Left arm Observation

[dachtor]

OTT vs. in to out...

So, I've been fighting a pull a lot lately and I just can't seem to crack it. Last night, while comparing my swing on video to some pga pros swings, I noticed that my left arm on the downswing seems to be more vertical than most, when viewed down the target line. I noticed immediately when swinging a club that it is a lot easier to come from the inside if I allow my left arm to get away from my torso (more at a 45 degree angle to the ground instead of up and down). What's also interesting to note is that while viewing swings at Golf Digest.com, most of the big hitters left arms match the plane of the shaft at impact (when viewed down the target line). Players like Jim Furyk and a few others who don't hit it as far have an angle between their left arm and the shaft at impact.

Anybody have any thoughts on this as I don't seem to recall reading a lot about the relationship between the left arm and the shaft plane at impact.

Thanks in Advance.

[dachtor]

I know some of you have some thoughts about the relation between the left arm plane and the shaft plane (at impact).......... right?

[dachtor]

I guess what I'm really asking is whether or not the hands and arms return to the impact position higher than they were at address?

[slicefixer]

Yes, they do with a driver..........almost all good players won't "plane" a driver at impact as the club is attacking from a more inside and shallower angle than with an iron......the player is FAR more underneath and "behind" than with an iron so as to strike the ball JUST before the clubheads ARC bottoms out, or as it bottoms out, or SLIGHTLY on the upswing.......however, almost all GREAT ballstrikers/iron players I've observed/studied have returned the arms/shaft fairly close (some such as Hogan/Price, etc. are DEAD on) to the same angles they had at set up due to their being MUCH more "on top" and "clearing left" with an iron (clearing left with a driver too) at impact in order to strike the ball while the clubheads ARC is still moving DOWN.........a LOT has to due with the players angles at address or with their individual "armswing" in the backswing.......some pretty good players arms/shaft are "unreturnable"/unPLANEable IF a fundamentally sound pivot/armswing is created during their swing motion......this is due to their exaggerated arm/shaft angles at address........Zoeller's LOW hands/arms are an example.......also, almost ALL "inside-out slingers" arms/shaft will arrive back above their original address due to their spines/upper body "backing out" during the swing so as to drop the arms/club to the inside so as to attack from an excessively "inside-out" path/ARC.......you think "swing to right field" OR "swing inside-out" OR "swing down the line" and "roll the wrists" OR "turn the knuckles to the ground through impact" OR "turn the toe to the ground," etc. and you'll almost NEVER return the shaft back to its original plane/position (unless you had an exaggerated "high" hands/shaft at address like David Graham).......some can "time it" reasonably consistently and some can't......NOT too many left in professional golf as it's too "timing" oriented and, as a rule, is MUCH more inconsistent......in conclusion, the more "behind, under, and down the line" (Old School essential) the more vertical the arms/shaft at impact and the more "on top and left" (more rotary swing) the more "down" the arms/shaft will appear at impact.......

 

What I've learned over the years is "planing" the shaft is not all that important.....it's MUCH more important that the shafts angle at impact work it's way through the mid-section somewhere around belt buckle high (I have a "gray area" that I consider fundamentally sound) and that the arms/hands/club "disappear" reasonably close to "waist high".......and that's with ALL clubs.......that tells me that the arms/club are working "WITH" and "AROUND" the body as they REACT to the rotating core/trunk/torso......."everything is working TOGETHER" through impact........IMOP that is what IS important......what's going on from "hip high to hip high" THROUGH IMPACT.......NOT so much what went on before it (other than the players fundamentals).......