Lowest Score Wins Part 3: Setting and releasing the club
To finish the 5 keys to the golf swing from the book, Lowest Score Wins, we will be putting key 3, 4, and 5 together. These keys have specifically to do with club position, club path, and club face. We will describe these characteristics as Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) does, setting and releasing the club.
These keys are more technical, but there are still physical capabilities that can be limiting golfers from perfecting them. Let’s break them down first, then address how we can improve mobility, stability, and motor control to the wrist, elbow, and shoulder complex.
Check out the previous articles on key 1 and key 2 to the golf swing…
Key 3: Flat Left Wrist
The authors highlight the importance of a flat lead wrist at impact. This creates a consistent and repeatable strike with power. Though there may be a few different schools of through on this, we still need exceptional wrist and forearm strength and control to get to and maintain our wrist position through impact. This position looks like a forward shaft lean at impact without too much or too little.
Key 4: Diagonal Sweet Spot Path
This is highlighting the important of the club path to the ball. The authors demonstrate that the sweet spot of the club should move as a diagonal right down to the ball, never biasing more vertical or horizontal during the downswing. This relies on wrist positioning and angles, but especially relies on shoulder mobility and stability.
Key 5: Clubface Control
Again, we need to master our ability to manipulate our wrist, elbows, and shoulder joint to control the direction of the clubface at impact.
Wrist, elbow, and shoulder mobility and stability in the golf swing
We need motion from the wrist in all three planes. Wrist flexion and extension, supination and pronation (rotating palm up and down), and ulnar and radial deviation (pinky side wrist hinge, thumb side wrist hinge). We need to be able to move the wrist in these positions without excess and while holding a club moving at high speeds that comes into contact with the ground.
From the shoulder, we need a great deal of mobility while also being a major speed generator. This is great for the shoulder since it is one of the most mobile joints in the body, able to move to significant degrees in all three planes. The trouble is this great mobility can come at the expense of stability. Many golfers are suffering from previous and active injuries to the shoulder, creating new limitations in mobility. Making sure we have clean, compensation free movement at the shoulder is critical. Building strength and control through range of motion is the most effective way to do this while translating quickly to setting and releasing the golf club.
When we address the wrist, elbow, and shoulder, we then want to prioritize that there are no limitations in moving in the 3 planes and that we can do so with strength and stability. It is best we improve these regions with movements that integrate them together. Check out the movements below to work on Keys 3-5 to the golf swing.
Wall assisted shoulder internal rotation reach
This is a great drill for driving mobility out of the shoulder by freeing up and mobilizing the shoulder capsule. We also drive stability from the shoulder complex in a manageable way as it supports the body weight. The wrist is in a position of extension, and we are loading through the carpals with an emphasis on the inside or medial part of the hand. This helps to drive subtle movement from these bones as they were designed to, operating as a wrist mobility drill and stability drill. Last, the cue to maintain weight on the inside edge of the hand and reach upwards will create motion from joint to joint, or relative motion, locking down the ability to compensate or move as a “chunk” and instead drive subtle motion from the elbow, shoulder, scapula, and even thoracic spine.
2. Downward Dog for relative motion
Similar to the last drill, we are focusing on stability and creating relative motion at the joints. Think of relative motion as pure, uncompensated motion that forces the joints to actually move as they were designed along one another.
Keep the pressure on the inside edge of the hand and press the floor away here. You will be surprised at how much internal and external rotation will occur at the shoulder here while loading through the elbow and wrist. The wrist now moves from extension into some flexion as we push away, and we are introducing more load through the system now that we are horizontal instead of leaning.
3. DNS Crowbar
This drill introduces more multiplanar motion at the joints, focusing on shoulder, scapula, and elbow. We still drive the wrist through multiple planes of motion, including supination and pronation while demanding stability and strength from it.
Check out this article for more on testing elbow and wrist mobility in golfers:
-Elbow and Wrist mobility in golfers
Check out this article for creating lag in the golf swing:
-Creating lag in the golf swing
Check out this video for more on wrist and elbow pain in golfers:
Check out this podcast episode with Jude Lenahan from The Grove on wrist and elbow position in the golf swing:
Conclusion
Wrist angles, club path, and face control our exceptionally important to an effective and competitive golf swing. Making sure we have a body that is not fighting back when fractions of degrees matter will make a significant difference to your effectiveness on the practice range and lessons. Use the drills above and from the previous two articles as a starting point for creating a body that can make the swing you have been working for over and over again for years to come!
-Dr. Nick DC, MS, TPI, CSCS
If you would like to learn more about your body, pain, and performance, send Dr. Nick an email at contact@integratedrpc.com or call at (585)478-4379, or schedule a FREE discovery visit at Contact.
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