I've been working on proper position of the arms at the top of the swing...And found something funny in my swing at the range

[tiger1242]

So when I get my hands up in the proper position at the top, with a 90 degree right elbow and a straight left arm, with my hands up where they should be (confirmed with videos) I have very inconsistent striking and I slice the ball.

Now, when I drop my hands lower, where my right elbow is almost touching my ribs at the top of my backswing, I hit the ball great, perfect ball flight and solid contact 80% of the time.

Obviously I know this isn't the best way to hit a golf ball but I sure am going to hit it this way when I'm on the course until I can figure out how to hit it correct with proper form at the range. Anybody know why my swing is like that?

here is a picture  to help you visualize what I mean.

Instead of my hands being here

they are much lower, imagine if his right elbow was only 4-5 inches away from his body.

[Ernest Jones]

You mean like this?

[tiger1242]

Yes like the Kuch! I new there was a pro that swung like that and I couldn't think of who it was.

[iacas]

There's no one "correct" position at the top of the backswing.

Glad you've found a solution. The trick will be making it more than a quick fix.

[tiger1242]

I guess everything I've ever seen or heard talks about higher hands. But yea if this works for me I'm going to keep doing it. I'm a tall guy like Kuch (though not quite as tall) so maybe this is my solution!!! Pro tour here I come.... :-)

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by tiger1242

I guess everything I've ever seen or heard talks about higher hands. But yea if this works for me I'm going to keep doing it. I'm a tall guy like Kuch (though not quite as tall) so maybe this is my solution!!!

Pro tour here I come....

You may have come upon the beginning of true golf wisdom, grasshopper. Finding what works FOR YOU AND YOU ALONE is the real secret. Good luck moving forward.

[logman]

That right elbow position(4 or 5 inches lower) is almost identical to the swing position I'm trying to learn. In the swing I'm learning Jack Kuykendall says "swing the rear hand as close to the rear shoulder as your anatomy allows". so the rear elbow almost sits against your waist on your hipbone. The only problem I can see that you might have is getting that rear arm position together with your desired straight front arm. Then again you could abandon the straight front arm

[uscfan]

jack hamm says to not let your right arm fold more than 90 degrees and you should be fine, and the secret is in the hips to slide not rotate. i beleive theres a post about it somewhere its quite good.

if you look closely at corey pavin at the top of his swing his trailing arm is almost straight and thats the secret as to why  he creates so much lag and club head speed.

[saevel25]

Yep, as long as you can get into impact with the right conditions, doesn't matter what your backswing looks like. Though its probably easier to get to the correct position one way versus the other in teaching a golf swing, but sometimes its just better to let people swing back how they like and focus on the downswing.

[Tax Man Golfeth]

i'm experimenting with something similar on my drives.  I've heard you're supposed to try to keep your elbows close together throughout the swing - there are gadgets that promote this, there's tips about putting golf tees under you armpits, etc.  IACAS has several posts about keeping your right/back elbow close to/forward of the side seam in your shirt.  All of these things point to a "lower" right elbow at the top of the backswing.  When I use this as my swing thought drives and long irons seem to go farther, truer.  Less slicing on the driver.

[tiger1242]

Quote:

The only problem I can see that you might have is getting that rear arm position together with your desired straight front arm. Then again you could abandon the straight front arm

My front arm used to bend quite a bit until I took a few tips from people on here. It's what got me all concerned with my hands/arm position at the top of my backswing. I think I like the straight front arm, it makes me more consistent for sure

Quote:

jand the secret is in the hips to slide not rotate. i beleive theres a post about it somewhere its quite good.

Yes this is probably my biggest swing key right now. If I notice I'm hitting the ball poorly often it's because I'm rotating my hips around instead of sliding them forward. When I slide them forward I hit the ball, much, much cleaner and more accurate

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by tiger1242

Anybody know why my swing is like that?

here is a picture  to help you visualize what I mean.

Instead of my hands being here

they are much lower, imagine if his right elbow was only 4-5 inches away from his body.

Some people call that "model".  Like Erik said, no "correct" way, gotta find out what works for you.  I did a thread on the right elbow space at the top of the backswing about a year ago

http://thesandtrap.com/t/54572/right-elbow-spacing-at-a4

And a drill, in case you haven't seen it, that can help you get the elbow position and left arm you're looking for

http://thesandtrap.com/t/62804/steady-head-drill-and-how-painting-mental-pictures-can-help-your-swing

A friend of ours, Dana Dahlquist, likes to see a similar position, couple pics of students of his below

[tiger1242]

The guy to the left in that first picture is pretty much exactly what my hands look like

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by tiger1242

The guy to the left in that first picture is pretty much exactly what my hands look like

Then I'm very jealous of you lol