Left arm rotation

[hovis]

During the back swing the left arm internally rotates roughly 90 degrees. I tend to hold onto this rotation and rush things at impact. This sometimes causes a little chicken wing and misses to the right

My question is:
Is the rotation taken out of the left arm durring the downswing by conscious effort or does this happen naturally. Jim hardy talks about feeling the left rolling down on the downswing?????? I was always told the arms are pretty much passive on the downswing so this is a little confusing

 

[Maninblack4612]

I'm a Jim Hardy follower & my take on the downswing is that you uncoil the upper body & shoulders & the arms are just carried along. There should be no attempt to do anything with the arms. As the arms come down the rotation of the shoulders, arms & hands actually slows down and the energy lost feeds into the clubhead, a bit like a whip cracking. I always hit the ball better if I feel that I'm leaving the arms & hands behind as the shoulders & body unwind. This creates lag in the downswing, although Jim Hardy never seems to use the term "lag" in his books.

 

[hovis]

I'm a Jim Hardy follower & my take on the downswing is that you uncoil the upper body & shoulders & the arms are just carried along. There should be no attempt to do anything with the arms. As the arms come down the rotation of the shoulders, arms & hands actually slows down and the energy lost feeds into the clubhead, a bit like a whip cracking. I always hit the ball better if I feel that I'm leaving the arms & hands behind as the shoulders & body unwind. This creates lag in the downswing, although Jim Hardy never seems to use the term "lag" in his books.

I have both his books and i have read the part you're referring too. However in one chapter he talks about the need to rotate the left arm counter clockwise on the downswing to get back on the inner circle

 

[Foxholer]

Are you talking about the 'holding off', or lack of (Hogan's term) supination through impact - which can result in that little chicken wing?

I think Hardy differentiates between what is driving the swing - body vs arms - but neither is simply passive/along for the ride!

 

[hovis]

Are you talking about the 'holding off', or lack of (Hogan's term) supination through impact - which can result in that little chicken wing?

I think Hardy differentiates between what is driving the swing - body vs arms - but neither is simply passive/along for the ride!

Kind of. It kind of feels like there's no 'hit' in the golf swing. Held off would be a good way to describe it. My right arm never gets fully extended

 

[Foxholer]

Could be a touch of over-analysis!

If the club is naturally ending up in the 'correct' position at the end of the swing, then it's almost certain that the action of the arms has been correct, without excessive manipulation. It's the manipulation, often associated with (caused by) sequencing or balance issues, that is noticeable, but is actually not the real problem - simply what the brain has determined it needs to do to 'correct'!

How tight do you grip the club? Loosening your grip slightly, particularly the left hand, might help - though it could a bit of practice to get your sequencing correct!

 

[Maninblack4612]

I have both his books and i have read the part you're referring too. However in one chapter he talks about the need to rotate the left arm counter clockwise on the downswing to get back on the inner circle

The way I see it the left arm rotates automatically as the shoulders turn and doesn't rotate much independently, if at all. If you do rotate independently I think it's important to reverse the rotation early in the backswing (I'm sure that's what he says in the book) and approach the ball with a stable clubface. If you do this & you get a push you just need to swing more left on the downswing because a push indicates that clubface & swingpath are square to each other & inside the target line.

 

[the_coach]

During the back swing the left arm internally rotates roughly 90 degrees. I tend to hold onto this rotation and rush things at impact. This sometimes causes a little chicken wing and misses to the right

couple things in this para that maybes could mean you looking partly in the wrong area to start to find the answer to both your Q. & the things that sometimes causes the swing, shot outcome issues

so say you stand upright hold your lead arm directly out infront of you at around comfy shoulder height but with your thumb pointing up at the sky (so the hand is in a shake hands position to someone in front of you)

then from the shoulder the upper arm, just rotate the whole arm until the palm faces the ground - that's about all the 'rotation' that happens in the backswing - but it isn't real active isolated arm rotation that rotation happens more because of the upper chest/shoulder rotation & the way the trail arm folds at the elbow joint - elbow pointing downwards to the ground more not out behind the body - this all while maintaining the spine posture condition formed at set-up - it all happens in a connected synced, but not arms cramped & pulled back or into the body ways - the upper part of the lead arm stays lightly in contact with the side of the pec from set-up to the top of the backswing

wonder is the handle being held more in the middle of the palm of the lead hand?

have/do you sometimes have little ways difficulty with little over-the-top downswing motion & weightshift issue so the weight can stay trailside so not so easy showing the whole of the trail foot behind you with the foot on the toes at the swing motion end?

sometimes coming into impact & impact can feel a deal cramped up?