Quieting overactive hands/wrists/arms in transition/downswing

[atomheartmother]

A recurring issue that I’ve been having is throwing my hands and wrists (and forearms) right at th start of the transition to the downswing. This, of course, causes a slew of problems blowing up the whole swing sequence resulting in an underpowered swing that casts out coming outside/in usually with an open clubface. Best case scenario, the ball gets up in the air usually with a slight hook or block to the right but at least 10-20 yards shorter than expected. Worst case is a nasty shank. By the end of a range session, the skin on my hands (mainly fingers) is torn up my and elbows and wrists killing me (especially the left ones). Forearms are also sore.

 

The first few times out this season, this issue was tamed. I focused on powering the swing with my core and hitting the ball with my chest. And just slowing things down in general. It felt like everything was slower and my arms were moving with my chest. The hands felt relatively passive firing only within the impact zone. Distances were further than they ever were before and the strikes felt good. However, this issue has slowly crept in the last several times out, and it’s all gone to crap.

 

And I can’t get it tamed again regardless of what I focus on or the swing thought: leading with the lower body, slowing the tempo down, keeping my arms connected, swinging with my chest, etc. Today, I focused on pressing the back of my left (lead) bicep on my left pec. It seemed to help in some ways. But my swing feels restricted and my left arm tense and rigid. I also feel I lose width in the swing, and I seemed to be losing considerable distance (10 yards or so with most clubs).

 

Any drills or thoughts that anyone has would be appreciated. My game can’t take it. Let alone my hands and joints.

 

For reference, this is my 7th season. I’ve had 35-40 lessons with four different pros over the years, all but of few of which were working on the full swing. One of the pros caught this issue. But said the fix was to focus on the proper sequence with firing the legs/lower body first to start the downswing and following the sequence from there. I can focus on that all I want, but all it does is cause me to fire my hands faster/sooner.

[GungHoGolf]

Maybe you’re throwing the clubhead from the top because your subconscious thinks that’s the only way to get the clubface square.

 

If that’s the case, you might try strengthening your grip, or flexing your lead wrist at transition thru impact, or a few hundred half swings with a stick in your grip (punisher drill), or a combo of 2 or 3 of those things, until your hands get (re)educated. Those all worked for me, anyway.

[Fireballer]

Do you have over active hands and arms, or over active shoulders/upper body? Those are two entirely different things.

[smdykas]

Your post sounds like me last year. Same misses and struggles. Here are some things that changed my game.

 

1 read the arm swing illusion thread and understand the mechanics better. A lot of things are illusions in the golf swing.

 

2 buy and watch the drive4dough series by Monte

 

3 worked on forearm rotation in B.S. and full shoulder turn. (Due to drive4dough. )

 

I never found an instructor who could get me to stop flipping or casting. Realized it was due to misunderstanding the role of the forearms and shoulder plane in the swing.

 

To paraphrase Monte, you can control your set up, back swing and the start of downswing. The rest is reaction to the others.

 

For me, casting and flipping was a reaction. Needed more forearm and shoulder rotation. Stopped focusing on hips and lower body. No more flips.

 

Lessons fixed my grip, set up and posture. Not anything else. I fixed it on the range with help from the internet pros.

 

 

[alfriday]

This has worked for me:

 

1. Stand up like you are waiting in line at the market. Arms at your side, relaxed but upright posture. Now start to walk in place, without your feet coming off the ground. Notice how the weight goes from ball of foot to heel on each foot. Notice the way your hips will turn slightly. Notice how your arms will move as the body moves, even though you are not "swinging" them. On you get the feeling of the arms moving without consciously swinging them, move on to two.

 

2. Take your golf stance, without a club. Bring your palms together so the pads of your palms are lightly toughing and so the tips of your fingers lightly touch. Keep arms relaxed. Now start walking like above. Your hands will move back and forth without any force in your arms. Feel your arms move because you body is moving. There should be no pushing or pulling in your arms or hands--they are just going along for the ride.

