Why Your Trail Arm Is Sabotaging Your Golf Game

[@clsupreme7408]

This video was a HUGE lightbulb moment 4 me! After practicing this for a couple hours in my backyard on Thursday, I went out and played a round on Friday and my contact, compression and consistency were probably the best I’ve ever experienced through a full 18 holes. Between the positioning of the trail hand in the swing as well as keeping the elbows close, I was able 2 clear the hips better than ever. Not only in full swings but in pitch shots as well. Thank u so much 4 this video. Keep up the good work!

[@timquain5341]

I swear, every time I have a revelation in my swing at the range, I go home, jump onto youtube, and end up seeing a lesson from you going through the exact same thing. It's bizarre!!! Yours was in more detail but very similar. My revelation has been to keep my trail elbow tucked into my side for as long as I can through the backswing, which makes the distance between my elbows narrower and my lead wrist bow. Then, on the down swing, I bring my trail elbow into my side before letting my hands release. I also do a few practice down swings to club level to check I'm not excessively making an in to out or out to in path.

[@evacox-fm7ze]

The best instructions I’ve ever seen😊

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks

[@jiml9062]

As always, excellent teaching that all can understand, my friend is starting golf at 65. I sent him the link and told him to follow the Chris Ryan site from basics onwards, there is no better site to learn all aspects of the golf swing. I watch your teachings as revision, which is invaluable, but I do follow Pete Cowen as he is more focussed on the better golfer

[@dakotalake9084]

Check out Danny Maude also.

[@halraupp5828]

Boy! This is a great explanation!

[@kenbagwell8551]

Love it! Your explanations really increased my understanding.

[@somekid4632]

Chris, I know you here this all the time, but by checking thousands of golf instruction videos on KZbin for 13 years nowI have to say that this could be your most important video. I know it is important to have the right backswing positions, the right weight shift, wrist angles, hip turn etc. but there is no such movement that kills your swing as much as the wrong "usage" of your right elbow. Keeping that darn thing pointing to the right hip at setup, then down to the ground in the back-and downswing, back to the right hip is a gamechanger

[@leemartin1122]

Great video Chris, I was especially shocked by your point in the downswing and the way we try to square the face using that unconscious arm move. Last year I really concentrated on the trail elbow poi ting up and I improved a lot. Trouble is that along with other tips along the way I tend to forget an important factor because I'm over concentrating on something new! A few things from my side that might interest you as a coach.... 1) often when I concentrate on my trail hand grip, I find it forces my trail elbow out a bit. If I notice it I adjust but it then feels like like I have to adjust my right hand to a very strong RH grip. 2) recently I've struggled and whilst my short irons have improved, I've been hitting out right a lot. I can feel my hip popping out when I "go for it" and early extended and struggle with this. Recently using a mirror to try and see what's going on, I thought I saw something you might relate to? I've been working at getting away from my aggressive OTT swing and try to drop my arms into the slot (in my mind anyway).... And it really looked to me like the process of dropping my arms more shallow was actually forcing me to extend early??? Does this resonate at all? Cheers!

[@leonardrempel7583]

You obviously have seen my game as I have some of these faults that are hurting my swing! Excellent drills that I will take to the range to retrain my muscle memory. Results may not be immediate, however your instruction has steadily improved my game. Thanks as always!

[@jvitali60]

Nice drills!

[@craigstiven3394]

That was a wonderful explanation. I struggle with internal shoulder rotation at top of backswing and never knew why. Thank you for posting this video.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

My pleasure, thanks for watching

[@digitalshapes9501]

Chris re the bend & fold / rotation of the trail arm (from the shoulder joint), in the backswing, are these two moves all the movements we need? So in other words do we need any element of trail forearm rotation? I’m asking because Pete Cowen talks about spinning the lower trail forearm on the downswing from half way down. I think this is demonstrated in your modern swing with the golf club swinging at chest height. This is where you talk about squaring the club face with your forearms and hands I guess? This looks more like the pre-impact action of the supination of the lead forearm as you exit left into impact? I also note your move into impact has no flipping of the club over. Also it looks like your club face would remain very stable post impact with this release pattern. Which is very good to see you are following modern golf swing body rotation blending this modern release pattern. I’m assuming you could increase the use of forearm rotation (a move more towards allowing your forearms to release immediately post impact square the club by simply reversing exactly what you put in, in the backswing and then allowing an early fold of the lead arm with use of more supination post impact. As opposed to the body rotation doing the heavy lifting? I know you are a big fan of using your hands and arms naturally to release the club and to re-hinge the club in the follow through. I imagine there has to be a trade off between us adopting this release pattern which comes with a more stable face post impact versus allowing the club head to release past your hands earlier using earlier and a more traditional lead arm supination release pattern post impact? Myles

[@patrickhockey615]

Perfect timing. Tried a bunch of different thoughts to solve a weird over the top doenawing even though it felt great before seeing it on video Giving this a try

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

This should really help Patrick

[@patrickhockey615]

@@ChrisRyanGolf definitely did!! Felt subtle but improved speed and strike big time

[@digitalshapes9501]

Chris in your initial demonstration of the downswing with your 8 iron you say for this demo I’m going to stand up perfectly straight. Saying I want you to look where the club face is. Those groves are pretty much perfectly vertical. If I want to make a straight shot from here I have to get my groves back to vertical. Then you make your horizontal backswing folding your trail arm pronating your lead forearm etc Then you bring the groves / the club back to square. My question is with this simplified demonstration you didn’t do so in the same manner keeping your trail elbow below your lead elbow into what I would call your “Modern Release Pattern’. Please could you explain the pros and cons of each method? Myles

[@brandon8217]

Thank you for what you do! This is so helpful.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

My pleasure, couldn’t do it without people like you watching so thanks 🙌

[@wenbray6396]

Good vid Chris, really important technique and hard to get right. Thanks

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks 🙌

[@noumine]

Great video! Thanks!

