Instruction

The importance of the elbows in putting

Published

11 years ago

Oct 21, 2013

As we all know, putting requires a solid stroke that is derived from very coordinated motions of the shoulders, arms and hands, not to mention the complex set of psychomotor motions that must be mastered between the body and brain in order to be consistent. If you have control of this “powerful package” formed by your shoulders and arms, then you will be able to control your putting stroke.

In this article, I examine the most common problems that excessive flexion and extension of the lead and trailing elbows cause during a golfer’s stroke and how to fix them.

Within my putting academy I use several high tech tools in order to study the effects of the putting stroke. In this article I will feature two of my systems:

Advanced Motion Measurement’s 3D Motion Analysis System
The SAM Puttlab created by Science & Motion Sports

The Most Common Putting Problems

Within my putting research I feel I have identified the six most common issues within a golfer’s putting stroke that stem from the improper flexion and extension of the elbows. These issues can happen at any point during the stroke, and will negatively influence a gofler’s actions on the greens if left untamed. We used 3D Motion Analysis Testing with golfers of differing handicap levels in order to identify the following flaws, which are listed in order from address to follow-through.

Elbows at the address position
Flexion values for lead and trailing elbows at the address position
Lead and trailing elbow extension during the address position
Elbow separation on the backswing
Rear-elbow flexion on backswing
Lead-elbow flexion through impact and its influence on the lead wrist
The “pulling in” of the elbows during the finish

Elbows at the address position

If you assume your normal address position with your putter and look down, you will see that your elbows hang a certain distance apart; however, what happens if you push your elbows together or move them outward? Is there a correct position?

The graphic above shows a right-handed golfer whose elbows are separated by 12 inches. The “pockets” on the inside of each elbow are not quite facing the sky, but they are close. This is the most relaxed, but controllable position golfers can have within their putting setup. They have “locked in” the framework, but have not created any adverse tension or unnatural positions with their elbows in the process.

What happens when the elbow separation becomes too narrow? Whenever golfers press their arms close together, tension is created. The tension is mostly felt where the inside of the upper arms meet the side of the chest. As we all know, tension in the putting stroke is a bad thing and it will not take long to permeate throughout the whole body, making a smooth stroke almost impossible. If the elbows start to creep too close, inside the 8-to10-inch mark (depending on your frame size), I can almost guarantee that they will have unwanted tension in their putting stroke.

Think back to Jack Nicklaus’ putting setup. What do you remember? Nicklaus had wide elbows and a very steady head! This is a fine position for the type of “push” putter Nicklaus was, where the rear forearm “pushed” or powered the stroke while the lead arm went along for the ride. But most people do not do this when placed in this position. If your elbows move 13-to-15 or more inches apart, most golfers will find that maintaining proper posture becomes very hard unless their putter is quite long. Whenever I see someone whose elbows are this far apart, I usually see poor posture as well from the down-the-line view. Whenever golfers crouch over the ball, they tend to “stand-up” through impact and leave the ball out to the right of your target. It also can be very uncomfortable to set up in this manner with a standard length putter, which leads to: “OW! My back.”

In the graphic above, the golfer has placed his rear forearm and the lead forearm in different flexes, which causes shoulder alignment issues. The rear forearm is flexed at 162.5 degrees (with 180 degrees being straight) and the leading forearm is flexed slightly more at 154.2 degrees. This places one shoulder out of line with the other, but more on that later in the article.

In a perfect world, I would like to see a golfer’s forearms flexed the same amount so that his or her shoulders, hips, knees, feet and the ball’s targetline are all parallel to one another. This creates, what Dave Pelz calls “perfect flowlines.”

A note for the average golfer

Most golfers align their shoulders to the left of their intended target line due to the improper flexing of the forearms. Thus, if I had to pick one error I’d like to eliminate within the set-up position I’d like to see the trailing forearm flexed slightly more than the lead forearm (remember, more flexed means closer to 90 degrees), or dropped closer to the hip. This accomplishes two things:

It keeps the shoulders square to the target line at address, not open, as most players tend to place them.
It also helps the rear forearm and the club shaft stay merged within in the same plane.

Drill: Whenever the rear forearm is flexed correctly, a line drawn up the club shaft will bisect the forearm directly. Look for this in your mirror at home.

Lead and trailing elbow extension during the address position

I touched on this aspect of the address position above, but I would like to go into deeper detail in order to show you the correlations between the leading and trailing elbow flex and its effect on the position of the shoulders.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 1 shows a trailing forearm that is flexed at 162.5 degrees (too straight), and shoulders that are opened two degrees. This goes to show you that as your rear elbow flex diminishes, the shoulders will open. However, if your lead forearm is too straight, then the shoulders will likely be too closed.

There are two ways to eliminate this from creeping into your putting stroke.

