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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.

Identify an Open Clubface at the Top of Your Swing

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify grip issues that lead to an open clubface at the top of your swing.
  • Understand how wrist position affects the angle of the clubface during your swing.
  • Recognize key indicators of an open clubface to adjust your technique effectively.

Learn how to diagnose an open clubface position at the top of your swing and understand its impact on your ball flight. This knowledge will help you make necessary adjustments to improve your game.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.920
In this concept video, we're going to talk about open clubface at the top of

2
00:00:07.920 --> 00:00:08.920
the swing.

3
00:00:08.920 --> 00:00:13.970
So one of the key references for looking at ball flight is your clubface

4
00:00:13.970 --> 00:00:14.980
position.

5
00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:19.890
And one of the key timings to look at or references to check is if you look at

6
00:00:19.890 --> 00:00:20.760
the clubface at

7
00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.180
the top of the swing, this is easiest to do from the down the line camera angle

8
00:00:24.180 --> 00:00:24.440
.

9
00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:30.090
So just as a rough definition, if we had the angle of our arm at the top, an

10
00:00:30.090 --> 00:00:31.340
open clubface

11
00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:35.840
is going to point more downward compared to that wrist.

12
00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:41.540
So square would be compared to the wrist just a tiny bit closed like this, and

13
00:00:41.540 --> 00:00:42.320
then closed

14
00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:43.600
would be pointing up that way.

15
00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:47.330
So open would be pointing more down like this, or almost vertical at the top of

16
00:00:47.330 --> 00:00:49.080
the swing.

17
00:00:49.080 --> 00:00:52.940
So if the club gets too vertical at the top of the swing, that means something

18
00:00:52.940 --> 00:00:53.400
during

19
00:00:53.400 --> 00:00:55.320
the backswing is opening it.

20
00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.580
It's either going to come from just having a really weak grip, which we'll

21
00:00:58.580 --> 00:00:59.520
discuss, or

22
00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:01.360
from a specific wrist movement.

23
00:01:01.360 --> 00:01:05.240
So first let's look at this grip alignment.

24
00:01:05.240 --> 00:01:10.180
If I tend to grip more in the palm and I tend to have my wrist more on top,

25
00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:11.040
kind of like

26
00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.440
this, well now if I go up to the top of the swing where that left wrist is

27
00:01:14.440 --> 00:01:15.240
pretty flat,

28
00:01:15.240 --> 00:01:19.360
you'll see that the club is pointing more downward just like that.

29
00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:24.170
So if it doesn't look like I'm massively opening the club, or if it looks like

30
00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:24.560
it's

31
00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:27.760
open in the takeaway, and then also at the top of the swing, that's a good

32
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:28.400
indicator

33
00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.880
that I have more of a grip issue.

34
00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:34.420
The second key for looking at the open position at the top of the swing is

35
00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:35.120
looking at the

36
00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:36.680
angle of the left wrist.

37
00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:40.700
Now I could easily be doing this with the right wrist, but the left wrist is a

38
00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:41.120
really

39
00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:46.890
good indicator, and basically looking at how flat the wrist is compared to

40
00:01:46.890 --> 00:01:48.160
either setup

41
00:01:48.160 --> 00:01:53.240
or the first parallel or takeaway.

42
00:01:53.240 --> 00:02:01.160
So if I use the left arm flat as a grip reference angle, basically a neutral

43
00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:02.760
grip will be when

44
00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:06.960
the club is pointing about 10, 15 degrees up like this.

45
00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:09.940
So a weak grip would be pretty much vertical, and then a strong grip would be

46
00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:10.640
pointing much

47
00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:12.200
more up like that.

48
00:02:12.200 --> 00:02:16.720
So if I take my grip, and then I just hold my hand so that my left arm is flat,

49
00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:17.120
I can

50
00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:19.880
get a quick snapshot of my grip.

51
00:02:19.880 --> 00:02:23.260
If my grip is pretty neutral, but then I get up to the swing, and the club is

52
00:02:23.260 --> 00:02:23.800
pointing

53
00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:28.480
down, you'll see that the way that I did that was by extending the wrist.

54
00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:33.890
So basically going like this tends to open the club face, that can make it more

55
00:02:33.890 --> 00:02:34.680
powerful

56
00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:38.450
for me to pull down with my wrist, but it makes it much weaker for me to pull

57
00:02:38.450 --> 00:02:38.920
down for

58
00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:41.800
my body or to rotate my body.

59
00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:44.880
So that causes us some problems further down the road.

60
00:02:44.880 --> 00:02:48.550
So if you are struggling with the club face getting open, and you're looking

61
00:02:48.550 --> 00:02:49.240
through your

62
00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.240
timeline and it's open at the top, you either want to check your grip, or you

63
00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:52.800
want to check

64
00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.620
the way that you're setting the club, those are the two main reasons that you'd

65
00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:56.100
be getting

66
00:02:56.100 --> 00:02:57.800
open at the top of the swing.

67
00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:02.360
In other videos, we'll discuss the common problems that happen from being open,

68
00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:02.360
but

69
00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:06.350
this video is just designed to help you identify whether or not it's open at

70
00:03:06.350 --> 00:03:07.240
the top and which

71
00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:11.960
of the two main causes created it.

72
00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:19.200
If I'm open at the top, I might hit him thin and I might have more of a slice,

73
00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:19.240
kind of

74
00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:20.240
like that.

75
00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:21.400
Tried to correct it, but it's hard.

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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.

