Tom wrote with what may be the most common problem facing golfers. Here's what he said: 'I honestly think that my problem is my inability to control the breaking of my left arm on the back swing. It doesn't matter what swing I use. They're all bad if I can't keep my left arm straighter. Any tips on curing that dreaded disease?' So I summed it up for him.
Tom,
Usually breaking the left arm is one of three problems or a combination of all of them.
No. 1, cocking the wrists and, No. 2, swinging to parallel in the backswing, are linked and must be discussed together. The key here is that if you set or cock your wrist in the backswing, this causes the clubhead to pass 3/4 length, reach and even pass parallel, and go below the hands at the top of the backswing. Once the clubhead passes 3/4 and continues toward parallel, the clubhead is now being pulled downward, getting quite heavy. At the same time, it is placing a lot of stress on the wrists and forearms, and like dominos lined up, when the first one falls, the next go down one by one. The next domino after the wrist and forearms to breakdown or bend is the left elbow. And, if the left elbow breaks enough, it can cause the spine to tilt forward into a reverse tilt, sending the entire body out of dynamic balance.
No. 3 plays a role with the two above. No. 3 is turning the shoulders 90 degrees or more, sometimes referred to as turning the back to the target. The big torso and shoulder turn cause the arms to go behind the toe line in the backswing. When this happens, based on our anatomical design, the arms will begin to over-rotate, causing the club to get laid off and feel heavy. About the same time as the arms and heavy club are getting behind the body, the muscles in the arms, neck, shoulders and back are reaching their maximum extension. The momentum and weight of the club head drooping below the hands and parallel at the top of the backswing, will begin to cause the left arm to “bend” or “break down” to relieve the buildup of stress and strain in the arms, neck, shoulders and back.
The answer to keeping the left arm relatively straight is the definition and primary swing principle of the PPGS: “LIMITED TURN…3/4 LENGTH VERTICAL BACKSWING.” The key and major element to swing 3/4 is that there is no wrist cock or set at the top of the backswing. You must hold the wrist firm. You even may feel like you lock them down, especially the right wrist, and you will have the 3/4 length backswing. Do these things and you should have no problem keeping your left arm relatively straight and strong.
The Surge!