Why Do I Chicken Wing??

One kind of impact position that I see on occasion is the 'chicken wing'. The 'chicken wing' is where at impact the left arm (opposite for a left hander) bends and continues staying bent even at waist high during the follow through. When this occurs it will tend to lead to 'thinning' and 'fat' shots. Also when continuing to swing this way for a long period of time, it can also lead to injury.

The genesis of why you 'chicken wing' is due to lack of rotation of the arms. This lack of rotation of the arms is primarily due to a misunderstanding of how the clubface functions during the swing. When the left arm starts to bend, it's due to the clubface staying straight for too long during impact. When you try and keep the clubface straight for too long through impact, the left arm starts to bend which forces the left elbow to point outwards for a long period of time.

The best way to start to fix this problem is actually using a heavy ball and imagine you're passing a ball to someone to left of you and the right of you. What you will feel when doing this is that firstly you will feel your big muscles start to engage and your arms starting to naturally rotate. What you want to look for is that the thumbs should point to the sky when the ball reaches parallel to the ground on the backswing and the through swing. This will ensure your arms are rotating. You want to also feel your body rotating back and through so that when you finish your motion, your body is facing the target with the weight on the front foot.

Now when understanding how this is adapted with a real swing, just try again to feel your body naturally rotate back and through while you also feel the turn of the clubface. A checkpoint is that the 'toe' of the club should be pointed to the sky on the backswing and the through swing when the club reaches parallel to the ground. If the 'toe' points up in both directions it will mean that the arms are rotating correctly and thus overcoming the 'chicken wing'.

If you'd like any help in overcoming the 'chicken wing' just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.