Wrist position at the top

[meroj]

is this causing me to be inconsistent?

The lovely Pittsburgh winter has left me with a lot of time to hit balls into a net in my garage. Doing that this week, I noticed that at the top of my backswing, my left wrist is not following the straight line up from my forearm. My wrist is bent (cupped?) upward.

I have been golfing for many years and can play pretty well, but I can be wildly inconsistent. One weekend last year I shot 90 on saturday and 73 on Sunday. The main reason is that when I get wild, I don't know if the ball is going to go left or right.

Would having my wrist in this position cause me to be inconsistent or if not, is it a problem and if so what faults would it cause.

Lastly, any drills that could help me flatten it out?

Any help is appreciated, I can't go through another wild year like last year.

[Pinehurst1999]

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...31&hl=wrist

 

Similar discussion...but I am not sure of any specific drills. I think that the degree of its impact on your swing differs on every person/swing of the club. From my experience...flattening that not (not bowing it), has lead to more distance and much more accuracy. My club pro caught this and told me to concentrate on keeping that flat and it will help my swing greatly...it has!

[leekgolf]

meroj, I would guess you are swinging way from the inside and then trying to square your hands by flipping them. The flip is really a symptom that is hard to correct without addressing the path/plane problem first.

 

I'd bet you also have a number of fat and slightly thin shots too. the tipoff is the misses both right and left

[meroj]

Thanks for the input guys. This is more complicated than I thought.

 

I have played for years and never really thought about any position of any thing during my swing. And even now, I am not looking to overhaul what I do, but the more I think about the golf swing, the more layers I keep pealing from the onion.

 

I probably should I stop timkering with my swing now and be happy with my current level of play.....Ah hell, what else am I going to think about until spring?

[Cloran]

I have the same issue. The cupped wrist (combined with neutral grip, a little OTT move, etc.) leads me to play a fade 99% of the time. The only time I go left is if I double-cross myself, or just get way too fast with my tempo. Many a great player have had cupped wrists... Hogan I believe was one. It should allow you to elliminate the left portion of the fairway/green.

 

What shot shape do you normally hit?

[irishfight4it]

it is not a problem, if you could get a video up we could give a better diagnosis and it might be a simple fix... check your setup, IE grip, stance, and posture

[irishfight4it]

it is not a problem, if you could get a video up we could give a better diagnosis and it might be a simple fix... check your setup, IE grip, stance, and posture

[chico713]

You can play it either way as long as you're consistent. A cupped wrist means an open clubface and a pronated wrist means a draw...at least I think the word pronate means the opposite of cupped, or suponated....I don't know, but Johnny Miller throws those words around alot..

Anyway, grab a club and turn your wrist both ways and you'll see what happens to the club face....if you hit a nice little fade with your cupped wrist, don't change a thing...you don't want to bring bing hooks into your game.

[meroj]

When I am playing consistently, I do hit a little fade. So from what I am gathering here, it is probably not a cupped wrist that leads to inconsistency, it is probably something else. I would like to see if I can get a video of my swing, I would like to see it, I never have.

 

Thanks,

[Cloran]

When I am playing consistently, I do hit a little fade. So from what I am gathering here, it is probably not a cupped wrist that leads to inconsistency, it is probably something else. I would like to see if I can get a video of my swing, I would like to see it, I never have.

 

Thanks,

 

 

Seeing your swing on video for the first time is like seeing your first naked female. Exciting and scary all at the same time... :wub:

[rankoutsider]

hey guys: my teacher in town has been trying to get me to change my cupped wrist at the top for a long time, and i have been resistant because of how unnatural it felt. lo and behold, when i went to visit slicefixer for my lessons a couple weeks ago, he said that the wrist can be cupped at the top and not have that have any adverse effects on the swing at all. so i have just put it out of my mind and, with the other things he has got me working on, am hitting it pretty well.

 

a really flat wrist at the top runs the risk of not supporting the club properly; at least slice suggested that to me.

 

rank

[meroj]

When I am playing consistently, I do hit a little fade. So from what I am gathering here, it is probably not a cupped wrist that leads to inconsistency, it is probably something else. I would like to see if I can get a video of my swing, I would like to see it, I never have.

 

Thanks,

 

 

Seeing your swing on video for the first time is like seeing your first naked female. Exciting and scary all at the same time... :wub:

 

 

That's what I am afraid of. Right now, in my mind, my swing is an exact copy of Ernie Els, if i see it on video, I may look more like Ernie of Bert and Ernie fame.

[chico713]

Forget about seeing your swing on video...unless you are able to bring a camera and a monitor on the course with you.

 

You need to know how it FEELS to hit a good shot or a bad shot...a draw or fade...low high etc That's what makes great golfers great - they can feel where the clubhead is and they know the position it needs to be in to hit the desired shot.

 

Next time you're on the driving range experiment with different grips, cupped wrist, flat wrist, bent wrist...hit some monster hooks and slices...dial it back down to a straight shot... and focus on the different FEEL for every shot.

 

The great thing about golf is practice swings...so when your on the course you can rehearse the shot you want to hit, get the right FEEL for the ball flight you need, then execute.

 

More FEEL, less Mechanics.

[Cloran]

When I am playing consistently, I do hit a little fade. So from what I am gathering here, it is probably not a cupped wrist that leads to inconsistency, it is probably something else. I would like to see if I can get a video of my swing, I would like to see it, I never have.

 

Thanks,

 

 

Seeing your swing on video for the first time is like seeing your first naked female. Exciting and scary all at the same time... :wub:

 

 

That's what I am afraid of. Right now, in my mind, my swing is an exact copy of Ernie Els, if i see it on video, I may look more like Ernie of Bert and Ernie fame.

 

 

The first time I taped mine (and the last by the way) was about a year ago. I thought I was swinging on plane, attacking the ball from the inside, etc. Well, lets just say that my swing was so flat I was basically swinging around my arse. It did open my eyes to a few things, but stressed me out more than anything. Now, when at the range I just look at what my shots are doing in the air. Make adjustments, and most importantly work on tempt. If find that when my tempo is good, my striking is good... period. I'm by no means a great (or even good for that matter) golfer, but not watching myself too often keeps me from wanting to slit my wrists.

[ChrisM84]

What is your grip like? If you have a slightly stronger grip, your wrist will be more cupped at the top.

[meroj]

Thanks for all of the info guys, but I think I am going to take Chico's advice and continue to go by feel. I have never even pretended to understand the swing and have always played by feel and not thought about mechanics. But I also think that CloranSt has hit on something with tempo.

 

Thanks again