Golf is a game of precision, and even the slightest variation from fundamentals--such as a cupped wrist on the backswing--can cause errant shots and produce inconsistent results. A cupped left wrist for a right-handed player at the top of the backswing is a fatal flaw that reduces power and accuracy. Cupping your left wrist at any point during the golf swing makes it difficult to consistently square the clubface at impact with the ball.
Wrist Breakdown
A primary reason that the left wrist breaks down at any point during the golf swing--especially at the top--is poor setup and bad fundamentals at address. The center of the golf swing is a point directly in the middle of the left shoulder. From this point, a straight line is formed by the left arm, shaft and clubface. Many golfers begin their swing with a cupped wrist, and the motion is doomed from the start.
Bad Takeaway
The wrists play an important role in the golf swing, acting as an up-and-down "hinge" during a normal golf motion but never from side to side. This is essential for hitting the ball solidly, because cupping the wrist can lead to flipping and scooping the golf ball. The left wrist should hinge up toward the sky on the backswing, or takeaway, but many golfers rotate it to the side. When they raise their arms to the sky and extend the club back, the left wrist is inherently in a cupped position.
Added Motion
Some golfers think that power is created at the top of the golf swing, when in actuality the power comes from the core of the body, along with the trunk, legs and hips, rotating correctly and providing torque. Golfers who get the club to the three-quarters position--or even the full backswing position--feel the need to add additional power by moving the wrists. As a result, the left wrist cups from the added motion to the side. This leads to incorrect positioning at the top of the swing and usually results in a poorly struck shot.
Lack of Assistance
Many golfers don't realize they are cupping their left wrist at the top of the backswing. Golf can be a very difficult sport to master without help. Even professional players employ a second set of eyes to analyze and improve their swing. Many amateurs, however, fail to seek proper instruction. They spend their entire golf career repeating motions that "feel good" but are not proper positions for power and accuracy. The cupped left wrist falls into this category.
Game Improvement
To correct a cupped left wrist at the top of the backswing, golfers can use several drills that provide positive feedback with multiple repetitions. Take a ruler, stick it down your golf glove and make several practice swings while pressing the back of your left wrist against the ruler. This ingrains the feeling of a flat left wrist throughout the swing, which is the proper position. Golfers also can practice keeping their left wrist parallel to the clubface at the top of the backswing--in the flat position--by using mirrors and making repeated slow-motion swings to check for proper positioning.
Posted in: Golf