When Should you Hinge your Wrists in the Backswing, Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles
When Should you Hinge your Wrists in the Backswing, Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles

So your hands are the only part of your body that's in contact with the club and your wrists are the link between the hands and the rest of the body. So what your wrists are doing in the golf swing is vitally important to get it right. Now we've got a little bit of a waggle going at first and we've got a little bit of a one piece take away coming up to the shoulders but it still very important we understand how the wrists are going to work to get that golf club to the top of the back swing.

Now there's one really nice position I'd like you to head for when you golf which would be and L-shape. Now an L-shape is between the left arm and the shaft of the golf club. So if my good address position where the left arm and golf club could be in quite a straight line, have a nice turn back and now start working the golf club from the one piece take away up towards the L-shape. The L-shape here left arm straight, shaft, nice and vertical to the ground there, turn that to the top sits, still keeping just more than 90 degrees at the top as well, calling back down into an L-shape, releasing out of the L-shape nicely for the ball. You can actually work another L-shape into the follow through position with the left arm and a good spot here. So work a little bit of a resting jump from the back swing to create an L-shape and a little bit of release into the follow through to create an L-shape.

And as we turn around now so we're looking from down the target line, the way that L-shape is created should still keep the golf club nicely on plane. Any feeling of not doing enough with the hands on the way back, there's no wrists and charge the club outside and slightly close. But likewise, too much wrists can jam the way back might be guilty of fanning the golf club a little bit flat behind me and also opening the club face. So just have a little practice. Maybe a mirror where my camera is here so you can see whether your outside and closed, inside and open, or nicely on plane with the correct wrist hinge working the club into a good position here which would maintain the L-shape from the front one as well.

So you have a good wrist hinge on the way back, good release on the wrist hinge on the way through and that should create a beautifully smooth golf swing for you.

 2012-04-20

So your hands are the only part of your body that's in contact with the club and your wrists are the link between the hands and the rest of the body. So what your wrists are doing in the golf swing is vitally important to get it right. Now we've got a little bit of a waggle going at first and we've got a little bit of a one piece take away coming up to the shoulders but it still very important we understand how the wrists are going to work to get that golf club to the top of the back swing.

Now there's one really nice position I'd like you to head for when you golf which would be and L-shape. Now an L-shape is between the left arm and the shaft of the golf club. So if my good address position where the left arm and golf club could be in quite a straight line, have a nice turn back and now start working the golf club from the one piece take away up towards the L-shape. The L-shape here left arm straight, shaft, nice and vertical to the ground there, turn that to the top sits, still keeping just more than 90 degrees at the top as well, calling back down into an L-shape, releasing out of the L-shape nicely for the ball. You can actually work another L-shape into the follow through position with the left arm and a good spot here. So work a little bit of a resting jump from the back swing to create an L-shape and a little bit of release into the follow through to create an L-shape.

And as we turn around now so we're looking from down the target line, the way that L-shape is created should still keep the golf club nicely on plane. Any feeling of not doing enough with the hands on the way back, there's no wrists and charge the club outside and slightly close. But likewise, too much wrists can jam the way back might be guilty of fanning the golf club a little bit flat behind me and also opening the club face. So just have a little practice. Maybe a mirror where my camera is here so you can see whether your outside and closed, inside and open, or nicely on plane with the correct wrist hinge working the club into a good position here which would maintain the L-shape from the front one as well.

So you have a good wrist hinge on the way back, good release on the wrist hinge on the way through and that should create a beautifully smooth golf swing for you.