Right Elbow in Stomach
There are a few tips at this blog referring to the movement of the right elbow in the swing. There is Harvey Penick’s Magic Move, which is to start the downswing by shifting your weight to the left side and bringing your right elbow down to your right hip, all in one motion. And there is the Magic Gap. This is the gap that is created between the forearms as they reach halfway down on the downswing.But there's more. The right-elbow discussion needs to go further, and this tip provides you with another "feel" that you will find helpful.
Many golfers have trouble staying connected on the downswing. They have the problem of "casting" the club as they start the move down. Their right arm and wrist release too early, and as a result, the clubhead bottoms out early and they hit shots fat.
In order to keep connected, you need to feel as if the right elbow works down in front of the body. Instead of releasing (straightening) the right arm, or just jamming it into your side, you should feel as though the right arm and elbow work in front of the stomach.
A good swing thought is to feel like you stick your right elbow into your belly button. The right elbow works down toward the hip, but continues moving forward. Most likely you won't literally get your elbow into the belly button, but as long as you feel that sensation, you will be making a proper downswing motion.
What this position will help you do is maintain your angles on the downswing. Your connected elbow will signify that your arms are on the proper angle, your shoulders have remained square to the ball-target line, and the angle formed at the back of the right wrist has maintained its position. With these positions, you will usually hit a good shot.
This right-elbow-in-front-of-body-position is helpful for other reasons. For instance, the occasional problem Tiger Woods has in his swing is when he gets the club "stuck." This means that on the downswing, his right arm gets trapped behind his body, and therefore he must flip his hands near impact to compensate. But by moving his right elbow in front of his body on the downswing, Tiger eliminates the chance of his right arm getting stuck behind him, and therefore is able to swing through the ball aggressively.
This motion is also good in that it helps create the "bent right arm" position at impact that is common with practically every good player. If you take a face-on view of good players’ swings, you will see how they have a straight left arm, but their right arm is bent and close to their body. If you think about it, it’s basic physics. If the right arm straightens before the blow is struck (or in the case before the ball is hit) then all power is already gone. So it must stay slightly bent until just after impact when it fully releases.
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Learn more about the #1 rated golf instruction book in the game today, 1 Step to Better Golf.
Many golfers have trouble staying connected on the downswing. They have the problem of "casting" the club as they start the move down. Their right arm and wrist release too early, and as a result, the clubhead bottoms out early and they hit shots fat.
In order to keep connected, you need to feel as if the right elbow works down in front of the body. Instead of releasing (straightening) the right arm, or just jamming it into your side, you should feel as though the right arm and elbow work in front of the stomach.
A good swing thought is to feel like you stick your right elbow into your belly button. The right elbow works down toward the hip, but continues moving forward. Most likely you won't literally get your elbow into the belly button, but as long as you feel that sensation, you will be making a proper downswing motion.
What this position will help you do is maintain your angles on the downswing. Your connected elbow will signify that your arms are on the proper angle, your shoulders have remained square to the ball-target line, and the angle formed at the back of the right wrist has maintained its position. With these positions, you will usually hit a good shot.
This right-elbow-in-front-of-body-position is helpful for other reasons. For instance, the occasional problem Tiger Woods has in his swing is when he gets the club "stuck." This means that on the downswing, his right arm gets trapped behind his body, and therefore he must flip his hands near impact to compensate. But by moving his right elbow in front of his body on the downswing, Tiger eliminates the chance of his right arm getting stuck behind him, and therefore is able to swing through the ball aggressively.
This motion is also good in that it helps create the "bent right arm" position at impact that is common with practically every good player. If you take a face-on view of good players’ swings, you will see how they have a straight left arm, but their right arm is bent and close to their body. If you think about it, it’s basic physics. If the right arm straightens before the blow is struck (or in the case before the ball is hit) then all power is already gone. So it must stay slightly bent until just after impact when it fully releases.
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Learn more about the #1 rated golf instruction book in the game today, 1 Step to Better Golf.
posted by Best Golf Tips at
10:09 AM
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