Hit It Higher, Part 2

Understanding the Role of the Hands, Wrists and Forearms

by Frank Shaw

Last month we looked at why you should make hitting the ball higher your primary goal and the role posture maintenance plays in achieving a higher ball flight.   Keep in mind that when you hit the ball higher, you will hit the ball straighter, longer and more consistent.  Once you have mastered hitting the ball high, then the game is simply a matter of learning to control your trajectory.  Let’s turn our attention to the role of the hands, wrists and arms in creating a free, powerful motion that will help you hit the ball higher, straighter and longer.

See Knuckles NOT Finger Nails

Throughout my years of teaching, I don’t believe golfers really appreciate just how important the proper grip is to their golf game.  How you hold the club directly affects the clubface and thus the ultimate direction the ball will fly.  The grip also has a direct relationship to how your wrists work in the swing and this effects both power generation and good contact between the clubface and the ball.  My coaching partner, and Hall of Fame Teacher Jimmie Bullard gave me perhaps the best grip tip that I have ever heard.  It’s simple; when looking at your grip with club elevated in front of your eyes; you want to see knuckles on both hands….and not finger nails.   Placing the hands in this way puts both wrist joints in line, which allows for proper hinging (storage) and release during the swing.

See 2 Knuckles on Both Hands

Hide Your Left Thumb

Don’t Show Your Nails!

Wrists Hinge Vertically....

Thumbs Work Towards Your Nose

Keep Your Thumbs Working Towards Your Nose Going Back!

Golfers instinctively start their swings by rolling the arms and club to the right, which causes the club to swing off plane and the wrists to hinge incorrectly rotating the clubface away from a square position. There is an important distiction here about what moves the club back to the right and what moves the club up and down in the backswing.  Our shoulders rotate around the spine, which in turn swings the arms and club away from the ball to the right.  The hands and arms DO NOT DO THIS, they move the club shaft vertically up and down from the wrist joints in front of the chest.  The best drill/picture that I know to understand how the hands, wrists, elbows and thus the arms work is the 2 Step Backswing Drill.  Take your normal address position with a pitching wedge; keeping your body and arms stationary, hinge your wrists upward towards your nose without any rotation of the forearms.  Note three things here:  First, the clubface remains square throughout the motion and does not rotate.  This will help you hit the ball straighter.  Second, notice the upward pressure in the fingers that you are using to set the wrists correctly and lastly notice the wrinkles (and the feel) created in both wrists directly above the thumbs, as you hinge the club up.  This hinge will help you create increased leverage as you swing which will help you hit the ball higher and longer.  This hinging action takes place in both the backswing and also in the follow through after impact.  Your wrists should feel free and oily throughout the motion back and through.

First, check your grip.  This is the first thing I check in every lesson, regardless of the golfer or how long they have been a student.  Second, work on your takeaway keeping in mind that the shoulders move the arms and club away from the ball as the wrists hinge upward.  With a little understanding and practice, you will quickly hit the ball higher, straighter and longer with very little effort.