Correct Elbow Position In The Golf Short Game (Video) - by Pete Styles
Correct Elbow Position In The Golf Short Game (Video) - by Pete Styles

So, if we now further consider the role the elbows play during other parts of the game, we’ll look initially at putting then we’ll have a little look at chipping and pitching as well. Now the roles of the elbow in a putting stroke can be complex and varied really for different reasons. Now I think a lot of golfers when they set up, they’re not really sure where the elbow should be. Now I have sort of a guide with this. That it doesn’t matter where they are, as long as they’re super consistent.

We see a lot of golfers when they set up in their putting and will keep their elbows quite tight to their body and they’ll kind of rock the shoulders and that will keep the elbows into the body. For a lot of golfers, that works quite nice, that works quite well, but then you see a golfer on the TV and he’s rolling in puts for forming, his elbow is like this so, you think well how does that weigh up with this concept of trying to keep your elbows in and now we know with a lot of different putting strokes and styles, there is no right and wrong, there is no hard and fast. So, what I’d suggest with your putting stroke is whatever the position that the elbows starts in, keep them in that position and keep them consistent and with that in mind, I don’t want your elbows to start here and then move out and move out. That’s not going to be a good putting stroke. Likewise we wouldn’t want to start them out here and then try and keep them in during the stroke because your hands and arms are going to fold into all sorts of awkward positions. So, whether you’re an elbows in, elbows out a bit, or elbows out a lot, as long as they stay in that position, I'm pretty comfortable to encourage you to just keep an eye on the elbow position that you have, make it super consistent. Now elbows with your pitching technique is a little bit different, generally speaking elbows together, arms quite strong and straight is going to be better for most chip and pitch shots so, setting up to the ball, elbows together, quite strong and straight, slightly lean towards your front leg. During the back swing, not a massive change for the elbows and again not a massive change for the elbows, maintaining the triangle, keeping the arms quite strong, the fault in the back swing would be bending the elbows and then bending and scooping on the way through and that’s not going to be great chipping or pitching technique so, elbows together, quite straight together coming back, quite straight together coming through. That should give you much more control of your elbows in your putting and also in your pitching and itching technique. 2016-04-19

So, if we now further consider the role the elbows play during other parts of the game, we’ll look initially at putting then we’ll have a little look at chipping and pitching as well. Now the roles of the elbow in a putting stroke can be complex and varied really for different reasons. Now I think a lot of golfers when they set up, they’re not really sure where the elbow should be. Now I have sort of a guide with this. That it doesn’t matter where they are, as long as they’re super consistent.

We see a lot of golfers when they set up in their putting and will keep their elbows quite tight to their body and they’ll kind of rock the shoulders and that will keep the elbows into the body. For a lot of golfers, that works quite nice, that works quite well, but then you see a golfer on the TV and he’s rolling in puts for forming, his elbow is like this so, you think well how does that weigh up with this concept of trying to keep your elbows in and now we know with a lot of different putting strokes and styles, there is no right and wrong, there is no hard and fast.

So, what I’d suggest with your putting stroke is whatever the position that the elbows starts in, keep them in that position and keep them consistent and with that in mind, I don’t want your elbows to start here and then move out and move out. That’s not going to be a good putting stroke. Likewise we wouldn’t want to start them out here and then try and keep them in during the stroke because your hands and arms are going to fold into all sorts of awkward positions.

So, whether you’re an elbows in, elbows out a bit, or elbows out a lot, as long as they stay in that position, I'm pretty comfortable to encourage you to just keep an eye on the elbow position that you have, make it super consistent. Now elbows with your pitching technique is a little bit different, generally speaking elbows together, arms quite strong and straight is going to be better for most chip and pitch shots so, setting up to the ball, elbows together, quite strong and straight, slightly lean towards your front leg.

During the back swing, not a massive change for the elbows and again not a massive change for the elbows, maintaining the triangle, keeping the arms quite strong, the fault in the back swing would be bending the elbows and then bending and scooping on the way through and that’s not going to be great chipping or pitching technique so, elbows together, quite straight together coming back, quite straight together coming through. That should give you much more control of your elbows in your putting and also in your pitching and itching technique.