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Wrist Cock - Worst Advice Ever!


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When I first started to rebuild my swing I think one of the thoughts that limited my progress was the idea of wrist cock as opposed to wrist hinge. I kept reading either in forums or golf articles the idea that the wrists only move up and down in a cocking motion and that hinging the wrists leads to flipping. I say this up and down cocking of the wirsts is unimportant in golf instruction or at least is over emphasized. I question whether it should be mentioned at all. I say that hinging the wrists is a good thing in the backswing. I say that by hinging the wrists properly the left wrists cocks without thought.

I think this idea of cocking the wrists kept me from getting my left wrist flat at the top and also got the clubhead above the address plane early. In fact, I think it kept me from staying on plane period. I think when you hinge your right wrist going back the left wrist has to hinge and cock as a result of how you grip the club. You should not think of your left wrist as cocking only.

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Nicklaus Progressive XC Irons: 3H,4H, 5-GW
Ray Cook SW & Gyro 1 Putter
Taylor Made Burner Driver 10.5
Taylor Made V-Steel 3 & 5 MetalsMy Home Course: Indian RiverMy Blog: Rant-o-Rama-Ding-Dong

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My wrists were too locked during my swing, which was leaving the face open at impact, which was making my ball go sky high, which was making me lose two clubs on just about every club (7 iron to a 9 iron, etc. etc.)...

Wrist cock, if done correctly is hugh...that right hand snap through impact (for righties) is probably your biggest source of power.

Driver Ping G10 10.5*
Hybrids Ping G5 (3) 19* Bridgestone J36 (4) 22*
Irons Mizuno MP-57 5-PW
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It also may be a problem with wrist cocking if you dont start with your hands ahead of your iron by a tad.

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Driver: R7 TP 460cc 10.5* Reax 65 stiff shaft
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IMO problems arise if people artifically try to manipulate the wrists or keep them to passiv.

When i started (after reading it in some magazine) i thought i had to cock them as fast as possible - basically when i reached 9oclock i tried to have the club horizontally - thats complete bs of course and thanks to input by magazines to beginners that dont have enough golf knowledge how to use this advice they use it wrongfully.

My pro never talked about the wrists at all during the beginning - just keeping it naturally as you would do throwing a ball with the right hand.

Of course there are occasions where you have to limit the cocking of the wrists or cock them faster - but thats a topic for special shots nobody really needs when he tries to achieve a stable swing first.

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My wrists were too locked during my swing, which was leaving the face open at impact, which was making my ball go sky high, which was making me lose two clubs on just about every club (7 iron to a 9 iron, etc. etc.)...

You are proving my point. You are talking about wrist hinge not wrist cock.

My Clubs
Nicklaus Progressive XC Irons: 3H,4H, 5-GW
Ray Cook SW & Gyro 1 Putter
Taylor Made Burner Driver 10.5
Taylor Made V-Steel 3 & 5 MetalsMy Home Course: Indian RiverMy Blog: Rant-o-Rama-Ding-Dong

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The correct way to "cock" your wrist is hinging! Your right hand should "cock" by bending towads the back of the hand, and "uncock" by bending towards the palm of the hand.

Moving your hand any other way is just plain dumb, because the only thing it accomplishes is to get your clubhead off of the swing path.

For those that thing the correct way to cock your wrists is to bend them up towards the thumb, answer this one simple question: what does moving your club at a 90 degree angle to your swing line actually accomplish?

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You are proving my point. You are talking about wrist hinge not wrist cock.

What the hell is the difference?

Driver Ping G10 10.5*
Hybrids Ping G5 (3) 19* Bridgestone J36 (4) 22*
Irons Mizuno MP-57 5-PW
Wedges Srixon WG-504 52.08 Bridgestone WC Copper 56.13
Putter 33" Scotty Cameron Studio Select #2

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The correct way to "cock" your wrist is hinging! Your right hand should "cock" by bending towads the back of the hand, and "uncock" by bending towards the palm of the hand.

What I have bolded in your post is how a lot of people define cocking the wrists. Bending your hand back towards the forearm, or as you describe "bending towards the back of the hand", is considered a hinge by many. This is why instructions are so confusing. I agree cocking causes problems but hinging as I describe it is proper.

My Clubs
Nicklaus Progressive XC Irons: 3H,4H, 5-GW
Ray Cook SW & Gyro 1 Putter
Taylor Made Burner Driver 10.5
Taylor Made V-Steel 3 & 5 MetalsMy Home Course: Indian RiverMy Blog: Rant-o-Rama-Ding-Dong

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I cannot figure out who’s talking about what in this thread. No one has said anything about rotating the clubface 90 degrees in the backswing, or having your left thumb supporting the club at the top.

