Straight left arm fetish

When I started playing, a few years ago, I had no awareness of my left arm or knowledge of what it should be doing. As you might expect, I folded it right up in my backswing. Then I learned a little bit and started keeping it straight. So now, if there's one thing I do consistently, it's keep that left arm straight. And I notice most of the pros keep it straight. But I don't have much flexibility and so I can't bring my hands up very far with straight arms. Nine o'clock is all. So my question is: do you think it's better to accept the abbreviated backswing and keep the arm straight, or would I get better results if I let it bow a bit?

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

You don't want a locked left arm - keep the elbow soft.

The 'top of your swing' indicator that I was given is fantastic.

Get in your golf stance.
Turn your shoulders away from target.
Lift your arms up.

There's your backswing.

I have what feels like a very small backswing (compared to what I'm used to), but I also now take a 39° club around the 150 for carry (when I'm really feelin' it, I can take a 43° club.)

I think you might see better results if you let your arm bend a bit (don't keep it locked straight, but don't knowingly let it fold, either).

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True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

This is one of those things where it's easy to be beguiled by the images of people like Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, both of whom have magnificent golf swings, and who keep that left arm really straight. I've noticed it in the women player's too. But they all have the ability to make a bigger shoulder turn than I can.

On the other hand, I see a lot of average players who bend the left arm quite a bit. My impression is that they get more club head speed that way--some hit a really long ball--but they lose a bit of control.

I played nine holes this morning and experimented a bit, just letting it bow a little bit. I'm almost phobic about it, I've had such a fetish about keeping it straight. So it felt very different, but I asked my partner if it looked like it was collapsing, and he said it was only bending a tiny bit. But doing it that way seemed to help me move more smoothly, and that's what I'm working on. I'm hoping that fewer jerky movements will yield more consistency. And my swing is *full* of jerky movements.

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

I used to be concerned with a straight left arm. Not anymore. Now I'm concerned with swing width. It so happens that a straight left arm adds width. But it's not the sole factor in swing width. What's more important is to keep the angle between the arm and the club constant through the swing. In other words, to keep the clubhead traveling wide and long. I don't worry about the left arm anymore, I only worry about the swing width.

I agree with you on maintaining width.

On your backswing try and keep your hands as far as possible from your right hip, this will create width and assist with a full shoulder turn.

Don't get too hung up about a rigid left arm, think more of a crescent shape.

If you suffer from reduced flexibility, as we all do with advancing years then consider letting your left heel lift up a little in the backswing, this will allow a little more rotation. Plant it down again at the start of the downswing.