Identify an Open Clubface at the Top of Your Swing

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify grip issues that lead to an open clubface at the top of your swing.
  • Understand how wrist position affects the angle of the clubface during your swing.
  • Recognize key indicators of an open clubface to adjust your technique effectively.

Learn how to diagnose an open clubface position at the top of your swing and understand its impact on your ball flight. This knowledge will help you make necessary adjustments to improve your game.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.920
In this concept video, we're going to talk about open clubface at the top of

2
00:00:07.920 --> 00:00:08.920
the swing.

3
00:00:08.920 --> 00:00:13.970
So one of the key references for looking at ball flight is your clubface

4
00:00:13.970 --> 00:00:14.980
position.

5
00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:19.890
And one of the key timings to look at or references to check is if you look at

6
00:00:19.890 --> 00:00:20.760
the clubface at

7
00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.180
the top of the swing, this is easiest to do from the down the line camera angle

8
00:00:24.180 --> 00:00:24.440
.

9
00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:30.090
So just as a rough definition, if we had the angle of our arm at the top, an

10
00:00:30.090 --> 00:00:31.340
open clubface

11
00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:35.840
is going to point more downward compared to that wrist.

12
00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:41.540
So square would be compared to the wrist just a tiny bit closed like this, and

13
00:00:41.540 --> 00:00:42.320
then closed

14
00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:43.600
would be pointing up that way.

15
00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:47.330
So open would be pointing more down like this, or almost vertical at the top of

16
00:00:47.330 --> 00:00:49.080
the swing.

17
00:00:49.080 --> 00:00:52.940
So if the club gets too vertical at the top of the swing, that means something

18
00:00:52.940 --> 00:00:53.400
during

19
00:00:53.400 --> 00:00:55.320
the backswing is opening it.

20
00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.580
It's either going to come from just having a really weak grip, which we'll

21
00:00:58.580 --> 00:00:59.520
discuss, or

22
00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:01.360
from a specific wrist movement.

23
00:01:01.360 --> 00:01:05.240
So first let's look at this grip alignment.

24
00:01:05.240 --> 00:01:10.180
If I tend to grip more in the palm and I tend to have my wrist more on top,

25
00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:11.040
kind of like

26
00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.440
this, well now if I go up to the top of the swing where that left wrist is

27
00:01:14.440 --> 00:01:15.240
pretty flat,

28
00:01:15.240 --> 00:01:19.360
you'll see that the club is pointing more downward just like that.

29
00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:24.170
So if it doesn't look like I'm massively opening the club, or if it looks like

30
00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:24.560
it's

31
00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:27.760
open in the takeaway, and then also at the top of the swing, that's a good

32
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:28.400
indicator

33
00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.880
that I have more of a grip issue.

34
00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:34.420
The second key for looking at the open position at the top of the swing is

35
00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:35.120
looking at the

36
00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:36.680
angle of the left wrist.

37
00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:40.700
Now I could easily be doing this with the right wrist, but the left wrist is a

38
00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:41.120
really

39
00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:46.890
good indicator, and basically looking at how flat the wrist is compared to

40
00:01:46.890 --> 00:01:48.160
either setup

41
00:01:48.160 --> 00:01:53.240
or the first parallel or takeaway.

42
00:01:53.240 --> 00:02:01.160
So if I use the left arm flat as a grip reference angle, basically a neutral

43
00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:02.760
grip will be when

44
00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:06.960
the club is pointing about 10, 15 degrees up like this.

45
00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:09.940
So a weak grip would be pretty much vertical, and then a strong grip would be

46
00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:10.640
pointing much

47
00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:12.200
more up like that.

48
00:02:12.200 --> 00:02:16.720
So if I take my grip, and then I just hold my hand so that my left arm is flat,

49
00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:17.120
I can

50
00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:19.880
get a quick snapshot of my grip.

51
00:02:19.880 --> 00:02:23.260
If my grip is pretty neutral, but then I get up to the swing, and the club is

52
00:02:23.260 --> 00:02:23.800
pointing

53
00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:28.480
down, you'll see that the way that I did that was by extending the wrist.

54
00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:33.890
So basically going like this tends to open the club face, that can make it more

55
00:02:33.890 --> 00:02:34.680
powerful

56
00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:38.450
for me to pull down with my wrist, but it makes it much weaker for me to pull

57
00:02:38.450 --> 00:02:38.920
down for

58
00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:41.800
my body or to rotate my body.

59
00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:44.880
So that causes us some problems further down the road.

60
00:02:44.880 --> 00:02:48.550
So if you are struggling with the club face getting open, and you're looking

61
00:02:48.550 --> 00:02:49.240
through your

62
00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.240
timeline and it's open at the top, you either want to check your grip, or you

63
00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:52.800
want to check

64
00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.620
the way that you're setting the club, those are the two main reasons that you'd

65
00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:56.100
be getting

66
00:02:56.100 --> 00:02:57.800
open at the top of the swing.

67
00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:02.360
In other videos, we'll discuss the common problems that happen from being open,

68
00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:02.360
but

69
00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:06.350
this video is just designed to help you identify whether or not it's open at

70
00:03:06.350 --> 00:03:07.240
the top and which

71
00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:11.960
of the two main causes created it.

72
00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:19.200
If I'm open at the top, I might hit him thin and I might have more of a slice,

73
00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:19.240
kind of

74
00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:20.240
like that.

75
00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:21.400
Tried to correct it, but it's hard.

Have questions about this video?

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

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