Can Shoulder/Arm Tension Cause Tops and Shanks?

[RussUK]

Up until this weekend i have been hitting my irons really well till someone stated i start the swing moving the clubhead first before the hands, arms etc. and according to them i should be moving the club with my shoulders as a "unit"

I, being the moron i am, decided to try this and i have hit pretty much all the bad shots you can think of. I noticed that if i start the swing with the shoulders turning down my arms go stiff and at when coming into impact my body raises up, however when i swing like I normally do which feels free flowing i seem to stay in posture.

So, my question is, can tension in the arms/shoulders/hands potentially cause topped/thinned shots and the dreaded hosel rockets?.

 

[boogielicious]

4 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Up until this weekend i have been hitting my irons really well till someone stated i start the swing moving the clubhead first before the hands, arms etc. and according to them i should be moving the club with my shoulders as a "unit"

I, being the moron i am, decided to try this and i have hit pretty much all the bad shots you can think of. I noticed that if i start the swing with the shoulders turning down my arms go stiff and at when coming into impact my body raises up, however when i swing like I normally do which feels free flowing i seem to stay in posture.

So, my question is, can tension in the arms/shoulders/hands potentially cause topped/thinned shots and the dreaded hosel rockets?.

 

Without seeing your swing, it would be hard to guess. But if your brain thinks you are going to miss, your body adjust/compensates and that can lead to bad things happening. It would be odd if you started the downswing with casting the club head, but again, without seeing it, we can't tell.

I like to feel that my hips, torso and shoulders all move together at the start of the downswing with the arms dropping in unison. I really want to keep the hands out of the transition except for a little palmar flexion (motorcycle throttling feel).

[Patch]

I have always thought that any type of muscle/joint tension, soreness, and/or fatigue can cause sloppy shots. These issues can take one's body out of it's natural rythem. 

When the body is injured, stiff, sore, or other wise not ready to do something, various body parts protect us from further damage. 

As for starting the back swing, I am a firm believer in the one piece take away. On the down swing I start that with my hips, just barely. 

[Club Rat]

11 hours ago, RussUK said:

someone stated i start the swing moving the clubhead first before the hands, arms etc. and according to them i should be moving the club with my shoulders as a "unit"

I disagree with this advice, the entire left side starts the downswing. 
My instructor taught me to pull down on the grip using my body in sequence together. 

Using the bodies large muscle groups (shoulders, abs, hips and quads) create the powerful motion of the swing.
Many players I think commonly use a trigger point to start their downswing at the set point of the takeaway.

Hands, wrists and arms guide the club position through the swing arc.
 

[billchao]

13 hours ago, RussUK said:

Up until this weekend i have been hitting my irons really well till someone stated i start the swing moving the clubhead first before the hands, arms etc. and according to them i should be moving the club with my shoulders as a "unit"

You also have a tendency to look up before you hit the ball 😜

You weren't, by any chance, playing that person for money, were you?

[RussUK]

7 hours ago, billchao said:

You also have a tendency to look up before you hit the ball 😜

You weren't, by any chance, playing that person for money, were you?

Thankfully not, otherwise i'd be broke .

Had someone watch me take a few swings and on each one i thinned, shanked, pulled, swore at, sobbed uncontrolably at, it seems i was coming out of posture and swinging very flat. Using a mirror helped with that.

And man was i tense, trying to keep everything as a unit just made my upper body rigid.

 The ones i was hitting well i was indeed using my left side with the shoulder as a trigger but rotating it down at the start and the whole thing felt nice and loose.

I'm my own worst enemy at times. When i'm hitting well all it takes is for someone to say "maybe this is how you should do it" and i'm like "hmm i wonder......"