft of the club is increased). Instead of "flipping" or swatting at the ball with the right wrist (behaving as if it was merely a door closing along its vertical axis), the right wrist should only straighten WELL AFTER impact with the right palm rotated slightly downward through impact.

This reflects the TGM description of hitting down on the ball with the right palm and actively straightening the right elbow, feeling pressure in the base joint of the first finger of the right hand (Pressure Point #3) and pressure on top of the left thumb (Pressure Point #1) due to pushing on the left hand with the right. This creates a feeling of pushing down and out on the shaft with the right palm, and results in a flexed shaft due to the compression against the ground; a divot is taken well in front of the ball. The ball is often described as being powerfully "pinched" off the ground or "compressed against the ground."

Use this one swing thought: Aim to fully, dynamically straighten the right elbow a foot or so past the ball with your irons. Straighten it down, forward, and out. You can use this method to hit the driver; simply use less downward extension. Instead, extend so that the right forearm is more level with the ground coming into the ball. Straighten it out to the right slightly for a draw and out to the left slightly for a fade.

The best way to describe [Kenny Perry's] right arm on the downswing is that it is "pushing down and out." Pushing down allows the right arm to actively straighten while maintaining the bend in the right wrist. This feeling is no different than if you were to try to push something into the ground with your right arm.

Maintaining the bend in the right wrist is a fundamental you see in a good swing. It allows the clubshaft to return forward at impact, resulting in a clubhead that is descending and accelerating through the impact zone.

PGATOUR.COM - Instruction blog: Right arm the key to Perry's swing

"In essence, bending and straightening the Right Elbow will raise and lower the left arm and/or cock and uncock the left wrist without bending, flattening, or cocking the right wrist. Right elbow action either powers and/or controls all three elements of the Three Dimensional Impact, (downward, outward, and forward)." ~ Homer Kelley

www.chuckevansgolf.com

In a golf swing (whether one is a hitter or a swinger), the right wrist is always bent back and the right wrist never bends forward (palmar flexes) at any time point during the downswing - because it would cause the left wrist to bend forward (flip).

Whether one is a hitter or a swinger, the clubhead should never flip past the hands while the clubhead is moving through the pre-impact zone. The clubhead should always be lagging behind the hands during the entire downswing, which means that the right wrist is always bent back.

[A] hitter applies an active push-force at pressure point #3 by actively extending the right elbow during the downswing - as the right elbow actively straightens it applies an active push-force via the bent right wrist to pressure point #3.

PA#1 is only actively released in a hitter's swing action - when the right triceps muscle actively contracts with a large amount of isotonic force, thereby straightening the right arm in a straight line thrust action that thrusts the right forearm downplane and drives PP#1 [the left thumb]/PP#3 towards the ball (or towards a desired aiming point in the vicinity of the ball).

The release of PA#1 is due to a very active triceps muscle contraction that actively straightens the right elbow in a forceful thrust action that pushes the right forearm and bent right wrist towards their impact fix position.

How to Power the Golf Swing

Throw the club through the ball with your right hand. As Jack Nicklaus said, you can hit as hard as you want with the right hand as long as the lower body is leading.

Tom Watson: My power key never gets old: Golf Digest

That right hand does not stay as loose as it does on your backswing. You take it back loose, your hands are nice and flexible. But when you hit that ball, you’re adding power to it and you’re increasing your pressure all the way through impact.

Tom Watson Interview

 

TGM and Power Accumulators

Spend any time at all searching the Internet about the vagaries of the golf swing and you're likely to run into forum discussions about The Golfing Machine, a complex book of golf theory by Homer Kelley. TGM has gained somewhat of a cult status among golfers--professionals and amateurs alike. Great teaching pros have taken some of its teachings and "dumbed them down" for the rest of us.

Part of what makes TGM complex is a description of the physics involved in a golf swing. But here's something that you may find useful that isn't too hard to understand. TGM talks about Power Accumulators and there are four of them. PA#1 is the bending and straightening of the right arm. PA#2 is the cocking and uncocking of the left wrist. PA#3 is the rolling of the left forearm (Hogan called this supination). And finally (the one that really increased my power and consistency and made PA#3 release easier), PA#4--the angle between upper left arm and shoulder line that's strongly associated with the pressure felt between the upper left arm against the left pectoral muscle that begins in the backswing, increases during the downswing, and releases when the upper left arm is finally launched off of the chest, which also releases the angle of PA#4.

