Flat wrist at top

[Hit down]

Addressing the flat swing question.. It's hard to say exactly what's wrong without seeing the swing. But with you saying that you're frequently hitting it thin and occasionally even topping the ball, it seems to me that you're obviously not descending enough into impact. In my opinion, you can be very good with a flat swing but most of the better players take a divot. Next time at the range focus on hitting down on the ball (ball first) and trapping it against the ground at impact and taking a divot. This will not only give you a 'crisper' contact, but it will most likely increase distance and consistency. ...it may be tough if you only hit off of mats at the range... So as simple as it sounds, hit down

[RC]

I've always thought of the normal wrist action of the left hand as the way it would work if you had a hammer in your left hand and you are driving a nail. Notice the wrist is not bowed or perfectly flat on the up swing... it is very balanced as to angles formed by each side of the forearm. I think of this position as the neutral wrist cock. Then on the downward blow, the wrist extends down and the fully extended position is essentially a flat wrist with the outside or back of the forearm. That would be the way many ordinary swings should function as well. There are exceptions where you hold off and bow the wrist at impact to keep the ball down, and where you cup more at the top when trying to hit a fade. Not everyone can control these two deviations of a normal left wrist action and not everyone with a good swing uses a balanced left wrist cock. There are cupper and bowed wrist positions in swings that hit both draws and fades... it depends on the player and their swing plane, and how their lower body shifts and turns. There is not a one sized fits all solution. Hogan was special... and he used what I call the neutral wrist motion in his left hand. There are some pictures of him with a flatter wrist at the top, but I think it likely these were dependent on the type of shot he was going to hit. Just my opinion, and if wrong, it would not be the first time. A lot of cuppers have real difficulty getting back to square and fade or slice, but not all of them.

P.S. To hit a fade, I open up my stance, cup the wrist at the top, and try to push the ball right -- sometimes that works, sometimes it does not.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Im a little bowed at the top, its something that has stuck with me since ive been playing the game. The issue with it is that the bow causes me to lay off the club at the top. Its not a bad move for irons, so so for everything else. I would say if its not comfortable, then dont do it. Your backswing doesnt hit the ball, anyway.

[kilbyman]

I find that if I have a cupped wrist on top I hit pushes. Driver and 3-wood need to be flat wrist at top or I will send them to right field (I'm a rightie). It was a bad habit from trying to use the same takeaway as irons for woods, but using the same swing plane as well... disaster. I find the easiest way to flatten the left wrist is to keep your right elbow attached to your side during the backswing. That should force the flat wrist, and keep the clubface open at the top... I've found this is a great position to be in to start the downswing, as I don't have to actively do anything with the wrists during the downswing. If you push slice or pull hook, check your wrist on top.

Which leads me to a question I have... can I use the flat wrist as an indicator of a good swing plane?

[soloredd]

I find that if I have a cupped wrist on top I hit pushes. Driver and 3-wood need to be flat wrist at top or I will send them to right field (I'm a rightie). It was a bad habit from trying to use the same takeaway as irons for woods, but using the same swing plane as well... disaster. I find the easiest way to flatten the left wrist is to keep your right elbow attached to your side during the backswing. That should force the flat wrist, and keep the clubface open at the top... I've found this is a great position to be in to start the downswing, as I don't have to actively do anything with the wrists during the downswing. If you push slice or pull hook, check your wrist on top.

I started using this EXACT same method over the winter and so far, it has been pretty good in terms of results. This also helps me with overswing, one of my biggest enemies in '09. So, now I use a swing where my right elbow is on my right side through the backswing with an extended left arm. Like kilbyman mentioned, this automatically gives me the flatter left wrist and square clubface.