Follow-through: how big an issue is this?

[madcityscott]

I've known that I tend to finish my follow-through with my club pointing more down than horizontal. But today I noticed that my hands end up behind my head, whereas it appears good players have their hands out more to the side:



By comparison, here's Bernard Langer's follow-through:



What could cause this, and how do I go about correcting it? (Is this a chicken wing?)

[senorchipotle]

follow through schmollow through. it doesn't matter what you do with the golf club after you hit a shot. hell, you can toss it over your head if you want. sometimes the follow through can show you what you're doing, i.e. hooking or slicing, etc. so in one sense it's a progression of your swing. but your finish depends on lots of variables, so don't worry about it. just worry about hitting the ball straight, and the club will end up where it's supposed to.

[Shanks A Million]

Actually, follow through is one of the most important parts of the swing. The problem is, most people don't know what the follow through is. You've pointed out your finish position, not your follow through position.

This is follow through:



This is finish:



The finish is pretty unimportant, only to say that a high finish generally means a high shot, and vice versa.

[MikeLowry5]

I would have to say that your finish and follow thru are a good indicator of the path the club took. Someone with a higher finish, i.e. Colin Montomerie probably has a steeper, more down the line approach than someone with a shoulder high finish like Lucas Glover who has a shallower, arc like swing.

With that being said, I have a low finish and my wrists roll right after contact. I do not have that "Power V" if you will like is shown in LongBaller's picture of the woman. Subsequently, my bad shot is a duck hook.

What can I do to work on getting that extension or Power V if you will?

[allin]

I would add that as a short hitter one of the main reasons is that I tend to hit everything with kind of a punch motion, my right elbow does not straighton until well after the ball is long gone. For my handicap I do hit the ball exceptionally straight and my short irons and wedges are the best part of my game, but the lost distance especially with the driver is an issue, especially as in my middle fifties I can no longer use brute strength to add length when needed. Main physical goal this year is to improve this mechanical flaw.

[Shanks A Million]

I would add that as a short hitter one of the main reasons is that I tend to hit everything with kind of a punch motion, my right elbow does not straighton until well after the ball is long gone. For my handicap I do hit the ball exceptionally straight and my short irons and wedges are the best part of my game, but the lost distance especially with the driver is an issue, especially as in my middle fifties I can no longer use brute strength to add length when needed. Main physical goal this year is to improve this mechanical flaw.

Stand with your feet pointing away from eachother. This forces you to break your wrists correctly, and solves that problem.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I dont think whatever finish position you end up in means much. Its more a determiner of swing style rather than how you hit the ball.

[MiniMoe]

The golf swing happens from waist high before impact to waist high after impact. The most important, IMHO is waist high after impact. If you are in a good position there, the odds are you have hit a decent shot. It does not really matter how you get to the good position, because there are a lot of ways from point a (address position) to point b(waist high after impact).

[danieldrieberg]

check out Tommy (two gloves) Gainey or Jim Thorpe's finish--They helicopter over their head. No one perfect swing. Some basic concepts but if the ball gets out here that's good.


-Do as you please

[madcityscott]

As a follow-up, I've been working on keeping my elbows pointed down throughout the swing (which I believe Hogan advocated) and that seems to have taken care of the club pointing down in my finish.