Extend your right arm through the shot

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

If you want to hit the ball far and accurately, you need to extend your right arm fully during the downswing. Your arms are straight at only one moment during your swing ― just after you hit the ball. Straight arms immediately after striking the ball show you’ve extended your right arm correctly through the shot. This means you’ve fully unleashed the power stored on the backswing into the ball. Straight arms after impact also means your arms and body worked in sync.

If your right elbow is bent after impact, it implies you’ve failed to unleash explosive force into your shot. If you are losing distance, you need to get your arms straight instantly after contact. To this end, you need to extend your right arm fully through the shot.

To use your right arm correctly, you need to address the ball properly. To set up correctly, make sure your elbows point toward your hip bone. Also, let your upper body rest at a 35- to 45-degree angle to the ground. Flex your knees a little and keep the small of your back flat. Importantly, see that the tips of your shoulders rest one or two inches outside your big toe. Toward this end, you need to put your weight under your shoelaces, or just a touch more toward your toes.

Equally important is setting up an angle of roughly 45 degrees between your club shaft and the ground at address. Setting the club shaft higher than 45 degrees, you will mistakenly swing your club back too much to the inside. Making this mistake, you will come over the top on the downswing. Typically, a faulty over-the-top move results in horrible pulls and slices. Swinging the club back too much inside, you can also incur nasty pushes.

You need to remember that a faulty address position makes your arms and shoulders tighten, preventing you from using your arms properly. You need to bear in mind that most unwanted shots stem from a poor address position.

Once you’ve set up properly, you need to start your swing gracefully. Gently kick your right foot and knee inwards toward your target just before you swing your club back. Set up your swing without rushing as a reflex of the gentle kick of your right knee.

Try to keep your right arm straight going back. This prevents your left arm from breaking down, allowing you to have a big, full turn and a wide swing arc. This also will encourage your right shoulder to turn more without extra effort. To coil properly, you need to let your right shoulder rotate behind your head, your left shoulder turning under your chin.

Briefly, just let your right elbow move upward and backward as you go back. Doing this correctly, you will feel your right elbow act almost like a piston.

Also, don’t rotate your right forearm too early as you swing the club back. That causes you to snatch your club on too flat a backswing plane. To swing the club on the proper plane, you need to turn your forearms as you finish your backswing. Rotating your forearms too early forces you to swing your club too much to the inside. This pushes you to lift your club as you complete your backswing. That is, you will swing your club back on an excessively steep plane. Swinging the club back too steeply, you will come over the top, cutting across the ball.

Once you’ve taken your club back correctly, complete your backswing as you whisper “one”. Critically, make sure you cock your left wrist upward at the end of your takeaway.

Of equal importance is turning your body fully so your left shoulder hits your chin. Failing to turn fully on the backswing, you will rush your downswing, thus incurring many poor shots.

Murmur “two” as you start your downswing. You need to focus on keeping your head steady as you count “two”. To be more specific, keep your left ear behind your ball when you hit your driver. When you hit an iron, leave your left chin in line with the ball as it did at address.

Count “three” as you straighten your right arm through impact. Extending your right arm fully, you will get your arms straight immediately after you hit the ball.

To unleash your power fully, extend your right arm “briskly” at a timely moment or rather through the ball. You will then enjoy solid strikes, sending the ball further. Also, you will happily hit your target accurately every time you swing.

If you are losing distance, chances are you are not vigorously straightening your right arm. Don’t be lethargic when you extend your right arm. If you don’t stay energetic through the shot, you will have difficulty hitting the ball as far as you want.

Incidentally, forget about preserving your right wrist angle to lag your clubhead behind your hands. That will happen naturally if you extend your right arm properly through the shot.

Straightening your right arm too early, you will lose the lag, failing to increase clubhead speed to the maximum. You also will throw your club outside the target line. This forces you to come over the top, cutting across the ball. This produces nasty shots including pulls and weak slices.