Golfing Fairy Tales (2)

The straight left arm

The laws of physics show us that power generated by a swinging arm is increased by the number of hinges (levers) in it. When we swing a golf club, the big muscles of the legs and trunk supply the power; the arms and hands are the ‘transmission’, which converts that power into club head speed.

The hinges, which are potentially involved, are, obviously, the shoulders and the wrists, and less obviously the elbows. Tension in the hands, arms and shoulders is like driving your car with the handbrake on! It is going to seriously interfere with how far you hit the ball.

The centrifugal force generated by the weight of the club head when swung at around 100 miles per hour is huge, it is very difficult to bend the left arm though the hitting area of the swing even if you wanted to. So stop worrying about your left arm, if it bends it bends and it will never actually bend as much as you feel it does. If it is relaxed during the swing it will almost certainly be straight at impact as a result of a good swing! A straight left arm is not a contributing factor to a good swing!