Release the Power Accumulators in the correct sequence and degree and you can deliver a nice, powerful, repeatable shot with good direction control. You probably already use some of them to one extent or another.

One that took me a while to understand was PA#4. Some golf instructors try teach this by telling you to "stay connected," and they recommend various drills that try to instill this feeling, such as hitting with a towel, head cover, or even a bit of one's shirt held under the left arm pit. I personally don't find those drills helpful, because I don't think they convey the transfer of energy (increasing pressure) that needs to occur between that left pectoral muscle and the left arm during the downsing. The golf swing is powered from the feet, into the legs, up through the rotating torso, out to the arms, and finally through the club and into the ball.

What's helpful to me (for PA#4) is to feel that my upper left arm pulls across my chest on the backswing, creating a pressure point (this pressure point is called Pressure Point #4 or PP#4 in TGM). That pressure between the upper left arm and chest should increase on the downswing, because the turning of the chest and shoulders (due to the pivot action of the upper body) is pulling the arm tight against the chest initially (and the arm pulls the club as a result), because the club and arm are lagging. This happens while the arms are dropping. This means that the correct sequence of motion in the kinetic chain is: left hip turns and eventually pulls the left shoulder which increases pressure in the upper left arm against the chest which helps pull the club into the ball.

It's important to note that the hips should still start the downswing and the arms must still drop while the back is turned; it's easy to focus too much on that chest-arm pressure point and then spin out with the shoulders--a sort of diving motion that will cause an outside-in swing path. This will cause fades, slices, and pulls, because the path will be across the ball. The hips must rotate first and create separation between the shoulders (keeping the back to the target initially). Then when the shoulders finally rotate, in-turn, the pressure can build in PA#4 and really power the left arm through the shot.

And keeping the head back behind the ball is important to keep the proper spine angle through impact (secondary axis tilt) to avoid spinning out and diving forward with the shoulders; the right shoulder should move down-plane towards the ball, not over-plane. It might be helpful, therefore, to think of the left chest muscle rotating forward and upward as it launches the arm. For most this won't be a problem, but it's something of which to be aware. If shots suddenly start slicing or pulling, make sure that the legs start the motion first.

Now, about PA#3. I've posted before about the flat left wrist and how to maintain that while supinating the left forearm, such that the wrists DO NOT flip at impact. And I've also posted about complete extension--having both arms extended immediately after impact. Properly using PA#4 allowed me to figure out the correct release of PA#3. Keeping the grip relaxed allows the left arm to NATURALLY supinate ever so slightly to the left when the left arm is propelled off of the chest (release of PA#4); this is why so many teachers have said that "rolling the forearms" is NOT a consciously controlled action. It also makes sense on why gripping tighter can slow PA#3 and aid in fading the ball, while relaxing the grip can facilitate drawing the ball.

Finally, an explosive, dynamic motion helps to maintain the lag when striving to use PA#4 and PP#4 to drive the swing. Swing faster! Some instructors say don't swing hard (with tension) but swing fast, while some use "hard" and "fast" interchangeably. You want to release PA#4 by having the left arm EXPLODE and SNAP off the chest dynamically. Everything can stay loose while this happens, regardless of whether you believe this means swinging "faster" or "harder." Swinging faster (releasing PA#4 quickly through the ball) creates more lag and more distance. Period. It's entirely possible to swing faster and still feel "in control."

It's important to note that PA#4 is associated with a swinger's style--pulling the club through using the left side, as opposed to the hitter's style--pushing the club through with PA#1 and PP#3.

Power accumulator #4 is loaded when the left arm is pulled across the chest wall during the backswing. At the end of the backswing, the left arm should be lying across the upper chest wall and there should be a sense of pressure at pressure point #4 - the point where the left upper arm lies tightly against the left upper pectoral area...

During the downswing, the left arm moves away from the upper torso and power accumulator #4 is regarded as being completely released when there is an approximately 90 degree angle between the straight left arm and the upper torso between the shoulder sockets - which usually happens by impact (actually at the end of the followthrough when both arms are fully straight).

