Elbow position
Headcover under the armpit
Your trail elbow flies out — not a fault in itself, but awkward for your sequence
Keep your trail arm connected to your chest at the top, so that your elbow points towards the ground instead of behind you.
Recognise this?
- At the top your trail elbow points backwards, behind your body, instead of towards the ground.
- The feeling that your arms sit loose from your body at the top.
- According to some of the sources also: balls that curve away to the right and a loss of distance.
Why it happens
Your trail elbow comes away on your trail side in the backswing and points behind you at the top, which is what you see from behind along the target line. That is not a fault in itself: many good players swing this way and still get the arm in the right place in the downswing. It can, however, make the sequence in your backswing and downswing harder. Physically it comes down to limited shoulder mobility, limited mobility of the thoracic spine and instability of the shoulder blade, which restricts external rotation. A stricter reading does link the fault directly to balls that curve away to the right, loss of distance and inconsistency, with as causes that you push back with your lead arm too soon in the takeaway, make too little shoulder turn, squeeze the grip too hard and steer too much with your trail arm. TPI emphasises that this elbow position is not a fault in itself: many top players swing this way. It only becomes a problem when the sequence in the downswing suffers because of it — and that is what this drill helps with.
What the drill fixes
The headcover under your trail armpit gives you a feelable reference point: if it stays gripped, your trail arm has stayed connected and your elbow points towards the ground at the top.
What you need
- A headcover or a glove
- A mid iron
easy
How to do it
Step 1: Trap the headcover in place
At address, trap the headcover under your trail armpit, between your upper arm and your chest.
Step 2: Swing slowly to the top
Swing slowly to the top and keep the headcover gripped. Check: your trail elbow points towards the ground at the top, not backwards.
Step 3: Keep your elbows together
At the same time keep your forearms and elbows close together and your grip pressure light. Then hit half shots with the headcover in place, and after that without it.
How often
10 slow practice swings, then 2 sets of 8 half shots.
Slow is compulsory here: the sources describe this as a sense of position that you learn in the backswing, not as something you correct at speed.
Safety
Do not trap the headcover so tightly that you block your shoulder.
Sources
- Flying Elbow | Swing Characteristics | TPI
- Fix a Flying Right Elbow in Your Golf Swing (For Good!) (HackMotion)
- How To Fix A 'Flying Elbow' In The Golf Swing With One Drill, Katie Dawkins, Golf Monthly
Is this your fault to fix?
Caddium measures it in your own swing video — your first analysis is free.
Start free