Swinging the Arms

By Stan Moore

In reading this article, I am referring to a right handed player. If you are left handed, it will be the reverse.

As the arms swing back, the left arm leads. It is the straighter of the two levers and it is the moving and supporting force of the swing. The trailing arm, the right arm (for right handed players ) supports the left. At impact it will do more than support, but even then the left arm must place the right arm in a position to deliver the clubhead to the ball. The faster the right arm passes through the ball, the faster the left arm must move to support the right.

Early in the backswing the forearms slightly rotate. How much rotation is correct? Think of turning to shake hands with someone standing directly to your right. That is about how much rotation your forearms make by the time the shaft is parallel to the ground halfway though the backswing.

From that point , the job of the arms is to lift the club in to an on line position at the top of the swing. There is actually less work to do than most golfers think. There is no twisting or turning of the arms. They swing the club back, they lift it up, they set it over the shoulder.

Many golfers hurry on the backswing because they think that will make it easier for them to get the club on the proper path and to keep it there. Actually, that speed makes it more difficult to keep things in sync. Other golfers want to stop at the top to place the club in the proper position. That is disastrous, also.

Try this. Flip a coin in the air. Watch it slow down as it reaches its apex. Not only does the coin travel more slowly, but it also makes fewer and fewer revolutions as it reaches the top of the toss. When your arms approach the top of the swing, they slow down like that coin. But they don’t stop. On the way down, they gather momentum, just as the coin does, and reach maximum speed just prior to impact. Slowing down at the top allows the different parts of your body to remain in sequence as they stop moving back and begin moving down. Stopping undermines the sequence by forcing all parts of the body to move down together. Your arms, legs, and torso are all on slightly different schedules.

It is at the top of the backswing that the rhythm of your swing is most evident. Each swing is a kind of pulse. The pulse is the beat of the swing. It reveals itself most clearly at the end of the backswing and the beginning of the downswing. Watch the pros on the practice range. They each keep to their own individual beats, never hurrying, never varying.

An overly fast arm swing is like a drummer getting ahead of the band. It spoils the rhythm. Take an iron club  and swing with your left arm only. Swing it back and forth, faster and faster, until it’s going so fast the club and the hands pass the arm and the swing breaks down. Your optimum arm swing speed is the one just before the arm breaks down.

In the next news letter I will continue to discuss the arms swing in more detail. If you have questions regarding this article or swinging the arms, please contact me.

In the meantime, swing the arms and don’t get them so tight.

Excerpts from How to Feel a Real Golf Swing by Bob Toski & Davis Love Jr.

Your Partner in Golf Success!

Stan Moore,PGA

Teaching Professional @ Don Law Golf Academy