How to Power the Golf Swing

This power accumulator 'loads' when the golfer takes the club back and that angle turns into a 45 degree angle. Then it 'releases' once the angle goes back to 90 degrees. A favorite of 'swingers' who often load this power accumulator and then just pivot their body thru and hold onto the power accumulator for as long as they can. It's often known as 'throwing/blasting the left arm off the chest.'

3Jack Golf Blog: Understanding the Basics of TGM -- Part V

When the upper torso decelerates, the left arm can freewheel away from the chest wall towards impact at a faster speed because there is no impedance to the freewheeling movement of the left arm away from the chest wall. One can think of the left arm being passively catapulted away from the chest wall, and the distance between the hands and the right shoulder should progressively increase during the mid-late downswing...

Note that the lower lumbar spine has moved towards the target (as a result of the pelvic shift-rotation movement) and that he has acquired a significant amount of secondary axis tilt as a result of the hip squaring action. The secondary axis tilt allows the right shoulder to move downplane when the shoulders start to rotate perpendicularly around the rightwards tilted spine...

A swinger powers the golf swing via a pivot-driven swing action that causes the left arm to be catapulted off the chest wall towards impact. The freewheeling left arm/hand pulls the clubshaft towards impact, and this pull-action is called drag-loading. The right arm does not supply any push-power in a swinger's swing action. If a golfer wants to apply right arm push-power in a drive-loading manner, then he must learn how to become a hitter...

A golfer should never attempt to actively roll the left hand into impact via an active hand-wrist rollover action. Some golf instructors incorrectly teach a swing methodology where they recommend that a golfer actively roll the hands over through the impact zone - and this active hand roll-over action is called a hand crossover release action...

If a golfer can get the left arm to swing freely and fast towards impact in the downswing, then he will hit the ball a long way. Power accumulator #4 is called the master power accumulator, and it supplies most of the swing power in a left arm swinger's action.

Downswing

I heard him say to my Dad, "The kid has a nice swing. If you don't mind me saying so let me give you one tip. "Tell your son to Swing Hard! Don't worry about direction so much now. Swing hard now and worry about direction later. It's very difficult to get clubhead speed later on once you've learned a slower swing."...The key to swinging hard is in the downswing, not the backswing! Your backswing should still be as slow as you're natural tempo allows...Swinging hard and feeling comfortable with it will take time, especially if you've been swinging easy for years.

Swing Harder For A Better Golf Game

 

 

Left Wrist: Flipping or Flattening, Facing?

You may find that some of your shots are leaking right and/or arcing really high and falling short. If you're like me, you might be slightly (and unconsciously) flipping your left wrist and/or not leading with your left wrist at impact. It's important to understand what this feels like so that you can self-correct on the course. Flipping the wrist is definitely a high-handicap mistake that takes some work to resolve. Over time I have decreased the amount of wrist flip I had, but it was still there--wreaking havoc.

The incorrect feeling is one where the left hand knuckles DECREASE their distance from the top of the left wrist at impact, creating an angle between the back of the left hand and left forearm. This move is called dorsiflexion. At the same time, the right hand knuckles increase their distance from the right forearm (loss of dorsiflexion); as a matter of fact, the right hand is the culprit in causing the left wrist to break down. Sometimes, this flip starts early in the downswing in the form of casting: the backswing angles in the right elbow and right wrist are lost early. In other words, flipping is where the left knuckles get closer to the left forearm because of an improper backwards flexion of the left wrist and an improper forward flexion of the right wrist. The correct golf impact position has these two reversed--they should flip the other way through impact, if anything!

Flipping is an unconscious move that the mind believes will help square the club face and get the ball airborne. Of course, like many unconscious moves in golf, it results in countless, unintended errors, especially topped shots, fat shots, slices, and shorter, higher ball flights. This "left knuckles bent upward" lifting motion (even slightly) adds excessive loft to the club and effectively shortens the club length at the same time, and it's often associated with its evil cousin--coming into the ball with the side of the hand instead of the back of the hand (a face opening move that causes slice spin).

I posted previously on ways to square the club face, to include a leading with a bowed left wrist position, with the back of the left hand and left wrist aimed in the direction you want to start the ball flight. I have also posted about the "knuckles down" or "revving the motorcycle throttle" release as ways to think of this squaring, flattening action. Some instructors teach using your watch as a drill (i.e., make the watch face the target), but you can have the watch face the target with a flipped wrist. Remember, the goal is a flat or slightly bowed left wrist that faces the target. Ben Hogan said succinctly that he never saw a good golfer who did not have a flat left wrist (to slightly bowed left wrist) at impact; it's simply an absolute fundamental. There are numerous ways this feeling has been taught other than those I've already mentioned, including "thumbing a ride" with the left hand, "making the wrists kiss," leading with the left wrist into impact, going palm down to palm up, and on and on.

