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All good players have one position in the golf swing that is similar despite their very different looking swings. This position is impact. Good players retain their wrist-cock through the hitting area, so that their left wrist (for right-handed golfers) is bowed and the right wrist is flexed and both hands are slightly in front of the ball at the strike. This is often called a ‘late hit’ or clubhead ‘lag’ and good players create a tremendous amount of clubhead speed and power with it.
High-handicappers tend to do the opposite at impact. Instead of a ‘late hit’ they actually do what is called an ‘early release.’ They scoop the ball at impact because they lose the ‘lag’ too early in the downswing. Instead of having a bowed left wrist and their hands ahead of the ball at impact, they have a collapsed left wrist and their hands are behind the ball at impact.
THE IDEAL IMPACT IS WHEN THE HANDS ARE AHEAD OF THE BALL.
The position of the wrists at impact is crucial, of course, as it determines the final destination of the path and direction of the shaft and clubhead. The speed of the wrists turning over through impact is determined by the forearm and shoulder rotation.
Even the slightest change in wrist position has a huge impact on the clubhead and therefore the ball flight. It may be counterintuitive to strengthen the wrists and forearms when the forearms need to relax and release as the club goes through the downswing, but this enable the golfer to hold on to the club while being relaxed and not feel as though the club will fly out of their hands. Strengthening the wrists will also help the forearms develop the muscular endurance for a round of golf.
To create a ‘late hit’, it is necessary to re-educate the wrists and hands so that the hands, wrists and clubhead arrive at impact in the correct sequence.
To re-educate and strengthen your wrists try these two exercises:
1. Wrist Extension (Palms Down)
Using small dumbbells, sit at the end of a bench or chair and place your wrists on your knees with your palms facing the ground.
Keeping your wrists on your knees, slowly bend your wrist back as far as you can and then slowly release to starting position.
Complete this motion with only your wrist; do not move your arm. Do 8 to 10 repetitions for 2 to 3 sets.
Wrist Flexion (Palms Up)
Using small dumbbells, sit at the end of a bench or chair and place your wrists on your knees with your palms facing the sky.
Slowly flex your wrist up towards your chest and then slowly release wrist back down towards the ground. Use gravity as resistance.
Complete this motion with only your wrist; do not move your arm. Do 8 to 10 repetitions for 2 to 3 sets.
Pam Owens, M.A, TPI CGFI-FP3, ACSM-CPT, is the Golf Fitness Professional at Shadow Hawk Golf Club and The Houstonian Golf & Country Club, Houston, Texas . Pam can be contacted at powens@houstoniangolf.com
