Yes it does, and this post will explain why..
I’ve recently made some new videos for the front of my site, so before I attract the wrong kind of comments about a bowed left wrist I thought I’d nip this one in the bud!
Here’s our problem as golf teachers. Most golfers simply don’t understand the role of the hands in the swing and more importantly where they should be at impact.
Most golfers left wrists are actually bent at impact because of the ‘club-head throwaway’ caused by the right hand and wrist coming down.
Let me clear – you cannot have enough of a good thing. And ‘LAG’ is a very good thing.
Most golfers throw this LAG away in the downswing for numerous reasons.
1. Most of us are extremely right sided, and naturally feel a throwing action with the right hand and wrist. This releases the bent right hand condition needed at impact.
2. The body isn’t pulling the handle and therefore the hands enough coming down. Resulting again in ‘club-head throwaway’.
3. There’s not enough weight on the forward foot coming down. So the resulting action again is a scooping action with the right hand to to stop the club head slamming into the ground behind the ball.
and the list goes on, but these are some of the most popular.
What we are after, is actually a FLAT LEFT WRIST at impact. This is absolutely essential as it controls the clubface and is without question the most important alignment in the golf swing.
So, because of our tendency to throw the club head away coming down. Our left wrist tends to be bent at impact. Which obviously leads to the shaft not leaning forward and a low point that occurs behind the ball and not past it.
As Insurance, the best way to practice and build the correct habits into your movement. Is to think about the left wrist ‘bowing’ through impact.
This keeps the right wrist bent, and produces a shaft angle that leans forward at impact.
Don’t forget there’s a huge difference between what you feel and what is real in the golf swing. Focus on a ‘Bowing’ the left wrist through impact and when you video yourself using the V1 app, you’ll probably be looking at a perfectly FLAT LEFT WRIST at impact.
As an additional thought, remember your hands must get back under your left shoulder at impact. From your perspective, they should be over your left foot. And try and maintain your FLAT LEFT WRIST from impact to your follow-through position just after impact. This is when your club shaft is about 45 degrees to the ground and your arms are straight. So you see, trying to BOW your left hand will help produce this position.
Drill:
A simple drill would be to stand with your right arm behind your back to isolate your left arm/wrist/hand (no club needed). Start swinging your left arm slowly and when your hand comes down and covers your left foot, make sure you’re feeling as though the back of your hand is arched down towards the ground.
Great post and explanation James…in fact the only article I have been able to find on the Web that actually confirms what I was guessing about flat and bowed. One question…does the grip have to change to allow for this bowing? My grip is currently between neutral and strong. Wondered if ball shape patterns would be affected and if a grip change would be needed?
Thanks for the comment Chris.
I’ve experimented with both a neutral and strong grip and I’ve found a stronger grip definately works better, and also don’t forget a long left thumb for the extra wrist cock. That in itself is a common problem among most amateurs.
Obviously a stronger left hand grip (left hand controls the club face) will tend to close the face more through impact. So make sure your body (pivot) is always working hard to clear. If your body isn’t leading the move your clubhead will out race your hands before impact and it’s impossible to produce a flat left wrist.
But also don’t forget there’s a sequence of movement patters coming down that have to be followed to produce the correct impact position. This is essentially what ‘timing’ is. It starts from the ground and works all the way up the body and eventually into the clubhead during the downswing.
Hope that helps.