Minimal Wrist Hinge
Today we are going to talk about wrist hinge. I frequently get the question from students, “How much do I bend my wrist?”
Radial flexion, is the movement of bending the wrist to the thumb, or radial bone, side.
Anatomically, our wrist doesn’t really bend very much toward the thumb side (radial flexion) . Radial deviation is about 20 degrees.
(Image 2) Keep the back of the hand flat through the wrist. Prevent wrist extension up and down. Forearms rotate naturally with the swing.
During the swing keep the back of the left hand flat. Do not flex or extend the wrist up and down (Image 2). When the back of the hand is kept flat it’s easy to bend the wrist the right amount because we are limited to the 20 degrees of radial flexion.
To set up for a correct wrist bend:
1. Find the middle of your stance,
2. Place the hands on the club grip.
3. Turn the hand over at 45 degrees.
4. Push the butt end of the golf club forward until the back of the left hand is flat. The butt end of the golf club will be about even with the inside of the left thigh.
5. Keep the hand flat to the wrist all the way through the swing.
Remember keep the back of the hand flat to the wrist.
KEY POINT Remember keep the back of the hand flat to the wrist. The wrist does not extend up and down in during the golf swing. The only wrist bend is toward the thumb, or radial bone side and then the wrist bend will unhinge naturally on the downswing.
Keep the top of the hand flat to the wrist all the way through the swing.
The wrists do not flop all over the place! It is just a limited wrist bend and a nice swing.
PGA Instructor Mike Cahill and PGA Master Instructor Dave Cahill are here to help you play better and enjoy the game more. For more information on wrist hinge please come see us in Palm Springs for golf lessons or visit us for a Palm Springs a Golf School.
PGA Instructor Mike Cahill 612-501-9015 mikecahill@cahillgolf.com.
PGA Master Instructor Dave Cahill 952-994-0387 davecahill@cahillgolf.com