Arms on top of the chest

[Nels55]

Seems to work pretty well for me:

 

[Chunkitgood]

Interesting what different people think is “what nobody tells you….”  Not criticizing the OP or whoever made that video, but commenting on the lack of cohesion in golf teaching.  It sure seems a lot of people are not getting basic info, and are instead getting minutiae.

[DShepley]

I like this idea and I for sure fall in the category where my arms fall along side my chest.  I have always fought a roll inside and a flat backswing.  When I get lazy, I struggle to create room between my rear elbow and chest and I get pinned and kind of stuck.  What I like about something simple like this is that it requires no more thought after set up...just swing.  For people who tend to get bound by swing thoughts, this is a good thing.  Will it work long term or even short term for me?  Who knows but if it helps turn off the "Give a sh!@tter" for a while then it's a win.  Like Max Homa said, "Sometimes you're just one good swing thought away from being good again!"

[glk]

There is a spectrum      Personally I don't care for the elbows being "pinched" together and arms too on top.    Or too much on the side.

 

D cooper does well with arms just a bit on top.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmLFmeXL5wA/?img_index=1

 

josh has them a little more on top

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdeon1vp42W/?hl=en

 

Hogan did well with arms a bit on top too.

 

[RoyalTroon]

It's not as simple as an either or, it's a little bit of both, and more, resulting from several other conditions leading up to, and supporting, the end result.  Whatever this is called this is it.

 

[Nels55]

11 minutes ago, BALLYBUNION said:

It's not as simple as an either or, it's a little bit of both, and more, resulting from several other conditions leading up to, and supporting, the end result.  Whatever this is called this is it.

 

I think that it may depend a lot on the golfers build.  If a person has a build like the pro in the video or maybe skinnier then his setup is probably a good thing.  Bigger guys maybe not so much, I don't really know!

[Nels55]

In this video JT Thomas demonstrates similar arm movement.  There are several more videos where he goes into more detail:

 

[Chunkitgood]

5 hours ago, glk said:

There is a spectrum      Personally I don't care for the elbows being "pinched" together and arms too on top.    Or too much on the side.

 

D cooper does well with arms just a bit on top.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmLFmeXL5wA/?img_index=1

 

josh has them a little more on top

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdeon1vp42W/?hl=en

 

Hogan did well with arms a bit on top too.

 

The guy in the video does not recommend pinching the arms, just lowering them onto the chest instead of down the sides.

[ferrispgm]

On 7/25/2023 at 9:22 PM, Chunkitgood said:

Interesting what different people think is “what nobody tells you….”  Not criticizing the OP or whoever made that video, but commenting on the lack of cohesion in golf teaching.  It sure seems a lot of people are not getting basic info, and are instead getting minutiae.

There is also the issue of some instructors saying the same or very similar things, just in a different way.  Some instructors will teach feels that get people in a proper position without saying so and some are focused on teaching just the correct positions.  It's like being an engineer vs an artist.  Different mindset, different perspective.

[Righty to Lefty]

6 minutes ago, ferrispgm said:

There is also the issue of some instructors saying the same or very similar things, just in a different way.  Some instructors will teach feels that get people in a proper position without saying so and some are focused on teaching just the correct positions.  It's like being an engineer vs an artist.  Different mindset, different perspective.

But neither example that you gave is the example of the engineer.  The engineer would analyze impact and work backwards from there with your address position being the least relevant because it is the furthest away from impact when working backwards.  Impact is a true fundamental of golf while having your elbows pinched together or not, isn't.  If the athlete is always working from a perspective of impact then they will always be progressing forward as anything else is a distraction, especially monitoring individual body parts while swinging the club.  Am I making sense? 

[RoyalTroon]

7 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

The engineer would analyze impact and work backwards from there with your address position being the least relevant because it is the furthest away from impact when working backwards. 

 

Smart engineer. 

[ferrispgm]

17 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

But neither example that you gave is the example of the engineer.  The engineer would analyze impact and work backwards from there with your address position being the least relevant because it is the furthest away from impact when working backwards.  Impact is a true fundamental of golf while having your elbows pinched together or not, isn't.  If the athlete is always working from a perspective of impact then they will always be progressing forward as anything else is a distraction, especially monitoring individual body parts while swinging the club.  Am I making sense? 