 

3. After you get the feel of walking, exaggerate it a bit into more of a full turn, working your way up to a full golf swing motion. Make sure to keep the arms free of any tension and to put no pressure on your finger tips. Again, even though you are in a full swing move, the arms should just be going along for the ride.

 

4. Now take your stance and pick up a club. Take your grip, but hold the club a lightly as you can. Start walking and feel the club move back and forth, just as your arms did above. Because of the weight of the club, your arms will be pulled a bit in each direction, farther than when just swinging your arms. Work up a slow, steady rhythm and feel how the club will pause at the end of your backswing and fore swing, and then start the other direction.

 

This will get you to feel the motion of the club, in sync with the body and without forcing the swing with the arms.

[atomheartmother]

Maybe you’re throwing the clubhead from the top because your subconscious thinks that’s the only way to get the clubface square.

 

If that’s the case, you might try strengthening your grip, or flexing your lead wrist at transition thru impact, or a few hundred half swings with a stick in your grip (punisher drill), or a combo of 2 or 3 of those things, until your hands get (re)educated. Those all worked for me, anyway.

 

The aforementioned instructor actually pointed the same thing out. This is one thing I’ve been battling. I can generally keep my left wrist flat until the half way point of the backswing. Then, unless I consciously focus on keeping it flat, it starts to extend when I start rotating my forearms. When I was swinging well earlier this year, I think I was doing better keeping the left wrist flat. I think I just need to do a few hundred backswings focusing on keeping the left wrist flat.

 

Do you have over active hands and arms, or over active shoulders/upper body? Those are two entirely different things.

 

I’m almost certain it’s the hands and arms. If anything the torso rotates too slowly relative to the armsnwhich race ahead.

 

Your post sounds like me last year. Same misses and struggles. Here are some things that changed my game.

 

1 read the arm swing illusion thread and understand the mechanics better. A lot of things are illusions in the golf swing.

 

2 buy and watch the drive4dough series by Monte

 

3 worked on forearm rotation in B.S. and full shoulder turn. (Due to drive4dough. )

 

I never found an instructor who could get me to stop flipping or casting. Realized it was due to misunderstanding the role of the forearms and shoulder plane in the swing.

 

To paraphrase Monte, you can control your set up, back swing and the start of downswing. The rest is reaction to the others.

 

For me, casting and flipping was a reaction. Needed more forearm and shoulder rotation. Stopped focusing on hips and lower body. No more flips.

 

Lessons fixed my grip, set up and posture. Not anything else. I fixed it on the range with help from the internet pros.

 

I’ve looked into the arm swing illusion thread a bit. It seems intimidating in the number of posts. Did you buy the video? Seems a bit pricey at $60. I’ll look into the other one as well.

 

This has worked for me:

 

1. Stand up like you are waiting in line at the market. Arms at your side, relaxed but upright posture. Now start to walk in place, without your feet coming off the ground. Notice how the weight goes from ball of foot to heel on each foot. Notice the way your hips will turn slightly. Notice how your arms will move as the body moves, even though you are not "swinging" them. On you get the feeling of the arms moving without consciously swinging them, move on to two.

 

2. Take your golf stance, without a club. Bring your palms together so the pads of your palms are lightly toughing and so the tips of your fingers lightly touch. Keep arms relaxed. Now start walking like above. Your hands will move back and forth without any force in your arms. Feel your arms move because you body is moving. There should be no pushing or pulling in your arms or hands--they are just going along for the ride.

 

3. After you get the feel of walking, exaggerate it a bit into more of a full turn, working your way up to a full golf swing motion. Make sure to keep the arms free of any tension and to put no pressure on your finger tips. Again, even though you are in a full swing move, the arms should just be going along for the ride.

 

4. Now take your stance and pick up a club. Take your grip, but hold the club a lightly as you can. Start walking and feel the club move back and forth, just as your arms did above. Because of the weight of the club, your arms will be pulled a bit in each direction, farther than when just swinging your arms. Work up a slow, steady rhythm and feel how the club will pause at the end of your backswing and fore swing, and then start the other direction.

 

This will get you to feel the motion of the club, in sync with the body and without forcing the swing with the arms.

 

Thanks. I’m going to work through this.