Left wrist
 

I have a tendency to bend my left wrist during startup and backstroke (vertical left hand grip). What is it that controls this function during this period of the stroke?
What would be the cause?
- keeping my right wrist bend, extensior action, anything else...?


thanks!

you're probably waiting for the pros, but meanwhile
 

A dragging takeaway can work very well with swinging. So if that's your procedure, you can certainly bend the left wrist a little in the takeaway.
Another option is to go from standard adress hands to forward press, and then take it away. That way you'll loose a little of the bending.

....and now wait for the gurus to show up

Yes, this sounds like the swingers "lagging start up". You're in fine company if it is. Hogan, Jones, Yoda etc. From standard address with the hands mid body , the right wrist flat and the left bent, with initially little or no extensor action, the right arm drags the lever assembly away with a corresponding, delightful free flowing lag feel. Yoda had me smacking impact bags on my takeaway to learn this. My takeaway! With the impact bag behind the club not in front of it. Lag going back, lag coming down. Lag, golfs secret.

In start up, by about the time your hands are over your right thigh extensor action and momentum have established the flat left wrist/bent right wrist relationship. From there the right wrist is frozen via extensor action. Im not sure if a later application of EA would necessarily be wrong either. Hmm, not sure.

I think that this is best rehearsed with the extensor action snapping the wrists into place rather than a conscious bending of the right wrist. You can do repeated mini start ups with the wrists snapping into alignment. Extensor action off, extensor action on. Do it again.

Give yourself up to CF and let it freewheel going back and coming through. "Give up control to gain control" as they say. I think this is why Hogans swing is so beautiful to watch. Its difficult to articulate what it is thats so eye catching even to a golf novice. I think its that his lag is so present, so un manipulated. His swinging action so pure.

Cheers

Deep Bench
 

Great post, O.B.

Thanks!

:salut:

Thanks for answering!

I don´t drag the club away like Hogan, I like to start with my hands at impact fix and take them up from there.
OB, if I read you correctly you say that extensior action will keep the wrist alignments in place during start up and back stroke, is that right?

thanks!

There is more than one way I suppose. But I think the best way would be via EA in start up.

I might be over my head here but I think that if you start at fix you should employ extensor action (EA) prior to start up. A hitter would do this or a swinger starting in fix for say a chip shot , put or pitch.

The swinger would normally start from adjusted for full shots with the EA turned off prior to startup.

There is some middle ground too for the swinger, Yoda employs a sort of half and half , "attitude" for mid irons where he is between adjusted and fix with a little EA.

If you are a swinger try starting at the adjusted address position and employ EA during start up. If you are a hitter start from fix with EA already turned on.

I am assuming you use a right forearm takeaway here. A severe push away with the left arm or shoulder could I suppose cause what you are describing too. In that case the employment of EA alone will not give you what you seek. It may be a case for the turning off some old ways, muscles in addition to the turning on of new ways.