Not sure where to start? Ask Mulligan
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Monitor Your Elbows for Better Swing Mechanics at Home

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify how your trail arm should move during the backswing
  • Understand the correct elbow positioning for a more effective downswing
  • Develop better awareness of your arm movements to improve swing consistency

Learn a simple drill to monitor your elbow positions during your golf swing. This exercise will help you understand the relationship between your elbows and shoulders, enhancing your overall swing mechanics.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.840
This drill is monitoring the elbows at home.

2
00:00:03.840 --> 00:00:08.170
So the elbows are a good reference point for what's going on at the shoulder

3
00:00:08.170 --> 00:00:09.480
and then obviously

4
00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.320
anything else happening at the hands is coming from the forearms.

5
00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:16.830
So a good way to train what the arms are doing while working at home is to take

6
00:00:16.830 --> 00:00:17.320
turns

7
00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.120
paying attention to what each arm is doing individually.

8
00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.430
So we're going to get in the golf posture and you're going to take your left

9
00:00:23.430 --> 00:00:23.880
hand and

10
00:00:23.880 --> 00:00:25.280
place it under your right elbow.

11
00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:28.240
So for right hand and golfer we're going to start with the trail arm.

12
00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:32.390
So now during the backswing what should happen is this arm is going to stay

13
00:00:32.390 --> 00:00:33.360
relatively in

14
00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:39.080
front of my chest and it's just going to rotate a little bit.

15
00:00:39.080 --> 00:00:43.770
Now if it starts to fly away that's not the worst thing but I want to make sure

16
00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:44.320
that it's

17
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:47.620
not going all the way behind my shirt seams which would be very uncomfortable

18
00:00:47.620 --> 00:00:48.000
with me

19
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.160
holding on with the left arm.

20
00:00:50.160 --> 00:00:53.760
So it stays in front you can now allow a little bit of rotation.

21
00:00:53.760 --> 00:00:57.740
Now as we start down you want to make sure that this elbow is not straightening

22
00:00:57.740 --> 00:00:58.320
straight

23
00:00:58.320 --> 00:00:59.320
away.

24
00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:04.960
You'll see that it works a little bit more in front of my body and then as I go

25
00:01:04.960 --> 00:01:05.440
into

26
00:01:05.440 --> 00:01:08.800
the release that elbow is going to straighten.

27
00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:14.510
So in one movement kind of works there doesn't straighten during that phase and

28
00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:15.920
then straightens

29
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.200
during the release.

30
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:20.810
Now looking at the left arm this time we're going to take the right elbow and

31
00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:21.240
place it

32
00:01:21.240 --> 00:01:22.880
under the left.

33
00:01:22.880 --> 00:01:25.760
Next swing is still going to be more of a rib cage dominant thing.

34
00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:30.760
All I'm going to feel is that there's a little bit of rotation kind of like so.

35
00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.430
Now as I start down I'm going to feel that this arm actually works slightly

36
00:01:35.430 --> 00:01:36.120
across my

37
00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:39.840
chest and rotates a little bit more kind of like that.

38
00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:45.460
So it's going to work across my chest and rotates and then as I go to start the

39
00:01:45.460 --> 00:01:46.160
release

40
00:01:46.160 --> 00:01:49.360
so when that right elbow would be coming across that elbow is still going to

41
00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:50.080
stay kind of

42
00:01:50.080 --> 00:01:54.000
facing in the direction of the target until the hand gets about here and then

43
00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:54.640
it's going

44
00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:57.320
to allow a little bit of rotation.

45
00:01:57.320 --> 00:02:03.990
So when one movement comes across right through there it releases kind of in

46
00:02:03.990 --> 00:02:05.560
one movement.

47
00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:09.690
Now I've got a sense I can do this you know dozens of times kind of feeling

48
00:02:09.690 --> 00:02:10.480
what's happening

49
00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:16.240
at each individual arm and I can put my hands together kind of make those

50
00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:17.840
movements happen

51
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.640
together.

52
00:02:20.640 --> 00:02:25.480
Once I have a comfortable feeling of what the arms are doing then I can add the

53
00:02:25.480 --> 00:02:26.880
golf club

54
00:02:26.880 --> 00:02:33.440
try to do that same movement pattern but let the club brush the ground.

55
00:02:33.440 --> 00:02:38.240
So I'm focusing on what my elbows are doing so that I have a sense of what my

56
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:39.000
shoulders

57
00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:40.000
are doing.

58
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:43.560
The shoulders are really important gateway from what's happening with the body

59
00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:44.080
to what's

60
00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.270
going to happen at the hands so using the elbows is a really good reference

61
00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:47.800
frame for

62
00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:51.140
when you're training your shoulders at home by feeling what your elbows are

63
00:02:51.140 --> 00:02:51.680
doing.

Have questions?

Ask Mulligan for help

Unlock everything. Start improving today.

