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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.

Improve Your Finesse Shots with Trail Arm Internal Rotation

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Understand the role of trail arm internal rotation in finesse shots
  • Identify the correct elbow position to improve contact and consistency
  • Practice sliding the club along the ground for cleaner strikes and better control

In this drill, you'll learn how to adjust your trail arm position to enhance your finesse shots around the green. This adjustment can help you create better contact and utilize the bounce of your club effectively.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000
This finesse wedge drill is trail arm internal rotation. So many golfers who

2
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.360
struggle with their finesse shots around the green do so because they approach

3
00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:09.520
it

4
00:00:09.520 --> 00:00:13.720
more like a full swing. One of the common places where especially good players

5
00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:19.440
get in problems is they set up for a position of lag with the trail shoulder

6
00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:23.550
instead of a position of cast for the trail shoulder. And what that does is

7
00:00:23.550 --> 00:00:24.080
that

8
00:00:24.080 --> 00:00:28.260
causes you to create too much shaft lean which takes away bounce and gives you

9
00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:33.600
leading edge contact. So at best case you hit these really hot running chip

10
00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:38.000
shots or pitch shots. Worst case you struggle with chunk shots or bladed

11
00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:41.580
shots because you pull up knowing that you're about to chunk it. So one way

12
00:00:41.580 --> 00:00:41.760
that

13
00:00:41.760 --> 00:00:47.040
you can work around getting a little bit more neutral shaft is by focusing on

14
00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:47.240
the

15
00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:55.400
trail arm. So now what I'm going to do is I'm going to monitor if my elbow is a

16
00:00:55.400 --> 00:01:04.260
head of a line between my shoulder and my wrist. So if I had this line right

17
00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:04.540
here

18
00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:08.980
you can see from the face-on camera that my elbow is well in front of the line.

19
00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:14.880
If I go into more internal rotation of the shoulder then it would be more back

20
00:01:14.880 --> 00:01:20.940
behind this line. If this stays closer to back behind this line then it will be

21
00:01:20.940 --> 00:01:28.260
much easier for me to get the club to pass and use the bottom of the swing or

22
00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:32.780
use the back of the club for bounce. Basically it's easier for me to get the

23
00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:39.260
club leaning more vertical. If I bring that elbow well in front it's more

24
00:01:39.260 --> 00:01:45.820
challenging. I was able to pull off good contact on that one but you could see

25
00:01:45.820 --> 00:01:49.640
based on the ground contact that it was a little bit more tough. If I was to

26
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:49.820
have

27
00:01:49.820 --> 00:01:55.020
any steepness like that you would see the ground contact would be not quite as

28
00:01:55.020 --> 00:02:03.140
good. So if you struggle with getting this arm a little bit more tucked in and

29
00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:08.220
you get the contact behind the ball more with the leading edge then focus on

30
00:02:08.220 --> 00:02:14.340
that trail arm staying a little bit more out. That will help you slide the club

31
00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:18.420
along the ground for a longer period of time. Hit that back edge and just let

32
00:02:18.420 --> 00:02:18.580
the

33
00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:25.620
club slide a great way to give yourself a little bit more margin of air. This

34
00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:25.780
is

35
00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:31.620
a trend typically for better players. I'd say that poor wedge players don't

36
00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:37.180
necessarily hire handicap golfers who are naturally good wedge players tend to

37
00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:37.420
do

38
00:02:37.420 --> 00:02:42.500
this setup with their shoulder a little bit more naturally but I have found a

39
00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:47.700
number of very good ball strikers who tend to set up kind of in this pattern

40
00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:52.180
here and if you have any amount of lunge you can hear that it's not quite as

41
00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:57.310
crisp not quite as good ground contact. So if you're struggling or if you look

42
00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:57.380
at

43
00:02:57.380 --> 00:03:01.200
your video and you just see that you have a really hard time using bounce focus

44
00:03:01.200 --> 00:03:01.380
on

45
00:03:01.380 --> 00:03:06.180
pointing the elbow more behind you or from the face-on trying to get the elbow

46
00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:10.380
shoulder and wrist to kind of stay in line a little bit longer instead of

47
00:03:10.380 --> 00:03:15.980
having that elbow lead because that elbow leading can do a number on how you

48
00:03:15.980 --> 00:03:18.940
you control the leading edge and how you control low point.

