Straight Arm Triangle
It is not uncommon for golfers to experience a mechanical "breakdown" when it comes time to add speed & power; this is especially true if it is a pattern that needs or has undergone some technical "re-working". Thus, when training, it is important to operate at a point that pushes our limits; this "dynamic" version of the Merry-Go-Round falls under this category and it is an excellent progression for players who:
- Struggle with efficient torso orientation(s) under load.
- Default to an"early-extension" OR "stall-flip" pattern
- Rely on unnecessary upper-limb compensations during the release.
It is not uncommon for golfers to experience a mechanical "breakdown" when it comes time to add speed & power; this is especially true if it is a pattern that needs or has undergone some technical "re-working". Thus, when training, it is important to operate at a point that pushes our limits; this "dynamic" version of the Merry-Go-Round falls under this category and it is an excellent progression for players who:
- Struggle with efficient torso orientation(s) under load.
- Default to an"early-extension" OR "stall-flip" pattern
- Rely on unnecessary upper-limb compensations during the release.
Video Transcript
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.480
This drill is the straight arm triangle drill.
2
00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:11.340
So this is working on using your chest to control low point and working on more
3
00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:11.720
of a
4
00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.670
stall pattern or trying to improve someone who doesn't keep their chest moving
5
00:00:15.670 --> 00:00:16.040
on the
6
00:00:16.040 --> 00:00:17.480
way through.
7
00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:21.200
So it's one of the old classic triangle drills.
8
00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:25.070
So I'm going to keep my arm straight and I'm going to try and keep that right
9
00:00:25.070 --> 00:00:25.840
arm straight
10
00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:29.690
in the backswing and then I'm going to try and keep that left arm straight in
11
00:00:29.690 --> 00:00:30.360
the follow
12
00:00:30.360 --> 00:00:31.360
through.
13
00:00:31.360 --> 00:00:34.410
I'm really going to feel like I do nothing with my wrists other than maybe a
14
00:00:34.410 --> 00:00:34.760
little
15
00:00:34.760 --> 00:00:40.180
bit of natural unhinging to help shallow it out and get the club all the way
16
00:00:40.180 --> 00:00:40.880
down towards
17
00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:41.960
the ground.
18
00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:48.160
But the main goal of this drill is those arms staying as straight as you can
19
00:00:48.160 --> 00:00:49.320
keep them and
20
00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.520
controlling low point by where the chest is.
21
00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:57.360
In fact I like to do this sometimes I'll draw the low point lines and I'll work
22
00:00:57.360 --> 00:00:58.000
on just
23
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:02.490
okay if my arms are straight there I'd have a little bit of early extension and
24
00:01:02.490 --> 00:01:02.920
maybe
25
00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:07.120
too much side tilt to move the bottom swing back that way and then I'd have
26
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:08.080
more of a
27
00:01:08.080 --> 00:01:14.060
stay flexed and turned to try to move the bottom of the swing there and then I
28
00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:14.640
'd try
29
00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:19.620
to find the middle where I stay a little bit more flexed in kind of my merry go
30
00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:20.560
round position
31
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:27.160
and then turn my body while keeping the chest height down towards the ground.
32
00:01:27.160 --> 00:01:31.900
Many golfers I find this very beneficial for golfers who have more of a stand
33
00:01:31.900 --> 00:01:32.440
up or more
34
00:01:32.440 --> 00:01:38.640
of a reverse thrust like this in combo with their hands flipping or for some
35
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:40.160
golfers who
36
00:01:40.160 --> 00:01:44.790
reverse thrust and still keep their chest moving on the way through but hit a
37
00:01:44.790 --> 00:01:45.240
lot of
38
00:01:45.240 --> 00:01:49.360
thin kind of picky shots because the chest is out of position.
39
00:01:49.360 --> 00:02:00.260
So this is a way to kind of dynamically feel the merry go round drill while
40
00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:01.040
making contact
41
00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:02.440
with the golf ball.
42
00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:06.810
One common pattern that I'll see is often golfers when they're first starting
43
00:02:06.810 --> 00:02:07.280
this let's
44
00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:12.020
say there's my merry go round position when they first do this trying to keep
45
00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:12.480
the arm
46
00:02:12.480 --> 00:02:17.360
straight they might shank it or at the very least they will do that and they
47
00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:18.080
will come
48
00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:23.000
in very steep with the club face open and hit it way off to the right.
