Anti-Thin Tips: Bending The Arms
Pete Styles
In the first part of this How To Stop Topping The Golf Ball series, we looked at common fault #1 – lifting during your back swing. Let’s look at the second common fault that can lead to tops and thins – bending your arms through impact.
During your address position you should notice how your left arm (for the right-handed golfer) is straight out and reaching for the ball…
Maintaining that same positioning at impact is absolutely crucial for a solid ball strike. Any amount of lifting or bending of that left arm will greatly increase your chances of topping the golf ball. See the video below:
Video Summary
Start by making some smooth slow practice swings, only taking the club to chest height on your follow through. At this height, ensure that both arms remain straight (pictures 4 & 5).- Repeat this exercise until it feels natural to maintain that straight arm follow position, and then start clipping the ball from a tee peg without any real power, again checking your follow through arm position. Gradually, as you gain more confidence, increase your power but always maintaining straight arms past chest height.
Pete Styles
Since becoming a Golf Professional 17 years ago, I have used my experiences of teaching every standard of golfer, from Tour Professionals to complete beginners, to develop, refine and hone my teaching skills.
My teaching combines a wealth of knowledge about golf and a great passion for seeing people improve, into a straight-talking, simple-to-follow style that is tried and tested over the course of 40,000 plus individual golf lessons.
I currently deliver my teaching to pupils in two forms – either in person at The Trafford Golf Centre next to the Trafford Centre in Manchester, or via Video lessons from my website free-online-golf-tips.com
My main passions in life apart from golf are, my family – wife Clare, son George and daughter Hannah.
I am also a qualified ski instructor and after living in the Italian Alps for a number of years, I now relish any opportunity to get back out on the slopes.
I also enjoy reading, particularly autobiographies and real-life adventure books and would encourage anybody who hasn’t already to find and read a copy of Touching The Void, and Between A Rock And A Hard Place.