Today’s Golfer UK — December 2017

TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 367 37

Sort your arm positions at address, and avoid a rock or roll motion

Give a poor start the elbow

FUNDAMENTALS

Elbows out: ‘Rock’

This quite common position sees

the golfer grip the club with the lead

elbow pointing at the target and

the trail elbow away from it. That

square trail elbow limits forearm

rotation and causes an over-square

rocking motion. Expect all manner

of miss-hits.

Elbows in: ‘Roll’

The second regular error is turning

both elbows in and under, the bone

pointing at either hip. This forces

the lead arm to over-rotate to find

a position from where the wrists

can hinge and cock, creating an

excessive ‘rolling’ at the start of the

swing.

Fault

Fixer

Fault:Poor takeaway caused by bad elbow

orientation

Fix: Preset impact for a stronger and more

effective move

Grip the club for a minute, and see where

your elbows are pointing. The anatomy of our

arms means there is some scope here: even

from a sound grip, the elbows can point away

from your body or right back at it. This can

have a major bearing on how your arms

rotate and separate during the backswing,

and can cause major backswing problems.

Here are two errors to watch for, and of

course where those elbows should be.

One out, one in

Consider any hitting

impact – be it golf ball

or baseball – and think

where the elbows want

to sit. A strong position

sees the lead elbow face

the target, with the trail

elbow more tucked.

Better rotation

So at address, set up

impact with your lead

elbow facing the target

and your trail elbow at

your hip. It promotes

just the right amount

of backswing forearm

rotation, while presetting

that strong impact.

TG TOP 50

LEE SCARBROW

JOHN O’GAUNT GC, BEDS

John Jacobs

Te a c h i n g a n d

Coaching Award

winner, coaches

Jamie Rutherford

& Hannah Burke