last updated
Knowing how to get a straight left arm in your golf swing is the key to creating power and distance in your shots as it creates width and allows you to generate speed. In this video and article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins reveals everything you need to know in order to start hitting better shots…
How do you keep your left arm straight in the golf swing?
In an ideal position, at the top of the backswing, your lead arm should be straight and your wrists should be hinged. Your wrist hinge in the golf swing is one of the key components in creating and storing power. You should avoid creating another hinge, by allowing your lead arm to collapse at the elbow, as you’ll be throwing away the power that you have generated.
It is important to note that while the arm is straight, it isn’t utterly rigid. Rigidity restricts the flow that you need in your swing, hampering your rhythm. So while your left arm should be straight, there shouldn’t be too much tension running through it.
How do I stop my left arm from bending in the golf swing?
The first thing is to identify why your lead arm is collapsing in the first place.
There are a number of possibilities, such as your grip being too much in the palms, meaning the wrists aren’t hinging, or perhaps you aren’t setting the club properly in the first place. This causes you to bend your lead elbow to complete your backswing.
From that position, you are forced into casting the golf club by releasing the angle in the lead arm during the downswing. This can result in a few issues, including cutting across the ball. If this is something you struggle with, it makes sense to understand how to grip the golf club correctly, as this will make a big difference to your swing.
Often poor mobility can be the cause. If you aren’t the most mobile, you will undoubtedly collapse the arm in a bid to reach the top of your backswing. Often you are better keeping the swing more compact in a bid to maintain your wrist hinge. Once that consistency is achieved then you can look to lengthen the backswing again. As the old saying goes, sometimes less is more.
Straight left arm drill
By far the most effective drill to really feel that wonderful width is the split grip drill. Split your hands on the club and keep a gap between them. Rotate your body and feel that stretch. You could try hitting a few balls doing this, because if you then collapse the left arm you will almost certainly miss the ball.
If you’ve spent years addressing the ball like Frankenstein in a bid to maintain this poker straight arm, then one way you can start to shake off some of that tension is by simply swinging your arms around your body. Let’s loosen things up a bit, find the rhythm and feel like your lead arm naturally maintains that straighter line utilising the power of momentum.
As I mentioned earlier, if you are limited physically and your mobility isn’t up to scratch then perhaps accept that your swing isn’t going to be super long (for now). In the long term you could consider trying the 10 best golf exercises to improve this, but in the short term just take that 3/4 swing and own it.
Practice hitting balls on the range, working the club back to create an L out of your lead arm and the club shaft, then rotate through to another L. Build up to a full follow-through with this and you’ll be really surprised how far the balls go. Ultimately you do need to have that extended lead arm throughout your back swing but don’t overdo the effort on this one. Keep that tension down and let it flow.
