You're Correct!

What: A chicken wing in golf refers to the position of the arms at the impact position in the golf swing. It occurs when the golfer pulls up with the arms (mainly the leading arm) just before, during and just after hitting the golf ball.

Result: This can cause two main problems in the result of a golf shot - hitting the top of the golf ball as the golfer pulls the club head up and away from the ball through impact and; a loss of distance as the golfer hits the ball well but lifts the ball up into the air instead of driving it forwards towards the target.

Why: Usually this shot is caused by the golfer either trying to avoid the ground for fear of hitting it before the ball or by utilizing the arm muscles to pull at the golf club to gain power. It is worth noting that both of these actions are unconscious, it is not that the golfer is trying to bend the arms, it just happens.

Correction: Make room for the arms to both stay straight through the hitting area by rotating the body out of the way.

1. Take some practice swings that are approximately half of the length of a normal swing.
2. While swinging, focus on the belt buckle of your trousers. During the forward swing make sure that the buckle turns and stays ahead of the golf club through the ball and finishes facing in a position towards or even past the target (left of target for right handed golfers). When the lower body has rotated in this way, the arms have room to stay straight and extend to the target.
3. Keep the lead arm (left for right handers) straight and reach out for the target.
4. Extend this swing to a fuller motion. In the follow through you should feel like the hips are working earlier than normal and the arms swing out to the target and up over the front shoulder more to leave your finish position higher.
5. Hit some balls.

Stop the chicken wing and improve your ball striking and distance by turning the hips more and reaching out to the target.

Standing further away will make you reach for the ball more, however you are more likely to either contact the ball with the toe end of the club or lose your balance and fall over than correct the chicken wing position.

Hitting downwards to discourage pulling up into the chicken wing position will most likely cause more of a pulling up action than before. One of the many reasons why a golfer chicken wings is because the swing is already on too steep a downward trajectory into the golf ball. The golfer pulls up to avoid the ground and reduce the steepness of the swing.

This is a correct action to achieve and is one of the most important aspects of a good, repeatable golf swing. However, this action must not be performed in isolation. A golfer who only keeps the arms straight will slam the club into the ground without the rotation of the body to give the arms room. Yes keep the arm straight but only if the body and hands are rotating too.