Subscribe to get full access to all videos, courses, and progress tracking.

Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Monitor Your Elbows for Better Swing Mechanics at Home

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify how your trail arm should move during the backswing
  • Understand the correct elbow positioning for a more effective downswing
  • Develop better awareness of your arm movements to improve swing consistency

Learn a simple drill to monitor your elbow positions during your golf swing. This exercise will help you understand the relationship between your elbows and shoulders, enhancing your overall swing mechanics.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.840
This drill is monitoring the elbows at home.

2
00:00:03.840 --> 00:00:08.170
So the elbows are a good reference point for what's going on at the shoulder

3
00:00:08.170 --> 00:00:09.480
and then obviously

4
00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.320
anything else happening at the hands is coming from the forearms.

5
00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:16.830
So a good way to train what the arms are doing while working at home is to take

6
00:00:16.830 --> 00:00:17.320
turns

7
00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.120
paying attention to what each arm is doing individually.

8
00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.430
So we're going to get in the golf posture and you're going to take your left

9
00:00:23.430 --> 00:00:23.880
hand and

10
00:00:23.880 --> 00:00:25.280
place it under your right elbow.

11
00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:28.240
So for right hand and golfer we're going to start with the trail arm.

12
00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:32.390
So now during the backswing what should happen is this arm is going to stay

13
00:00:32.390 --> 00:00:33.360
relatively in

14
00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:39.080
front of my chest and it's just going to rotate a little bit.

15
00:00:39.080 --> 00:00:43.770
Now if it starts to fly away that's not the worst thing but I want to make sure

16
00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:44.320
that it's

17
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:47.620
not going all the way behind my shirt seams which would be very uncomfortable

18
00:00:47.620 --> 00:00:48.000
with me

19
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.160
holding on with the left arm.

20
00:00:50.160 --> 00:00:53.760
So it stays in front you can now allow a little bit of rotation.

21
00:00:53.760 --> 00:00:57.740
Now as we start down you want to make sure that this elbow is not straightening

22
00:00:57.740 --> 00:00:58.320
straight

23
00:00:58.320 --> 00:00:59.320
away.

24
00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:04.960
You'll see that it works a little bit more in front of my body and then as I go

25
00:01:04.960 --> 00:01:05.440
into

26
00:01:05.440 --> 00:01:08.800
the release that elbow is going to straighten.

27
00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:14.510
So in one movement kind of works there doesn't straighten during that phase and

28
00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:15.920
then straightens

29
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.200
during the release.

30
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:20.810
Now looking at the left arm this time we're going to take the right elbow and

31
00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:21.240
place it

32
00:01:21.240 --> 00:01:22.880
under the left.

33
00:01:22.880 --> 00:01:25.760
Next swing is still going to be more of a rib cage dominant thing.

34
00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:30.760
All I'm going to feel is that there's a little bit of rotation kind of like so.

35
00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.430
Now as I start down I'm going to feel that this arm actually works slightly

36
00:01:35.430 --> 00:01:36.120
across my

37
00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:39.840
chest and rotates a little bit more kind of like that.

38
00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:45.460
So it's going to work across my chest and rotates and then as I go to start the

39
00:01:45.460 --> 00:01:46.160
release

40
00:01:46.160 --> 00:01:49.360
so when that right elbow would be coming across that elbow is still going to

41
00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:50.080
stay kind of

42
00:01:50.080 --> 00:01:54.000
facing in the direction of the target until the hand gets about here and then

43
00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:54.640
it's going

44
00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:57.320
to allow a little bit of rotation.

45
00:01:57.320 --> 00:02:03.990
So when one movement comes across right through there it releases kind of in

46
00:02:03.990 --> 00:02:05.560
one movement.

47
00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:09.690
Now I've got a sense I can do this you know dozens of times kind of feeling

48
00:02:09.690 --> 00:02:10.480
what's happening

49
00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:16.240
at each individual arm and I can put my hands together kind of make those

50
00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:17.840
movements happen

51
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.640
together.

52
00:02:20.640 --> 00:02:25.480
Once I have a comfortable feeling of what the arms are doing then I can add the

53
00:02:25.480 --> 00:02:26.880
golf club

54
00:02:26.880 --> 00:02:33.440
try to do that same movement pattern but let the club brush the ground.

55
00:02:33.440 --> 00:02:38.240
So I'm focusing on what my elbows are doing so that I have a sense of what my

56
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:39.000
shoulders

57
00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:40.000
are doing.

58
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:43.560
The shoulders are really important gateway from what's happening with the body

59
00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:44.080
to what's

60
00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.270
going to happen at the hands so using the elbows is a really good reference

61
00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:47.800
frame for

62
00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:51.140
when you're training your shoulders at home by feeling what your elbows are

63
00:02:51.140 --> 00:02:51.680
doing.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

Ask Mulligan
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Subscribe now for full access to our video library. Subscribe now