Monday, January 16, 2012

How to Keep Left Arm Straight in Golf?


A straight left arm is a basic component of a right-handed golfer's swing. "Practical Golf" counsels that your arm should be straight but relaxed and not stiff. For most of us, this is easier said than done. As with many golf-related frustrations, aids to help fix your straight-arm problem emerged in the marketplace. Now you must choose one that works for you.
Drills
An aid that costs you nothing but time is practice. In "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf," Ben Hogan recommends practicing from your normal stance, but with your elbows pressed together; imagine they are tied with cord. Maintain such elbow contact until your clubface impacts the ball, and then fold into your backswing. Jack Nicklaus advises your left arm and the club should form a straight line from your shoulder to the clubhead at the moment you strike the ball.
TacTic
According to Dale Raterman, co-author of "Golf Gadgets," the TacTic is an aid about which golf schools have given positive feedback. You strap the TacTic onto your left wrist -- if you're right-handed -- while you swing at a ball. If you bend your wrist and break the straight-line relationship between your leading arm and the club, the TacTic emits a warning sound. The sound lets you know that you need to try your swing again. Repetition with the TacTic will help you train your lower arm to remain straight during your swing.
Sleeves
A number of manufacturers -- from Nike to "Straight Arm Sleeve" -- produce arm sleeves designed to prevent your elbow from bending during your swing. The sleeve aid has been around for decades, even mentioned in a 1962 edition of "Beginning Golf" as a useful way to promote straight-arm muscle memory. Today's versions are more high-tech and ergonomically correct but work on the same premise. The sleeve immobilizes your elbow and, with regular use, will help you remember to keep your arm straight as you swing.
Arm Bands
Arm bands help you practice your swing as Ben Hogan suggests: by binding your elbows together. Brands such as the "Chicken Wing" and "Swing Arc" manufacture arm bands that you wear above your elbows on each arm and then connect. By holding your elbows so close together, such bands help to isolate your wrists and elbows so that most of your swing is coming from your shoulders and hip rotation. Using arm bands will help you practice keeping your elbows closer, and thus your left arm straighter, as you swing through the ball.

 
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