Tees under arms

[birlyshirly]

Please tell me about this drill - and what it achieves.

What does it do for ballflight?

Is it easily overdone/taken too far?

Are there people who should NOT do the drill?

Thanks for any thoughts.

[hanalei]

Supposed to force u to keep your elbows in, same as the glove under the left arm trick... Funny enough I've seen even tiger doing this with the glove at the range... Never did nothing for me... If the glove/tee falls your elbow is opening, prolly opening the face... Etc..

[mchepp]

I have seen it used for fixing clubswing path. For example, if you have someone who is hitting overdraws (a classic miss for the better player) their arms can become disconnected as they are trying to swing out to the right. By putting the tees under the arms you can keep the arms synced to the body and not let them send the club out to the right.

There are many other reason to do it as well. Sync up the body and the arms. Keep the elbows closer together.

Here is a video explanation:

[burner]

Originally Posted by birlyshirly

Please tell me about this drill - and what it achieves.

What does it do for ballflight?

Is it easily overdone/taken too far?

Are there people who should NOT do the drill?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Its particularly helpful to those who's first move is to swing out rather than down. Hard to swing out if you have stuff up your armpits that you are trying to keep there!

[Tom Shanks]

This drill has worked wonders for me.  I had problems with coming slightly over the top so putting a tee in my back armpit has completely gotten rid of my fade.  I think people who don't like this drill are overdoing it.  You can have a tee under your armpit and not have your elbow glued to your side.  Doesn't work well with a driver swing, but for irons I think it's great.

[iammika53]

saw rickie fowler doin this at pga world challenge during play with his shirt

[Beachcomber]

I do this drill - but with two gloves.  It helps with maintaining pressure point #4 (left armpit) and pressure point #5 (right armpit).

Pressure Point #4 (PP4) is referenced in The Golfing Machine (TGM) - which is your left arm loading across your chest on the backswing...

Pressure Point #5 (PP5) is referenced by MORAD instructors - basically Mac O'Grady theory which took TGM concepts to another planet...

The benefits of maintaining PP4 and PP5 for me is ensuring my elbow spacing is tight - and helps me get the club/shaft loaded properly as I go from A4 (top of the backswing) into downsing - A5/A6/A7 (impact).

From my perspective... Having a solid PP4 helps you get your hands up, back, and in on the backswing...  And then maintaining it on the downswing ensures you are down, forward and out.  The glove should drop after you are midway through follow through.

Then the PP5... Helps with my right elbow placement and gets my right forearm takeaway on plane - and ensures the clubs sweet spot path is online in the downswing.

If any of you watch the Purestrike Five Simple Keys (5SK) videos... Basically this would be a drill which would help you with Key #4 which is sweet spot path.

In summary... It's a great drill and more golfers should use it.

EDIT: I'll add... For me, when I get quick with my tempo - or over swing - my right arm/elbow travels too far in the back swing - pulling away from my torso where I lose pressure under my right armpit... With my natural bowed wrist at the top (club face is closed) - I tend to over draw or hook the ball - especially with my longer clubs.  So this drill, maintaining pressure under my armpits leads me to have tighter elbow spacing - which helps ensure that I don't over swing.  This actually promoted more of a fade in my swing.  And when I do this on the course - it basically eliminates any worry of a snap hook or over draw.

[Stretch]

This is a staple for me. Whenever I start feeling too "armsy", I'll go back to hitting balls with either tees or (as BC says) gloves in my pits to try and get everything synced back up with the body rotation. Do it out on the course too, sometimes. Just grab a fold of polo shirt a few inches below the armpit, tuck it in there and keep it there through the swing.

[mvmac]

Good drill, put the tees in the arm pits, not any lower.  Helps the arms work with the pivot, rather than the arms working up and off the torso.  The idea of the drill is to get the top of the back swing to look similar to these guys, left arm matching or just below the shoulder slant, right elbow in front of the short seam, 4-5 inches of space between the right elbow and rib cage.  Why?  Simple answer is that is makes the downswing pieces easier, reduces compensations.

[dennyjones]

Looks like a great idea. I'm going to give it a try.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Good drill, put the tees in the arm pits, not any lower.  Helps the arms work with the pivot, rather than the arms working up and off the torso.  The idea of the drill is to get the top of the back swing to look similar to these guys, left arm matching or just below the shoulder slant, right elbow in front of the short seam, 4-5 inches of space between the right elbow and rib cage.  Why?  Simple answer is that is makes the downswing pieces easier, reduces compensations.

Great explanation Mike.  This has been one of the best drills my instructor has had me do over the summer, in particular, the connection of the left bicep to the left pec.  Or "staying connected" says Mr. Jimmy Ballard. That, along with keeping my right elbow close to the body on the downswing has all together improved my driver and for the most part, has taken the right side out of my driver shots.  My slice is all but gone!  (It gets lonely and shows up once in a while, but otherwise, it seems happier wherever it went to. )

[JetFan1983]

Originally Posted by birlyshirly

Are there people who should NOT do the drill?

I would think that this person should not be doing this drill:

Sorry, Zeph, for using an image from an ancient swing you made....

Arms too far behind the body. Need to swing them down faster. Lead arm not separating from the chest enough.

Would I be correct in saying this guy does not need the "tee under the arm pits drill?"

... and of course, after typing this, I realize that the "tee under the armpit drill" is not a priority for a lot of golfers -- it's mostly for hookers, pushers... people who lose that connection into the follow through and swing too vertically to the finish... people with high exit points, etc.

[JetFan1983]

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

... and of course, after typing this, I realize that the "tee under the armpit drill" is not a priority for a lot of golfers -- it's mostly for hookers, pushers... people who lose that connection into the follow through and swing too vertically to the finish... people with high exit points, etc.

Actually, upon further thought, I think I'm wrong here. It certainly is for the above group, but I don't think that's it. Maybe someone with a flying trail elbow on the backswing who wants to fix that should use it probably.

[dozu]

it's all about the connection between the body and the arms.

[killo]

I was having a problem hooking everything from the tee box. It didn't matter what club it was. Driver, 3 wood, 2 hybrid, 3 or 4 iron. They all went left. I then saw Ricky Fowler tucking his shirt under his pits during a tournament and also saw a tip on youtube about sticking a tee there. I tried it my next practice session and the ball immediately straightened out. I hit the most fairways than I have hit in a while my next round.

[jefkve]

I was (am?)  having a problem coming accross the line that is at least partially atributable to my right arm getting too far away from my body. I'm using this drill to learn to keep my right arm in more.....which seems to be curing my accross the line problem.....on to the NEXT problem....