Use a mirror and audit your down-the-line position.
Have a friend place a club shaft along your forearms at your address position. If it is parallel to your ball’s target line then you are fine. If not, you will know which forearm is not flexed enough.

Elbow separation on the backswing

Another interesting flaw that I’ve seen develop during testing (mostly with average golfers) was those golfers’ tendency to “widen” or “spread” their elbows farther apart as the club moved from address to the top position. Biomechanically, that move keeps the putter head from rotating open on the way back, and tends to push the putter on a more straight-back-and-straight-through path.

I really don’t know why it happens (I will need to do extra testing in order to answer this question), but my conjecture is that these players internally believe that they must move the putter straight back and straight through on a straight line and not an arc.

NOTE: If you could naturally move the putter straight back and straight through with zero face rotation, it would be a much easier way to putt. But our testing has shown that the body’s anatomical design always tries to put “some” arc in the stroke unless you physically stop it from doing so by making a physical manipulation (i.e. widening your elbows on the backstroke).

Rear-elbow flexion on backswing

Another interesting development in the very novice golfer was the over-flexion of the rear elbow during the backstroke. Imagine setting up to hit a putt, and the first move you make is to flex (moving toward 90 degrees) your rear elbow in order to power the putter shaft on the backswing.

This causes two things to happen. One, it allows your putter to leave the ground too rapidly, and two, it causes your angle of attack on the forward swing to be too steep. This action de-lofts the putter at impact too much, and unless you adjust your putter’s loft accordingly, you will actually drive the ball into the ground. That causes the ball to bounce before it rolls.

In the image above, you can see on the left how the backswing line is very “up” and the right side of the graph (in red) shows the putter face being de-lofted 2.4 degrees. Now assume that you have a standard putter with 4 degrees of loft and you deloft it 2.4 degrees:

4 – 2.4 = 1.6 degrees of dynamic loft.

Couple this with the fact that your putter is chopping down on the ball (moving 2.4 degrees downward at impact), and you have the keys to making the ball skid and bounce off the start of its roll! In order to stop this problem from happening, simply keep the putter head closer to the ground during the backswing and that should take care of most of it.

Lead elbow flexion through impact and its influence on the lead wrist

As the putter moves through impact, several things are happening at once: the putter path is flattening out, the putter is hopefully moving at a constant rate of acceleration and the face is beginning to rotate back to square (90 degrees to your arc). It is here that the ball’s initial starting direction and velocity are programmed. If you have issues here, you will surely fail.

Notice the lead elbow’s flex above, 134.6 degrees, which means it has a lot of flex in it on the way through impact. Now, notice the lead wrist’s position (it is 33.1 degrees extended, or cupped). This shows you that as the lead elbow flexes more through impact, the lead wrist begins to breakdown and this adds loft to the putter and interrupts the natural closing rate of your putter head, which leaves putts out to the right. This impact alignment breakdown is the major flaw for all golfers today, from PGA Tour players down to the weekend hacker.

In a perfect world, the above example is how your impact alignments should look — the lead elbow is very extended and the lead wrist is in a very neutral position. If you “breakdown” the lead elbow’s flex, the lead wrist will follow suit and you will add loft to your putter as shown by the graphic below.

4-degree putter + 3 degrees of added loft = a 7-degree putter

That’s basically a chipper!

The “pulling in” of the elbows during the finish

By now, we have all seen the golfer who “pulls his arms into his body just after impact,” which would be like impacting the golf ball and then trying to stick the butt of the club into your belly-button as quickly as possible. Obviously, this impedes the level of accuracy golfers are going for on the putting green, but thankfully it only afflicts novice golfers and is a flaw that is easily overcome.

Just after impact, golfers should feel the putter head staying reasonably low to the ground (don’t force it!) as in the graphic below. This allows the putter head to naturally release back to square at impact and it keeps the putter head’s rate of rotation through impact constant. You can see how the leading elbow flex is 150.1, which is very close to 180 (perfectly straight), and this does not allow the lead wrist to breakdown too rapidly during the process. This is the motion necessary to control the closing rate of your putter face through impact.

When these positive motions occur through impact, it keeps the rate of rotation very constant through the ball, as shown in the bottom right graph above. Notice how close the lines are to being on top of one another. Thats means that each individual stroke that was measured had virtually the same rate and amount of rotation through impact!

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Instruction

The Wedge Guy: The easiest-to-learn golf basic

Published

3 weeks ago

Mar 29, 2024

Terry Koehler

My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.

As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.

The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.

Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:

Mis-aligned hands

By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.

The position of the grip in the upper/left hand

I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.

To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.

Too much lower (right) hand on the club

It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.

Gripping too tightly

Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.

So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

Published

2 months ago

Mar 4, 2024

Shawn Clement

Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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Instruction

How a towel can fix your golf swing

Published

2 months ago

Feb 26, 2024

Todd McGill

This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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