One of the beautiful things about the internet is having all that limitless knowledge at your fingertips. No matter what subject piques your interest, you always have a wealth of expertise and insight readily available.
Golf instruction is no exception — though that’s not always a good thing! While it can be great to absorb swing tips while scrolling your feed, those tips also can be misinformed and lead you to poor swing habits.
One such example? Excessive lead wrist flexion during the swing.
Lead wrist flexion has become a popular talking point among armchair swing coaches over the past decade or so. These teachers often point to the successes of Jon Rahm or Collin Morikawa or Dustin Johnson and suggest that a flexed lead wrist is the secret to their ball-striking prowess. And while it’s true that this trio rank among the game’s elite ball-strikers, weekend warriors shouldn’t go chasing their success using lead wrist flexion.
“There’s load of sophisticated matchups with these [swing] styles,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jonathan Yarwood. “If the lead wrist gets into flexion too early, especially on the way back, the club gets de-lofted, and most players are not strong enough to get the ball in the air from there.”
When you see pros having success with a flexed lead wrist, they are doing many other things in their swing to get the club on the ball consistently. It’s not simply a matter of flexing the lead wrist and turning back and through. There are many other dynamic matchups at play that help create the conditions for solid ball-striking.
“Even the players with flexed lead wrists don’t do what’s consistently being demonstrated on the internet,” Yarwood says. “So why is it perpetuated by all these coaches?”
As our parents always warned us, don’t believe everything you read or watch on the internet.
3 things I’m thinking
Short hitters rejoice
The Tour’s shortest hitter is a two-time winner this season. Brian Campbell might not be the mold to follow for the next gen of top players, but what he’s doing despite a length disadvantage is wildly impressive.
Creativity across the pond
With pro golf heading across the pond for a few weeks, expect to see plenty of creativity in the short-game department. Bump-and-runs and chips with hybrids will be common. Or even mini drivers. That’s the club Dylan Frittelli said he’s planning to use for long putts from off the green at the Scottish Open this week.
Open Championship prediction
I love how Scottie Scheffler’s game translates to links golf. Someone as artistic as him fits the mold of an Open champion. I know I’m not exactly going out on a limb here but I’m feeling like this could be his year!
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