Early Wrist set drill

[Dmalashe]

So I've been having a lot of issues with my back swing lately. I feel like I take the club way too far back, and get completely off plane, get disconnected, among other big issues. I was told to try the early wrist set drill, which I've been practicing and I'm going to try it out at the range tomorrow.

Generally speaking, is the early wrist hinge the proper way to start your back swing? I was always under the impression that you take the club back to waste high (one piece takeaway) and then hinge the wrists. My problem with doing this is (as I mentioned above) I take the club way too far when I do that, and hit horrible shots.

Any advise on the early wrist hinge drill? And if I do master this early wrist hinge, how do I approach this move on the course? Just start my back swing with that early wrist set, and continue my back swing from there?

Any information would be great. Thanks

[Arbyman]

Try reading the 4 magic moves of Golf by Joe Dante.  The early wrist set is his basic fundamental of the golf swing.

[Chas]

Ian Poulter is a big proponent of the early wrist hinge drill, i.e. fully cocking your wrist BEFORE you start the backswing.  On TGC recently he demonstrated it to that cute gal whose name I forget (how could I?) and he hit very well with it.  He claimed that he hits better with the early hinge than playing with a conventional hinge, so the cute gal then asked him why he didn't play using it in tournaments.  He replied that it's just too unconventional, or words to that effect.  She then said, what if I told you that you'd win the next major if you used the early hinge?, to which he replied, "you got a crystal ball then ?".

I've tried it an it's helpful, it allows me to focus on other aspects of the takeaway such as staying on plane.  But no, normally the shaft is about parallel to the ground before you start hinging the wrist.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by Arbyman

The early wrist set is his basic fundamental of the golf swing.

Is it? Just playing devil's advocate

'

Having said that I do like these kind of drills

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by Dmalashe

Generally speaking, is the early wrist hinge the proper way to start your back swing? I was always under the impression that you take the club back to waste high (one piece takeaway) and then hinge the wrists. My problem with doing this is (as I mentioned above) I take the club way too far when I do that, and hit horrible shots.

Nope, its not a requirement. Some players hinge early, some hinge late. Players who play under Butch Harmon will hinge later, because Butch likes to create width in the swing. I believe Ernie Els hinges earlier. I also think Ricky Fowler hinges earlier as well.

Also, be wary of hinging versus rolling the wrists over. I would work on first, getting your hands deep in the backswing (staying connected), then work on your hands to get the feeling you want to keep the club from getting behind the hands. Best way is to work on video, or with a mirror. Its easier to develop wrist and hand movement in the swing than staying connected. Finer muscles of the wrist and hands are easier to feel and change in my opinion.

[Dmalashe]

mvmac,

The top video you posted (Mickelson) is kind of what my swing resembles. I take the club back extremely far where it's over parallel. Obviously, I don't hit the ball like Mickelson. A lot of the time as I mentioned in my original post, I'll take it way to far back than even in that video, and get completely disconnected. That's why I'm considering the early wrist break, but only if it's a correct move. I"m not trying to pick up any bad habits this early in my golf game. I'm fairly new to the game.