Pull Down Right Elbow to Stop Casting Club (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Pull Down Right Elbow to Stop Casting Club (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

For most golfers one of the most common shots that they hit, one of the most common faults that they hit is a slicing golf ball. And a slicing golf ball is often attributed to a casting movement in a down swing. So a casting action is like a fisherman casting his rod. It’s this extension of the right arm.

Now when we look at what that looks like in a golf swing, for the right handed player, swinging the golf club nicely up to the top position and then casting the golf club from the here, throwing the golf club away with the right arm extending. Now the right arm does need to extend because the top of the back swing is bent to 90 degrees, but at the impact position it will be straight as it can be. So clearly it does extend at some point, but it is important we extend it to the right place. And it is important that when we extend it, it doesn’t throw the golf club of plane or out of line. So from the top of the back swing here, the right elbow should really maintain its flex, slightly increase its flex and drop in. And this is the lowering of the right elbow and it stays there behind my body you know, just the right elbow isn’t coming in front of my chest not yet anyway and it’s certainly not extending in front of my chest. That would be a violent casting motion; the club then has to come back across the side of the golf ball in parting a lot of spin. So if I can take the golf club up to the top, let the right elbow drop and fall into a good position, now I’m in a position where it can start to extend, and it extends nicely down towards the ball but it keeps the club on plane, so it takes the club nicely to the top, pull the right elbow back down and extend it down to the ball. And if you are struggling with this concept of pulling the right elbow down, it might be worth just placing something in the back corner of the mat. So if I just take my glove, I can place it in the back corner of the mat there and it’s kind of just behind my right heel if you like, at the back of the mat. I then swing my elbow up to the top, and I actually focus on pulling my elbow down towards that glove. As I pull my elbow down that keeps me in a good position. If I pull my elbow in front, that’s not pulling down towards my glove. So I can feel where my elbow should be because I’ve now got a target behind my right heel. Pull down release through to the golf ball, your elbow extends, but make sure it doesn’t extend in casting motion, make sure it’s dropped then extended at the ball. 2014-01-20

For most golfers one of the most common shots that they hit, one of the most common faults that they hit is a slicing golf ball. And a slicing golf ball is often attributed to a casting movement in a down swing. So a casting action is like a fisherman casting his rod. It’s this extension of the right arm.

Now when we look at what that looks like in a golf swing, for the right handed player, swinging the golf club nicely up to the top position and then casting the golf club from the here, throwing the golf club away with the right arm extending. Now the right arm does need to extend because the top of the back swing is bent to 90 degrees, but at the impact position it will be straight as it can be. So clearly it does extend at some point, but it is important we extend it to the right place. And it is important that when we extend it, it doesn’t throw the golf club of plane or out of line.

So from the top of the back swing here, the right elbow should really maintain its flex, slightly increase its flex and drop in. And this is the lowering of the right elbow and it stays there behind my body you know, just the right elbow isn’t coming in front of my chest not yet anyway and it’s certainly not extending in front of my chest.

That would be a violent casting motion; the club then has to come back across the side of the golf ball in parting a lot of spin. So if I can take the golf club up to the top, let the right elbow drop and fall into a good position, now I’m in a position where it can start to extend, and it extends nicely down towards the ball but it keeps the club on plane, so it takes the club nicely to the top, pull the right elbow back down and extend it down to the ball.

And if you are struggling with this concept of pulling the right elbow down, it might be worth just placing something in the back corner of the mat. So if I just take my glove, I can place it in the back corner of the mat there and it’s kind of just behind my right heel if you like, at the back of the mat. I then swing my elbow up to the top, and I actually focus on pulling my elbow down towards that glove. As I pull my elbow down that keeps me in a good position. If I pull my elbow in front, that’s not pulling down towards my glove. So I can feel where my elbow should be because I’ve now got a target behind my right heel. Pull down release through to the golf ball, your elbow extends, but make sure it doesn’t extend in casting motion, make sure it’s dropped then extended at the ball.