My point was simple....someone in that mindset is going to be more concerned with mechanics than a person with a more artistic or feel based personality 

[Righty to Lefty]

4 minutes ago, ferrispgm said:

My point was simple....someone in that mindset is going to be more concerned with mechanics than a person with a more artistic or feel based personality 

Your point is actually more nuanced than you realize because there is actually no such thing as "artistic or feel" based as no one is born good at golf, or anything for that matter, and it must be learned from a point of reference developed though exposure and repetition. The mechanics of your swing do not have as much bearing on your impact as many believe while understanding and trusting where you are in relation to the ball is orders of magnitude more important. 

 

Anyone that is good at golf must first strike a ball well to develop a reference, and then attempt to relentlessly repeat it. An artist in any genre is working from the basic fundamental principles that govern it whether it be music, painting, or golf.  Impact is that fundamental in golf just like the fundamental scales are in music and we are all subject to the same rules and some will develop better than others over time. We are not all created equal in regards to physical make up but the requirements to strike a golf ball a given distance are the same and it is those with the most refined tolerances in relation to their reference that will play the game the best.   

[Zitlow]

In a powerful swing the body mass is used to sling the weight of the club away from you like a ball whirling around your hand. The ball is in orbit pulling away from the string and your hand.

 

The arms don't flop around, he firms up his arms before he starts the club back just enough to create structure in them with just enough grip pressure to support the weight of the club.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Zitlow]

45 minutes ago, ferrispgm said:

My point was simple....someone in that mindset is going to be more concerned with mechanics than a person with a more artistic or feel based personality 

 

I agree even though @Righty to Lefty makes cogent points in his posts.

 

I'm no Alfred Einstein but to me it's better to use the artistic right side of the brain instead of the analytical left side when performing an athletic motion. 

[Righty to Lefty]

On 7/27/2023 at 1:01 PM, Zitlow said:

 

I agree even though @Righty to Lefty makes cogent points in his posts.

 

I'm no Alfred Einstein but to me it's better to use the artistic right side of the brain instead of the analytical left side when performing an athletic motion. 

Zitlow did you just say that I made cogent points?!! I have arrived....you hear that GolfWRX!!! Yasss!! And I completely agree that there is a time and a place for the artistic side...and that time would be on course.  That is the canvas that you "paint" on.  That being said...EVERY shot that you ever hit, especially off the course, should be given the utmost scrutiny in regards to quality of impact, start direction, and amount of curvature and that is because if you can't execute on the range from a perfect lie then you are doomed to being analytical on the course which is not the time nor the place.  Am I making sense? I put more pressure on my practice than any shot that I hit on the course and that is because the course is designed to put pressure on you naturally thus on course play is the time to see if the work I am doing is really paying off.

 

Being out of position to the ball and being unaware of low point of the swing arc is an epidemic and are the gatekeepers to improving at golf and accelerating the learning curve.  If you are aware of and control your low point you will play good golf and it is orders of magnitude more important any movement of any individual body part or how pretty your swing is I assure you.  Scrutinize and put pressure on your practice...but enjoy on the course and see if your work will shine through, even if just in spurts initially. Golf is hard by the way!! 

[prouse25]

I take few lessons but do have a very good swing coach that i work with maybe once per year.  Just so happens, i worked with him yesterday.  Been having issues with occasional weak cuts / blocks.  He basically went through something very similar to the initial video in this thread.  Its crazy how similar his comments were to this video.  It clicked very quickly for me.  He incorporated the towel drill with the idea of arms on top of chest - instead of on the sides.  

 

Club position on the take away (waist height) is much better.  The club has always been rather closed in my swing at this position.  Effortless power and consistency improvements seemed immediate.  

[DShepley]

1 minute ago, prouse25 said:

I take few lessons but do have a very good swing coach that i work with maybe once per year.  Just so happens, i worked with him yesterday.  Been having issues with occasional weak cuts / blocks.  He basically went through something very similar to the initial video in this thread.  Its crazy how similar his comments were to this video.  It clicked very quickly for me.  He incorporated the towel drill with the idea of arms on top of chest - instead of on the sides.  

 

Club position on the take away (waist height) is much better.  The club has always been rather closed in my swing at this position.  Effortless power and consistency improvements seemed immediate.  

Maybe he watched the video?