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Article 4 - Learn to Swing Your Arms - May 2007

Learn to Swing Your Arms
Apologies once again to left handed golfers - just swap the words right and left around!

A good arm swing is possibly the most vital component of the golf swing. The arm swing accounts for at least 75% of the power and 75% of the accuracy.

A lot of golf instruction books and magazine articles focus mainly on the role of the body simply because a lot of the literature is written by tour players who mastered their arm swing years ago and have been working on the 25% contribution from their bodies with their coaches for the last few years.

Improving your arm swing is fairly simple but requires a clear understanding of what you are looking for and knowing a few practice drills that can help you.

The Arm Swing

 In the correct set up your arms should form a long, narrow triangle with your shoulders.

As you swing the club away from the ball into the back swing the right arm should begin to fold at the elbow and the wrists should hinge the club up so that an L shape is formed between the club shaft and left arm. This is the halfway back position.
Also notice that at this point your shoulders should have turned about 60 degrees. (To achieve a full back swing position your shoulders just need to turn a bit more!).

In the downswing the club should accelerate smoothly in to the back of the ball. The right elbow unfolds and the wrists unhinge with speed. Notice how the long narrow triangle is formed again at impact.

Now the hard bit! - the halfway through position.
As the club swing through past the ball allow your left arm to fold (notice how the upper left arm remains close to the body).  Try to form the L shape again, this time between your right arm and club where the left elbow has folded and the wrists again have fully hinged.

Remain on Plane

The best way to practice the arm swing early on is to watch yourself in a mirror forming the shapes shown above. Putting some time and effort into this area of your golf swing pays real benefits in terms of power and accuracy. It is also important to check what is known as your swing plane. Notice in the 4 pictures below how the club shaft is always parallel to the original angle of the club shaft at address shown by the red line.

                 Set-up                            Halfway back                             Impact                       Halfway through

The Impact Ball - a great training aid to improve your arm swing

In many lessons we work with a training aid called the Impact Ball and in most cases its the halfway through position people find the hardest. In our opinion this is the most under practiced part of the golf swing yet one of the most important. Achieving this position generally means you have just hit a good shot with power and accuracy.
Try it, you may be surprised. It takes practice, but we would have to say it’s the one position in the golf swing where most tour professionals look the same.

                         Set-up                            Halfway back                           Impact                        Halfway through

Improve your arm swing with these drills

Baseball Swing

Stand upright with the club out in front of you at waist level. Swing the club around you as if it was a baseball bat. We recommend this as an exercise to help you feel how your arms should work. By standing upright it is more natural to rotate the club and arms around you, than it is in your golf position. Start slowly and gradually build up speed. Really try to make the club swish loudly through the air. This is what club head speed sounds like.

               Set-up                             Halfway back                           Impact                         Halfway through

Right Arm Only Swings

Place a head cover or towel under your right arm to help feel how the upper right arm stays fairly close to the upper body on the way back and on the way through. Make sure you allow your body to turn back and through with your right arm. Again, start slowly and gradually build up speed.

Left Arm Only Swings

Now place a head cover or towel under your left arm to help you feel how the upper left arm should stay ‘glued’ to the left side of the upper body on the way back and on the way through.

We hope you have found this article helpful. If you have any questions or for further information please email us, we are more than happy to help.