49
00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:28.650
So you'll see that again they will have the arm straight and then spin the
50
00:02:28.650 --> 00:02:29.560
upper body
51
00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:36.280
and kind of bring it too much outside in with the club face wide open.
52
00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:42.200
What usually happens there is this golfer would naturally bend those arms to
53
00:02:42.200 --> 00:02:42.920
balance
54
00:02:42.920 --> 00:02:46.790
that out so my upper body would turn a little bit more level and my arms would
55
00:02:46.790 --> 00:02:47.360
come from
56
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.540
the inside not hit a lot of straight shots but typically struggle with that fat
57
00:02:51.540 --> 00:02:51.840
thin
58
00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.960
contact like I demonstrated there.
59
00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:58.440
So what you would have to do if that's your pattern which again is one of the
60
00:02:58.440 --> 00:02:59.200
more common
61
00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:04.250
patterns is you have to watch your your tilts and make sure that that right
62
00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:05.200
shoulder is
63
00:03:05.200 --> 00:03:10.700
staying down and the club is shallowing a little bit or coming from more of an
64
00:03:10.700 --> 00:03:11.360
inside
65
00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:15.440
path because of what the arms are doing not because of what the body is doing.
66
00:03:15.440 --> 00:03:21.790
So my arms are going to stay straight and I'm still going to monitor bringing
67
00:03:21.790 --> 00:03:22.680
the club
68
00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:27.190
into the golf ball on a slightly inside or or a solid path and manage the club
69
00:03:27.190 --> 00:03:27.800
face with
70
00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:29.480
just a little wrist movement.
71
00:03:29.480 --> 00:03:33.630
If you do a lot of adjusting your swing with your elbows and shoulders this
72
00:03:33.630 --> 00:03:34.120
will help you
73
00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:38.300
to control it more with your wrist as well as with your pivot two good ways to
74
00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:39.000
help create
75
00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:42.440
a little bit more consistency especially with your short iron game.
Have questions?
Ask Mulligan for helpStraight Arm Triangle
It is not uncommon for golfers to experience a mechanical "breakdown" when it comes time to add speed & power; this is especially true if it is a pattern that needs or has undergone some technical "re-working". Thus, when training, it is important to operate at a point that pushes our limits; this "dynamic" version of the Merry-Go-Round falls under this category and it is an excellent progression for players who:
- Struggle with efficient torso orientation(s) under load.
- Default to an"early-extension" OR "stall-flip" pattern
- Rely on unnecessary upper-limb compensations during the release.
It is not uncommon for golfers to experience a mechanical "breakdown" when it comes time to add speed & power; this is especially true if it is a pattern that needs or has undergone some technical "re-working". Thus, when training, it is important to operate at a point that pushes our limits; this "dynamic" version of the Merry-Go-Round falls under this category and it is an excellent progression for players who:
- Struggle with efficient torso orientation(s) under load.
- Default to an"early-extension" OR "stall-flip" pattern
- Rely on unnecessary upper-limb compensations during the release.
Video Transcript
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.480
This drill is the straight arm triangle drill.
2
00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:11.340
So this is working on using your chest to control low point and working on more
3
00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:11.720
of a
4
00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.670
stall pattern or trying to improve someone who doesn't keep their chest moving
5
00:00:15.670 --> 00:00:16.040
on the
6
00:00:16.040 --> 00:00:17.480
way through.
7
00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:21.200
So it's one of the old classic triangle drills.
8
00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:25.070
So I'm going to keep my arm straight and I'm going to try and keep that right
9
00:00:25.070 --> 00:00:25.840
arm straight
10
00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:29.690
in the backswing and then I'm going to try and keep that left arm straight in
11
00:00:29.690 --> 00:00:30.360
the follow
12
00:00:30.360 --> 00:00:31.360
through.
13
00:00:31.360 --> 00:00:34.410
I'm really going to feel like I do nothing with my wrists other than maybe a
14
00:00:34.410 --> 00:00:34.760
little
15
00:00:34.760 --> 00:00:40.180
bit of natural unhinging to help shallow it out and get the club all the way
16
00:00:40.180 --> 00:00:40.880
down towards
17
00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:41.960
the ground.
