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help with flying right elbow/collapse

C

Carolina Golfer

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Freddie or another forum member, can you please help me with my flying right elbow, sway, bent left arm and a resulting collapse arms/wrists etc at the top of the swing? For a rightie. Any drills or swing thoughts? Cheers, CG
 
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The usual way to practice countering that problem is to put something between right arm and the side of your chest usually a head cover and hold it there until the top of your back swing.

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CG's swing

CG's swing

Tadashi70 said:
CG a swing tool came out years ago that was reviewed by THP. I've since used it and recommend this for your issues.

https://www.thehackersparadise.com/tour-angle-144-review/
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Good call on the Tour Angle, I definitely start the swing using the hands/wrist. I will look into it further. In the meantime, do any suggestions please based on my swing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TEobvXlwmA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq2OeKVQFGw

Thanks, Freddie
 
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Your left and right elbows start bending at the beginning of your back swing. By the time you get to the top of your back swing your right elbow has to chicken wing to make room for right hand and club being so close to your body. You need a one piece take away. Your left arm and your club should remain in a straight line until near the top of your back swing then you cocktail your wrist keeping your left elbow as strait as possible. Your left elbow should only bend after impact during your follow through. This keeps the club head at the end of the longest pendulum you can create. Unwinding your coil and releasing your wrist cock right at impact will greatly increase your club head speed which will increase your distance. Start your back swing with your club as an extention of your straight left arm until parallel with the ground in your back swing keeping your left arm straight begin your wrist cock smooth not jerky. Practice with a glove or head cover underneath your right arm pit. Hold it there until it drops out at the top of your back swing. Then just uncoil and whip your wrists straight at impact. No more chicken wing and more speed, power and distance. Or you could buy your little wrist gadget which addresses your arm hang and wrist bend in your stance and has absolutely nothing to do with your swing issues. Your choice.

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Thank spell check for the wrist cocktail. And start your wrist cock at parallel as I said later. Sorry.

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hawkirolla said:
Your left and right elbows start bending at the beginning of your back swing. By the time you get to the top of your back swing your right elbow has to chicken wing to make room for right hand and club being so close to your body. You need a one piece take away. Your left arm and your club should remain in a straight line until near the top of your back swing then you cocktail your wrist keeping your left elbow as strait as possible. Your left elbow should only bend after impact during your follow through. This keeps the club head at the end of the longest pendulum you can create. Unwinding your coil and releasing your wrist cock right at impact will greatly increase your club head speed which will increase your distance. Start your back swing with your club as an extention of your straight left arm until parallel with the ground in your back swing keeping your left arm straight begin your wrist cock smooth not jerky. Practice with a glove or head cover underneath your right arm pit. Hold it there until it drops out at the top of your back swing. Then just uncoil and whip your wrists straight at impact. No more chicken wing and more speed, power and distance. Or you could buy your little wrist gadget which addresses your arm hang and wrist bend in your stance and has absolutely nothing to do with your swing issues. Your choice.

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Hawkirolla, I really appreciate the suggestion. You are on target, I immediately break down the elbows at the beginning of the swing. I have tried what you said, keeping the left arm firmer and no break down; but, I still have a problem with the flying right elbow.
I feel it is hard to find the up in the backswing with this approach. I do have a bad back and my flexibility is horrible. But, I've had others view my swing and they say it is not a flexibility issue. I'll try to put a head cover in the trail elbow and try to ingrain the feeling. Thx again CG
 
The thing about your swing is there is no shoulder turn so your arms collapse. If you were to turn your shoulders as you arms move back you wouldn't have such a breakdown. I have no issue with your breakdown and I would stay away from trying to swing with a straight left arm.
 
Listen to Tadashi. Start the swing with your left shoulder and get it under your chin.
 
thx guys. I had what I thought was a terrible lesson. The pro had me start with my upper left side. It kind of forced me into a sway at the time. But, after these suggestions, I now see where he was headed with this. Freddie and the guys, thx again
 
Tadashi70 said:
The thing about your swing is there is no shoulder turn so your arms collapse. If you were to turn your shoulders as you arms move back you wouldn't have such a breakdown. I have no issue with your breakdown and I would stay away from trying to swing with a straight left arm.
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Freddie, Your suggestion is spot on. If I slowly move the shoulders and arms together, there is no break down. I still have a flying elbow. But, it is and feels much more solid at the top. When looking at a fix, most people go right to keep your left arm or elbows straight. You knew better. I practiced with it today with some success. Thanks, very much for your observation/swing tip.

I had one other question. For the through swing, do you recommend a lower body move or swing from the ground up? Is it required to play decent golf? I currently shoot in the 90's on a 6,100 yard course. I'd love to be in the 80's.

I have been doing a ground up move with some success. But, I wouldn't mind getting the backswing right and then forget it :) Regards, CG
 
Carolina Golfer said:
Freddie, Your suggestion is spot on. If I slowly move the shoulders and arms together, there is no break down. I still have a flying elbow. But, it is and feels much more solid at the top. When looking at a fix, most people go right to keep your left arm or elbows straight. You knew better. I practiced with it today with some success. Thanks, very much for your observation/swing tip.

I had one other question. For the through swing, do you recommend a lower body move or swing from the ground up? Is it required to play decent golf? I currently shoot in the 90's on a 6,100 yard course. I'd love to be in the 80's.

I have been doing a ground up move with some success. But, I wouldn't mind getting the backswing right and then forget it :) Regards, CG
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Lower body and swing from the ground up are the same things, no?

I'd worry about making solid contact at this point and that back swing before adding another big movement. There is zero pressure to get your score lower. Solid contact will take care of that and getting the arms to work with the shoulders is a great first step.
 
If I may, I have a couple of buddies that struggle with a flying right elbow and it is often caused for them by feeling a need to, or have a belief that, a proper golf swing requires you to get the club parallel at the top of the swing.

Neither of them have the flexibility to get the club to parallel but they still try to anyway, and the result is that the right elbow flies out to accommodate the lack of flexibility, but this saps power badly.

One has begun to embrace the idea of a shorter swing (he is a former D1 fullback and thick, powerful guy), and now he is driving the ball every bit as far as I do, and he barely gets past 3/4 on his backswing.

A short efficient movement is always better than a long, inconsistent one.

Just another small line of thought to add to Freddie's instruction.


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Tadashi70 said:
Lower body and swing from the ground up are the same things, no?

I'd worry about making solid contact at this point and that back swing before adding another big movement. There is zero pressure to get your score lower. Solid contact will take care of that and getting the arms to work with the shoulders is a great first step.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Freddie. Yes, a lower body move and swing from the ground up are the same things. Ok, good call. Work on one thing at a time. Thx again CG
 
EaglevsFalcon said:
If I may, I have a couple of buddies that struggle with a flying right elbow and it is often caused for them by feeling a need to, or have a belief that, a proper golf swing requires you to get the club parallel at the top of the swing.

Neither of them have the flexibility to get the club to parallel but they still try to anyway, and the result is that the right elbow flies out to accommodate the lack of flexibility, but this saps power badly.

One has begun to embrace the idea of a shorter swing (he is a former D1 fullback and thick, powerful guy), and now he is driving the ball every bit as far as I do, and he barely gets past 3/4 on his backswing.

A short efficient movement is always better than a long, inconsistent one.

Just another small line of thought to add to Freddie's instruction.


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Click to expand...

Good stuff, EaglevsFalcon. I too don't have the flexibilty. The 3/4 swing makes sense. My best shot is the long iron punch shot when I am laying up. That's usually a 3/4 shot without thinking too much other than hitting the punch shot.
 
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