Tips for Keeping Left Wrist Flat

[Foot Wedge]

I (a righty) had a tendency to let my left wrist collapse at the top of by backswing, dropping the clubhead towards the ground and causing inconsistencies in my ball striking.  I’ve worked on keeping that left wrist flat and it has improved my consistency, especially for my driver with which I was fighting a slice.  I’m zeroing in on regularly hitting what I guess would be a power fade off the tee.  Irons have been flying straight.  However, all this requires a conscious effort and focus on feeling my left wrist stay flat.  I think I let the weight of the club bring my wrist down at the top of my backswing if I don't focus on it.  The last couple times I’ve played alone I stopped my backswing and started again if I felt my wrist collapse or realized it a bit too late and hit a second shot with more focus on my wrist.  What I’d like to know is if there are any tips or drills for ingraining that flat left wrist.  It’d be nice to make it a natural part of my swing and not something I have to focus on.  Thanks in advance.

[Ernest Jones]

Hard to say without video of your swing. Having the club shaft flatten out on the downswing is a good thing. 

[Club Rat]

31 minutes ago, caddystacks said:

if there are any tips or drills for ingraining that flat left wrist.

Find yourself either a flat "popsicle stick or tongue presser"
Place it inside the back of your golf glove.
Only make slow motion practice swings to feel the object rest against the back of your wrist and lower arm.
A golf pencil will also work, but use it with caution.

Another good drill is using a tennis racket using only your left hand/arm.
Leave the racket cover on to create resistance while making a backhand sweeping motion swing with the racket.
 

[Jameson]

It is exactly what i am trying to fix.  am improving but I have to be thinking of in order to avoid it. It´s a must, specially with the driver.

[Hacker James]

A little tip that has helped me achieve and maintain a flat left wrist is to pretend you are throwing a frisbee with the left hand directly at the ball. It also helps acceleration through the ball.

[DaveP043]

You probably don't really know WHY your left wrist collapses at the top of the backswing, but that's what you should really be trying to correct.  The "collapsing wrist" is probably a symptom of something else, rather than a specific cause.  I suggest seeing an instructor, someone who can help you determine the root cause of the collapse, and then work on the best way to correct that issue.  Another good path to getting good instruction is to post videos of your swing in the Member Swing forum on this website.  Be sure to open the Hidden Contents to understand how that forum works, and how to get good useful videos.

For what its worth, keeping your right elbow close to your body can help in maintaining proper control of the club at the top of the backswing.  Setting your grip toward your fingers, instead of up your palm, can help you get to a good position in your backswing without losing control.  There are a number of other potential cures, but none of us can help you figure out what's best without seeing your swing.  

[Foot Wedge]

Thanks for the advice y'all.  I'll give the popsicle a try.

33 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

You probably don't really know WHY your left wrist collapses at the top of the backswing, but that's what you should really be trying to correct.

 

Maybe I should have mentioned that I had a tendency to over rotate on my backswing.  Could this have been pulling my wrist down?  I would regularly see the clubhead in my left eye peripheral.  I was advised to imagine doing 3/4 swings and that helped me get to rotating the right amount.  I notice the club head doesn't creep into my vision anymore, even when I do feel my wrist collapse.  Unfortunately I don't have any videos of my swing.

[iacas]

I know that it's a little annoying to set up a video camera, get the angles right, and then post the video to YouTube, but in this day and age, and given all we know about how feel ain't real, and all that… and the fact that you have so many people here at TST willing to help you… I don't really understand talking about things that may not even be truly happening instead of posting a video to a Member Swing thread.

So I urge you to do that, @caddystacks.

 

[Ernest Jones]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

I know that it's a little annoying to set up a video camera, get the angles right, and then post the video to YouTube, but in this day and age, and given all we know about how feel ain't real, and all that… and the fact that you have so many people here at TST willing to help you… I don't really understand talking about things that may not even be truly happening instead of posting a video to a Member Swing thread.

So I urge you to do that, @caddystacks.

 

This!

[drmevo]

Definitely record a video as others have suggested, but one thing that really helped me get the feel was to hit shots with just my left hand holding the club.  You won't hit the ball with a lot of power obviously but it helped me focus on getting my hands ahead of the ball at impact and not letting my wrist break down.

I don't think this drill could hurt, but whether or not it helps you much with this specific issue depends, of course.

[natureboy]

4 hours ago, caddystacks said:

I (a righty) had a tendency to let my left wrist collapse at the top of by backswing, dropping the clubhead towards the ground

Collapsing as in 'bowing' or looking like DJ at the top?

3 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

For what its worth, keeping your right elbow close to your body can help in maintaining proper control of the club at the top of the backswing.

Do you mean close like upper arm is 'connected' on the backswing / at the top or do you mean close as not 'behind' the shoulder and more under the hands on a vertical line / not 'flying'?

[DaveP043]

7 minutes ago, natureboy said:

Do you mean close like upper arm is 'connected' on the backswing / at the top or do you mean close as not 'behind' the shoulder and more under the hands on a vertical line / not 'flying'?

I meant under the club, but what I was really getting at was at I know of least two different problems that could cause the symptom he was talking about.  I'm certain there are many more root causes for the same symptom, that's why I suggested that he find someone who can help him figure out what HIS root cause is.  Its completely possible that the "collapsing wrist" isn't anywhere near the most important thing he should work on, so trying a bunch of scattered drills and feels could be completely counterproductive.  That's why I ended that paragraph by saying

3 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

There are a number of other potential cures, but none of us can help you figure out what's best without seeing your swing.  

 

[arturo28mx]

For me keeping a flat left wrist is crucial to staying on plane and hitting straight. I used to collapse my wrist because that gave me the feeling that I was cocking the wrist 90 degrees and taking the club a little farther back. Yes but it would take me out of plane and make me swing outside in.

What I have done is be fully aware that keeping the left wrist flat may mean less than 90 degrees cocking of the wrist. I also did a lot of practice to develop muscle memory. A slow backswing  helps.

[natureboy]

5 minutes ago, arturo28mx said:

I used to collapse my wrist because that gave me the feeling that I was cocking the wrist 90 degrees and taking the club a little farther back. Yes but it would take me out of plane and make me swing outside in.

In what manner did you used to 'collapse' your wrist at the top to feel a fully cocked wrist? Bowed or Cupped?

23 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I meant under the club

That's what I thought.

[arturo28mx]

For me it was a cupped wrist.

[Foot Wedge]

35 minutes ago, arturo28mx said:

I used to collapse my wrist because that gave me the feeling that I was cocking the wrist 90 degrees and taking the club a little farther back. Yes but it would take me out of plane and make me swing outside in.

Exactly what I used to do.

@iacas I understand.  My friend who I play golf with is a good player and teacher, I'm sure he'd be willing to get a video of my swing.

[billchao]

2 hours ago, natureboy said:

Collapsing as in 'bowing' or looking like DJ at the top?

FWIW, when I read wrists breaking down or collapsing at the top, I assume cupping.

[nevets88]

I agree with @iacas, record a video and post to the member swings forum. This is a good example of how the the written word is not very good at conveying what's really happening. 

I'm also guessing the collapsing of the wrists is not over bowing or cupping - if you do either, the clubhead is about the same distance to the ground - but over hinging. Also called floppy wrists, extra wave, etc...

You can also get the flat or bowed lead wrist working and there will still be problems if your path is too out or too in.

The best long term fix to get the flat lead wrist, not over rotate the BS, is a good instructor who will fix one piece at a time and get everything in sequence.