Arm action

I'm just learning to not cast and come OTT. My question is,..is there a point in the downswing somewhere around release where you conciously "activate" the arms/hands out of just coming along for the ride and into trying to hit the ball? Or is contact totally the result of weight transfer and turn and the arms are just directed to square through impact and follow though?

Thanks.

Hi Sandmac.
Good Question. Personally, i like to release into the ball as my right elbow comes into contact with my right hip. This is something i have engrained over the years and feels totally natural.

cheers
aft

Yes it is a good question. I think this is closely related to the grip discussion. I have a strong grip and therefore I dont think about my hands when I turn hard through the ball UNLESS I want to hit a big draw. I think if you have a more neutral/weak grip you may have to have more conscious forearm rotation. There is a timing thing there though

Tiger for example has a strong grip and just unwinds his whole body as hard as he can through the ball (which is very hard!). Ernie has a weaker grip and uses a lot of forearm rotation (big, long forearms mind!)

Maybe best to experiment with grip first and make it stronger until you can feel just a turn through the ball will square the club with passive hands/arms. If this doesnt feel comfortable try the forearm release. See what works best for you. Experimentation is golf is a lot of fun IMO

Hi Sandmac,

Here is my opinion:

The right forearm must rotate over the left from the start of release through the impact zone to square the clubface, remove lag in the wrists and generate suitable head speed. Initially it is something you must think about but will become instinctive with time.

Another point to keep in mind is that the butt end of the club should point towards your belt buckle throughout this release zone until the extension of the arms move it away on the follow through.

Cheers
Brian

Thanks for the help. My grip is pretty strong, so I guess just the turn and trailing hands should square the face?

Wow trying to synch up the lateral hips, turn and lagging arms is REALLY tough for me. I've got the takeaway, and backswing down close to perfect but as soon as I get to the top, old habits creep in...when I really focus on starting to the downswing inside and eventually drop the hands to release, it feels correct but the club bottoms out too early. Could this be something with my right shoulder?

Hi Sandmac,

This link takes you to a site showing Luke Donald's swing, you can run it frame by frame. See the way his right shoulder drops and holds back through impact and the initial follow through.

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline...634632,00.html

Regards
Brian

I think if you are bottoming out you may still be leaving some weight on your right side. Try and get the weight shifted to the left.