What's The Best Way To Get To The Top??

Often times for beginners, it can be a tough time trying to feel the top position of the golf swing. As coaches we often focus on rotation of the body first to ensure the player can swing without too much thought of exact positions. However it is inevitable that the student needs to learn the correct arm structure at the top of the swing. This is because to have a strong and repeatable impact position, the top position of the swing must align with certain angles.

The perfect structure at the top of the swing is where the left arm and shaft form a 90 degree angle. (Opposite for a left hander). The secret to obtaining this position is through the gradual hinging of the wrists. You need to feel that as soon as you take the club back, the wrists are starting to hinge. They will hinge all the way to the top of the swing until they reach an angle of 90 degrees. Over time you want to also feel that the left arm is staying reasonably straight so that you can form an 'L' shape between the left arm and the shaft.

Now one of the best drills to utilise in creating this feeling is simply setting up into your golf posture and then hinging your wrists straight up along with bending your elbows. You then rotate your body so the left shoulder moves under your chin. Lastly you extend your arms out so they form this 'L' shape as mentioned above. You could choose to hit balls with this drill or simply just perform practice swings.

Now as mentioned above the secret is in the wrist hinge. However the biggest mistake people make when trying to form the 'l' shape is focusing too much on keeping the arm straight. If you focus on keeping the left arm straight, it inevitably leads to a collapsing of the left arm at the top of the swing. This is because when you try and keep the left arm straight, often times there is little to no wrist hinge which leads to the bending of the left arm. The left arm is bending because without sufficient wrist hinge, the body looks for another way to create power in the swing. This position often leads to poor impact.

if you'd like help with your backswing just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.