Do some of you do it different than that?
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Wrist cock occurs naturally if you have a smooth transition at the top. Before your backswing stops, start turning your hips to initiate the downswing and proper wrist cock is automatically established.
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What the hell is the difference?

Wrist Cock: Extend your right arm straight out in front of you, point your thumb straight up, now bend your wrist straight back towards you.

Wrist Hinge: As before with arm straight out, thumb pointing straight up, bend your wrist back towards the top of your forearm. One of the earliest instructions I remember reading and was reinforced on forums and instruction articles and even someone from whom I took lessons is that the wrists should only cock in the swing. The thought was that to hinge the wrists leads to swatting. I spent some amount of time trying to follow this principle until I found that it, like many swing fundamentals, to be an incomplete and misleading instruction as to what the wrists do in the swing.

My Clubs
Nicklaus Progressive XC Irons: 3H,4H, 5-GW
Ray Cook SW & Gyro 1 Putter
Taylor Made Burner Driver 10.5
Taylor Made V-Steel 3 & 5 MetalsMy Home Course: Indian RiverMy Blog: Rant-o-Rama-Ding-Dong

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Wrist cock occurs naturally if you have a smooth transition at the top. Before your backswing stops, start turning your hips to initiate the downswing and proper wrist cock is automatically established.

That is how I think about it. As you rotate your forearms and get set at the top of the backswing the little cock happens as you describe. As for hinging, the wrists have to hinge as someone suggested to keep the club on plane, flatten the left wrist, and get the cup in your right wrist I think is needed for a conventional swing.

My Clubs
Nicklaus Progressive XC Irons: 3H,4H, 5-GW
Ray Cook SW & Gyro 1 Putter
Taylor Made Burner Driver 10.5
Taylor Made V-Steel 3 & 5 MetalsMy Home Course: Indian RiverMy Blog: Rant-o-Rama-Ding-Dong

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For me, the conscious effort to cock the wrist or maintain hinge or whatever you want to call it was disasterous. Nice loose grip, no tension in hands/wrist/arms, and constant acceleration through the ball gives the hinge you need.
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For me, the conscious effort to cock the wrist or maintain hinge or whatever you want to call it was disasterous. Nice loose grip, no tension in hands/wrist/arms, and constant acceleration through the ball gives the hinge you need.

I wish it worked that way for me but I just don't get enough wrist hinge or a nice flat left wrist no matter how relaxed and loose I get with the grip or tension free I get in the arms/hands/wrists. I find that for me that I need to actively set my wrists to achieve a good position at the top and then let go of all tension from that point as I swing foward. This is the only way I seem to stay on plane in the swing.

My Clubs
Nicklaus Progressive XC Irons: 3H,4H, 5-GW
Ray Cook SW & Gyro 1 Putter
Taylor Made Burner Driver 10.5
Taylor Made V-Steel 3 & 5 MetalsMy Home Course: Indian RiverMy Blog: Rant-o-Rama-Ding-Dong

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You all are too technical for me. Grip the club. Rotate around your spine and give it a rip with lots of lag. Thinking too much or getting around "cock" or "hinge" cannot lead to anything good.


 

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  • 3 years later...

The proper wrist cocks and hinges will automatically (naturally) occur if the stance and grip are correct and a low and slow wide backswing is taken.  Incorrect wrist positions at the top are the effect of a poor grip, stance or takeback, i.e., are the consequences of a poor swing, not the cause.  Get it right in the beginning, and the chain reaction that is then set in motion leads to good swing mechanics later on, including good wrist cocks and hinges.  If your wrist cocks and hinges at the top of the swing are incorrect, change your grip, or your stance and takeback, and the proper hinges and cocks will narurally appear.

In my opinion, that is.

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Take the idea of wrist cock or hinging out of the equation in terms of thinking about it.

As Tom Tomasello, one of the first instructors of TGM said, and I paraphrase, "you don't cock your wrists, you bend the right elbow."

Do that, and you'll be fine.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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Originally Posted by Joe Mama

The proper wrist cocks and hinges will automatically (naturally) occur if the stance and grip are correct and a low and slow wide backswing is taken.

First off, welcome to the site.  But be carful of that kind of advice, the club swings on an incline plane, imagine a giant hula hoop and you're right in the middle.  Club moves in 3 dimensions: back, in and up




Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Take the idea of wrist cock or hinging out of the equation in terms of thinking about it.

As Tom Tomasello, one of the first instructors of TGM said, and I paraphrase, "you don't cock your wrists, you bend the right elbow."

Do that, and you'll be fine.



Mike McLoughlin

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Note: This thread is 3660 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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