[@davidstevan1]

I am physically unable to get my right elbow into the position you would have it. I’ve tried to do it unsuccessfully for +20 years and have a whs index to go with it! It flies (as does Scheffler’s). Should I just give up golf now or do you have a suggestion for us less flexible golfers! For example, should we just swing with a shorter back swing?

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Hey David great question and probably a few in your situation. My advice would be to accept that you may have a slightly steeper shaft angle through your swing, so playing a natural fade would be by advice. You can align as normal but if the elbow gets a little high and out then this is likely to cause a left path and therefore more of a fade bias swing, no reason why you can’t still improve this way so keep plugging away

[@davidstevan1]

@@ChrisRyanGolf I took your advice to try a fade. OMG what a difference! +20 years trying to draws with a manipulated in to out swing leading to lots of shanks and heel shots. I was expecting to hit a mass of big slices but I only hit a few of these. My fade is going further than my draws and I don't feel I'm getting in my way anymore. Early days I know but fingers crossed! May I suggest you do some coaching on how to hit a controlled fade. Thanks again.

[@younglian1212]

Great Drills

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks

[@bryanlemontm]

I struggle with lead arm position. What’s the best setup? Some say elbow points at hip, some say elbow points down the line. How do you set up the lead arm.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

It can depend on grip a little too, the lead arm needs to rotate during the backswing so personally I like the back of the Elon to be pointed just forward of your lead hip

[@neilsmith2240]

2 questions. 1. When moving from the shaft parallel position to the strike is it a feeling of striking down onto the ball (by rocking the shoulders up) or turning onto the ball, or both) 2. How much is the body involved in turning the club onto the ball. This suggests it is all or mostly the forearms?

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Hey Neil, good questions and tough to answer in this format, but from deliver my the club head is moving down, however most other things are moving up, so many have a feeling of moving away from the ball at impact Through impact it is a blend of shoulder and arms, but this part of the swing is more arms that shoulders, they have done most of the work to get the club into position they then let the arms take over

[@neilsmith2240]

@@ChrisRyanGolf thank you! V interesting, Could you explain the feeling of moving away from the ball at impact? Are you moving up, or back?

[@matthiasmueller9340]

@ChrisRyanGolf: Chris, how would one adapt this drill for driver and not start swinging from top?

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Personally I’d use this same drill with the driver, same movements apply to that as well as the irons

[@MaverickRO1221]

So my chest isnt huge, but it does seem to get in the way when I rotate my shoulders and try to keep my left arm straight. I can't keep the left elbow straight AND get my trail arm in that position you demonstrated. Am I just not performing the back swing correctly?

[@matthiasmueller9340]

So true, so important

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Agreed 🙌

[@DASH1ful]

Well, that is certainly a novel idea. And, you can prove that your right elbow position is correct by just simply taking your grip with the club pointing straight up and your elbows close to your side; and then stretching your arms out. You will find that the pockets of your elbows point off at 45 degrees. That proves that we have maximum flexibility when the elbows are in this position. I, also, have been looking at the concept of bend and fold, only I call it fly and flex. And, yes the arms have to increase separation in the takeaway; but, I have come to learn that the turn of the the body actually actually folds the right arm. And, you can easily prove this to yourself. If you let your right arm hang by your side, swing the club back with your left hand; and, then swing your right arm back, simultaneously, you will feel your right arm fold as your left chest turns. Obviously, the object is to put your right hand on the club towards the top of your backswing. It, helps if you, also, push your chest around with the left side of your right leg, just as you would if to you were to turn to to your right. Obviously, you have to turn your right foot out slightly to do this. This is an old Bill Mehlhorn idea, which has been overlooked by the game. And, the crazy thing about it is that he actually discovered how swing coil is really created in the swing, by doing this. It would be easy to overlook his idea by thinking to ourselves that our head moves when we push our body around, with the left side of our right leg, to turn to the right; and, we certainly don't want move our head in that way in the backswing. However, if you just hang your arms by your side and push your chest around with the left see side of your right leg; and, focus on a spot on the ground, you will find that you have to cock your head in a certain way to be able to focus on the ground. And, when you have turned to the maximum you will find that you have generated a tremendous amount of coil. And, if you hold a club with your left hand as you do this; and, then swing your arm back to the top; and, then put your right hand on the club, you will find that you are in the perfect top of the backswing position.

[@charliesmithers7663]

need some colour on those legs Chris .. I had to double take for fear you were stripped from the waste

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

I think it’s best for everyone if I just put them away for good 😂

[@maggiestiles6833]

Wear whatever you like Chris, I am just here for the brilliant tips😊

[@NonStoppp3332]

Legs look fine. You’re an Englishman right?

[@markhuru]

Some golfers use their right side of the body to literally throw the club at the golf ball

[@mrfld]

I hear the trail hand explained in a way that doesn’t match reality. 5:22 you show the trail hand almost flat and hold a ball. 4:36 is an actual swing. Your trail hand doesn’t come close to matching 5:22. That is a good swing but you would never be able to hold a ball in that position.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

I certainly work towards flattening my lead wrist more, something I’ve always struggled with, when I break it down and practice I can get it flatter which in turn would see more bend in the trail worst at the top The palm of the trail hand would be er be perfectly flat, hence I specify to use something with a flat surface rather than say a golf ball I still think the demonstration and explanation is correct, I certainly don’t execute the swing exactly as I’d like either