18
00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:48.160
But the main goal of this drill is those arms staying as straight as you can
19
00:00:48.160 --> 00:00:49.320
keep them and
20
00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.520
controlling low point by where the chest is.
21
00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:57.360
In fact I like to do this sometimes I'll draw the low point lines and I'll work
22
00:00:57.360 --> 00:00:58.000
on just
23
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:02.490
okay if my arms are straight there I'd have a little bit of early extension and
24
00:01:02.490 --> 00:01:02.920
maybe
25
00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:07.120
too much side tilt to move the bottom swing back that way and then I'd have
26
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:08.080
more of a
27
00:01:08.080 --> 00:01:14.060
stay flexed and turned to try to move the bottom of the swing there and then I
28
00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:14.640
'd try
29
00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:19.620
to find the middle where I stay a little bit more flexed in kind of my merry go
30
00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:20.560
round position
31
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:27.160
and then turn my body while keeping the chest height down towards the ground.
32
00:01:27.160 --> 00:01:31.900
Many golfers I find this very beneficial for golfers who have more of a stand
33
00:01:31.900 --> 00:01:32.440
up or more
34
00:01:32.440 --> 00:01:38.640
of a reverse thrust like this in combo with their hands flipping or for some
35
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:40.160
golfers who
36
00:01:40.160 --> 00:01:44.790
reverse thrust and still keep their chest moving on the way through but hit a
37
00:01:44.790 --> 00:01:45.240
lot of
38
00:01:45.240 --> 00:01:49.360
thin kind of picky shots because the chest is out of position.
39
00:01:49.360 --> 00:02:00.260
So this is a way to kind of dynamically feel the merry go round drill while
40
00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:01.040
making contact
41
00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:02.440
with the golf ball.
42
00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:06.810
One common pattern that I'll see is often golfers when they're first starting
43
00:02:06.810 --> 00:02:07.280
this let's
44
00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:12.020
say there's my merry go round position when they first do this trying to keep
45
00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:12.480
the arm
46
00:02:12.480 --> 00:02:17.360
straight they might shank it or at the very least they will do that and they
47
00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:18.080
will come
48
00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:23.000
in very steep with the club face open and hit it way off to the right.
49
00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:28.650
So you'll see that again they will have the arm straight and then spin the
50
00:02:28.650 --> 00:02:29.560
upper body
51
00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:36.280
and kind of bring it too much outside in with the club face wide open.
52
00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:42.200
What usually happens there is this golfer would naturally bend those arms to
53
00:02:42.200 --> 00:02:42.920
balance
54
00:02:42.920 --> 00:02:46.790
that out so my upper body would turn a little bit more level and my arms would
55
00:02:46.790 --> 00:02:47.360
come from
56
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.540
the inside not hit a lot of straight shots but typically struggle with that fat
57
00:02:51.540 --> 00:02:51.840
thin
58
00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.960
contact like I demonstrated there.
59
00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:58.440
So what you would have to do if that's your pattern which again is one of the
60
00:02:58.440 --> 00:02:59.200
more common
61
00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:04.250
patterns is you have to watch your your tilts and make sure that that right
62
00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:05.200
shoulder is
63
00:03:05.200 --> 00:03:10.700
staying down and the club is shallowing a little bit or coming from more of an
64
00:03:10.700 --> 00:03:11.360
inside
65
00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:15.440
path because of what the arms are doing not because of what the body is doing.
66
00:03:15.440 --> 00:03:21.790
So my arms are going to stay straight and I'm still going to monitor bringing
67
00:03:21.790 --> 00:03:22.680
the club
68
00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:27.190
into the golf ball on a slightly inside or or a solid path and manage the club
69
00:03:27.190 --> 00:03:27.800
face with
70
00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:29.480
just a little wrist movement.
71
00:03:29.480 --> 00:03:33.630
If you do a lot of adjusting your swing with your elbows and shoulders this
72
00:03:33.630 --> 00:03:34.120
will help you
73
00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:38.300
to control it more with your wrist as well as with your pivot two good ways to
74
00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:39.000
help create
75
00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:42.440
a little bit more consistency especially with your short iron game.
Have questions about this video?
Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.
Ask Mulligan