Forearm rotation and rolling wrists

[Ned_the_tortoise]

Can someone please explain the difference between rolling the wrists and forearm rotation!

I am having lessons at the moment and I have been told that I roll my wrists in the backswing which is a problem, I have also been told this by previous coaches and read it in numerous articles. 

In contrast forearm rotation seems to be a fairly uncontroversial part of the golfers backswing. Is it possible to roll the wrists without rotating the forearms, I dont see how, therefore I can only conclude they mean the same thing.

If I take the instruction literally and do not roll my wrists at all in the backswing then the position at the top feels very strange and i'm sure it cant be correct, the club is basically vertical ! Has anyone else been told they should avoid rolling the wrists in the backswing? is this good advice?

[boogielicious]

44 minutes ago, Ned_the_tortoise said:

Can someone please explain the difference between rolling the wrists and forearm rotation!

I am having lessons at the moment and I have been told that I roll my wrists in the backswing which is a problem, I have also been told this by previous coaches and read it in numerous articles. 

In contrast forearm rotation seems to be a fairly uncontroversial part of the golfers backswing. Is it possible to roll the wrists without rotating the forearms, I dont see how, therefore I can only conclude they mean the same thing.

If I take the instruction literally and do not roll my wrists at all in the backswing then the position at the top feels very strange and i'm sure it cant be correct, the club is basically vertical ! Has anyone else been told they should avoid rolling the wrists in the backswing? is this good advice?

Think of the rotations you can do in two ways. Grip your club and hold it out in front of you at a 90 degree angle so the shaft points straight up. Forearm rotation, right over left, would drop the club head to your left. This is sometimes called 'release'. Your right wrist and forearm are rotating over your left. 

The other rotation is called palmar flexion or extension. Holding the club the same way and keeping it vertical, rotate the shaft by flattening (flexion) or cupping (extension) your left wrist. This closes or opens the club face with respect to the club head path.

You can do these two rotations independently. Most good instructors want the forearm rotation to happen naturally as a result of the club momentum as you swing.

The palmar rotation, opening and closing the face, can be done during the back swing or even at the start of the downswing. Think of DJ with the bowed/flattened left wrist at the top or Freddy Couples with his wrist cupped at the top. Both have excellent club face control, but they do it at different times in their swing, Freddy on the downswing.

[span3636]

Yes it is possible to roll the hands without rolling the forearms. But let's cut to the chase. Is all thi rotation and rolling talk going to lower your scores? Probably not. Here's a simple drill. Place the club on the ground. Take a normal grip. Now rotate the toe of the club to point at the target like the head of a hammer. Now take some half swings and pretend you are hitting a nail with the tie of the club. This should free you up. As golfers we think way to technically about the swing instead of just reacting to the ball. Hope this helps.

[Vinsk]

17 hours ago, span3636 said:

Take a normal grip

The confusion begins here.

[golfdu]

Put tape below the grip of your club and while the shaft is vertical to the ground with the face square, color two halves on the front of the shaft, both contrasting colors. Maintain that half-half relationship throughout the swing from your POV and no thoughts about rolling wrists or forearms should be necessary. And yes, this is legal.

[Buckeyebowman]

Makes me wonder if big league ball players think about a swinging a bat in this much detail. Were that the case, every pitcher in MLB might win a Cy Young!

Paralysis through analysis?

[Ernest Jones]

9 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Makes me wonder if big league ball players think about a swinging a bat in this much detail. Were that the case, every pitcher in MLB might win a Cy Young!

Paralysis through analysis?

Big difference as baseball is a reactionary sport. 

[boogielicious]

9 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Makes me wonder if big league ball players think about a swinging a bat in this much detail. Were that the case, every pitcher in MLB might win a Cy Young!

Paralysis through analysis?

I actually think they do. Pitchers too. They may not think about mechanics or have lots of swing thoughts while at bat, but certainly the coaches use every means possible to improve the swing and pitch.

[saevel25]

I would say forearm rotation will cause the elbow to turn. While the wrist does have a small degree of movement to turn with out influencing the elbow joint. I doubt a golfer could perform wrist rotation with out some forearm rotation. 

[roamin]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Pitchers too.

Agreed. My brother pitched for a D2 school and used to spend a lot of time doing position drills without ever throwing a ball. He would have most certainly qualified for a Stupid Monkey award for his elbow position work.

[Buckeyebowman]

13 hours ago, Ernest Jones said:

Big difference as baseball is a reactionary sport. 

Exactly. Which is one of the reasons I've heard postulated as to why golf is a more difficult game. The ball just sits there!

13 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I actually think they do. Pitchers too. They may not think about mechanics or have lots of swing thoughts while at bat, but certainly the coaches use every means possible to improve the swing and pitch.

Oh, I know there's batting practice and pitching practice. But that's practice. It has no place in the game. At least as far as thinking about it. Then it becomes a distraction. When a pitcher loses his control for a game, or a batter hits a slump, yes, something is wrong with their mechanics!

That's something to be ironed out in practice. I see too many golfer talk about going to the tee to play a round with "swing thoughts" in their heads. That was my point. I believe it was Nicklaus who said, something like, "If you go to the first tee with just one swing thought in your mind, that's still one too many!"