MANY reputable golf instructors say that this flattening of the left wrist and supination is not a result of conscious control during the swing but the result of the proper mechanics of what precedes impact. They say that trying to consciously "turn the knuckles of the left hand down" at impact (or other such manipulation) may result in a few good shots, but it's also a conscious manipulation that will result in many bad shots, because we're talking about the fastest part of the swing. It's also true that flipping the wrists is an unconscious manipulation that becomes a habit that must be unlearned. So the real question is how to unlearn the flipping...not how to learn the flattening or bowing.

I believe Hank Haney has the right approach to this problem. Instead of thinking of wrapping the ball inside a release by supinating the left forearm (which requires exquisite timing) to square the club face, simply concentrate on firming or bowing the left wrist at impact (which helps limit or halt the flipping motion) and making the back of the left hand face the intended target line at impact. After that, the release (or supination) will take care of itself. I prefer to think of leading with the left wrist. Shawn Clement states that trying to keep the club head low to the ground through and just past impact (like a chip) will stop the flipping motion and automatically apply a flat left wrist.

The inverse of the flat left wrist is the hinged right wrist, which should be cupped (or hinged backwards) during impact (see keeping the box). Straightening the right wrist happens during the release, when the ball is on its way. All of this is split-second stuff, which is what makes golf so hard. When the right wrist does straighten (and it should), the question is what should the left wrist do in response. The instinctive thing to do is the error--allow the wrist to cup or flip. The proper thing to do is allow the wrist to rotate backward (supinate), such that the "watch faces behind you ." If anything, the left wrist should bow through impact--not flip--becaue of the right wrist bending backswards more when impacting the ball and then the ground!

All this means one can think of proper fundamental simply by focusing on the left wrist or the right wrist, as they are analogous to one another during the golf swing.

You can produce (or purchase) training aids to help instill the correct feeling. A ruler (or similar rigid, flat object) placed under your watch can inform you if you're flipping; now the watch-facing-target-and-then-behind-you drill makes more sense. Michael Breed has uses the hanger drill to teach this feeling. But you can also simply take some practice swings where you're trying it both ways to learn what correct and incorrect feels like. This will help you ingrain the correct feeling and to realize when the incorrect feeling creeps back in.

The back of your left hand, assuming you've got a decent grip, will show you where the clubface is through impact. The common mistake a high-handicapper makes is swinging through the shot with the back of the left hand -- and the clubface -- pointed up. When the side of the hand leads the way like that, you'll hit weak slices.

Get back to square: Golf Digest | Hank Haney

Back to "impact," the more you turn your hand so that the palm is facing away from you, the better you square the clubface. If the palm is facing toward you, you'll leave the clubface open. The feeling you need is one of turning your hand almost to the point of palm upward. That's a hook swing, but not a bad feeling to have if you've been slicing.

7 Deadly Slices: How do you slice? Let us count the ways and find your cure | Golf Digest | Hank Haney

In addition, the left wrist should be flat or bowed through impact. In the April 1956 issue of Golf Digest, Hogan wrote, "I've noticed one thing that all good golfers do and all bad golfers do not. The good ones have their left wrist leading at impact. It seems a small thing, but I've found it to be universally true. At impact the left wrist of a good player is slightly convex, while that of a poor player is generally concave."

This is all easier said than done. Proper supination with a flat or bowed left wrist is an advanced concept and one that it very difficult for the average golfer to learn. The vast majority of golfers instinctively flip their left wrists forward through impact believing that such an action will produce the optimal results: maximum distance and trajectory. Unfortunately, this couldn't be any farther from the truth. As with most things in golf, intuition must be thrown out the window. Instead, think of rotating your left wrist without breaking it.

Grouchy Golf Blog | Supinate The Wrist: The Key to a Solid Swing

Supination is the single most difficult thing to do. As Hogan said, the palm of the left hand must rotate to face up through impact. The left hand must also drive through without breaking down and allowing the right hand to take over.

Tiger's Impact Position: How to Achieve It