To avoid any confusion, I the following section will be based around right handed golfers (if you are left-handed, you can still use the article, but you will need to think left arm every time I mention the right arm). Your right arm plays a big role in the golf swing, obviously, and it is vital to generating more power throughout. Everyone wants to hit the ball straighter and farther, and if you are that person, then continue reading. During this section, I will cover what an incorrect arm sequence can do to your swing, how to correct it, and some drills that you can benefit from moving forward. I get it, everyone claims that they have the remedy to success, but I will provide you with what I have applied to my game throughout the years. It has worked for me for so long, so with the proper focus, it will work for you.

The first thing I want to cover, is what a faulty arm sequence causes… even though I have already hinted to it in the previous paragraph. When you have a faulty right arm sequence, it blocks you from generating more power, and hinders your overall distance. Ideally, you will want your right arm to stay relaxed throughout the entire swing, and you will want to keep the motion to a minimum. Honestly, the only thing your right arm should be doing is folding during the takeaway, and then extending through the follow through. If you are doing more than this with the right arm, then you are bringing in the trouble… and hindering your distance.

So, now what do you want to do with the rest of your body to ensure you are moving the right arm correctly? First off, take a look at Lee Westwood for example. I like to use him regarding any swing motion, because honestly, he has the most flawless golf swing on the planet. If you could mirror his golf swing and pass it out to everyone, golf would be much more fun. But, we can’t, so we will try and mimic it as close as possible. When you look at Westwood’s swing, he starts the backswing with the shoulders, which actually swings his arms and club head for him. This rotation will cause his forearms to rotate ever so slightly clockwise, which is vital to keeping him on plane. To mirror this motion, simply setup for your normal swing, and begin to take the club head back. As you take the club back, pay attention to your shoulders, and really let them do all of the work from here. Relax the arms, and allow the shoulders to take over the golf swing, and pay attention to what your arms begin to do as you take the club back. You should see them rotate ever so slightly, which will ensure you are on plane and ready to roll. Next, you want to keep your shoulders and core turning at the same time. As you take the club back (with everything in unison of course), you should notice the golf club positioned right above your toe line. This will mean you are on plane still, and allowing yourself to generate the maximum power. From here, you will want to turn your focus back to the shoulders, which should ultimately turn twice as much as the hips during the swing. I know I said you want to keep them in unison, but that is only until you have your golf club positioned over your toe line, now it is time for your shoulders to continue to rotate while your hips stay quiet. Now, complete your downswing and you are good to go.

I realize that I mentioned the proper right arm sequence at the beginning of this article, but to be honest the arm sequence is only as strong as the load up you have during your swing. The shoulders play a pivotal role in generating the correct arm sequence, which is why I want you to really pay attention to the finer details of this article. The correct right arm sequence is generated by having the correct shoulder turn… and the correct flex in the arms during the takeaway. The shoulders should do the majority of the work, while the arms stay nice and relaxed. If you are going to attempt the drills provided, I do ask that you really read carefully prior to doing so, and invest plenty of time to focusing on improving this. It can get quite tricky when you are trying to focus on your arms during the golf swing, so invest the proper time to becoming more comfortable here. I also suggest that you take it very slow when looking at each part of the arm/shoulder sequence. It is very hard to focus on each motion if you are swinging at 100%. Start slow, and work your way up in speed. If you truly want to master the motion and add distance to your game, then start with the slower swing speed.