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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.

Improve Your Finesse Shots with Trail Arm Internal Rotation

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Understand the role of trail arm internal rotation in finesse shots
  • Identify the correct elbow position to improve contact and consistency
  • Practice sliding the club along the ground for cleaner strikes and better control

In this drill, you'll learn how to adjust your trail arm position to enhance your finesse shots around the green. This adjustment can help you create better contact and utilize the bounce of your club effectively.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000
This finesse wedge drill is trail arm internal rotation. So many golfers who

2
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.360
struggle with their finesse shots around the green do so because they approach

3
00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:09.520
it

4
00:00:09.520 --> 00:00:13.720
more like a full swing. One of the common places where especially good players

5
00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:19.440
get in problems is they set up for a position of lag with the trail shoulder

6
00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:23.550
instead of a position of cast for the trail shoulder. And what that does is

7
00:00:23.550 --> 00:00:24.080
that

8
00:00:24.080 --> 00:00:28.260
causes you to create too much shaft lean which takes away bounce and gives you

9
00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:33.600
leading edge contact. So at best case you hit these really hot running chip

10
00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:38.000
shots or pitch shots. Worst case you struggle with chunk shots or bladed

11
00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:41.580
shots because you pull up knowing that you're about to chunk it. So one way

12
00:00:41.580 --> 00:00:41.760
that

13
00:00:41.760 --> 00:00:47.040
you can work around getting a little bit more neutral shaft is by focusing on

14
00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:47.240
the

15
00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:55.400
trail arm. So now what I'm going to do is I'm going to monitor if my elbow is a

16
00:00:55.400 --> 00:01:04.260
head of a line between my shoulder and my wrist. So if I had this line right

17
00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:04.540
here

18
00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:08.980
you can see from the face-on camera that my elbow is well in front of the line.

19
00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:14.880
If I go into more internal rotation of the shoulder then it would be more back

20
00:01:14.880 --> 00:01:20.940
behind this line. If this stays closer to back behind this line then it will be

21
00:01:20.940 --> 00:01:28.260
much easier for me to get the club to pass and use the bottom of the swing or

22
00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:32.780
use the back of the club for bounce. Basically it's easier for me to get the

23
00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:39.260
club leaning more vertical. If I bring that elbow well in front it's more

24
00:01:39.260 --> 00:01:45.820
challenging. I was able to pull off good contact on that one but you could see

25
00:01:45.820 --> 00:01:49.640
based on the ground contact that it was a little bit more tough. If I was to

26
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:49.820
have

27
00:01:49.820 --> 00:01:55.020
any steepness like that you would see the ground contact would be not quite as

28
00:01:55.020 --> 00:02:03.140
good. So if you struggle with getting this arm a little bit more tucked in and

29
00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:08.220
you get the contact behind the ball more with the leading edge then focus on

30
00:02:08.220 --> 00:02:14.340
that trail arm staying a little bit more out. That will help you slide the club

31
00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:18.420
along the ground for a longer period of time. Hit that back edge and just let

32
00:02:18.420 --> 00:02:18.580
the

33
00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:25.620
club slide a great way to give yourself a little bit more margin of air. This

34
00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:25.780
is

35
00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:31.620
a trend typically for better players. I'd say that poor wedge players don't

36
00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:37.180
necessarily hire handicap golfers who are naturally good wedge players tend to

37
00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:37.420
do

38
00:02:37.420 --> 00:02:42.500
this setup with their shoulder a little bit more naturally but I have found a

39
00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:47.700
number of very good ball strikers who tend to set up kind of in this pattern

40
00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:52.180
here and if you have any amount of lunge you can hear that it's not quite as

41
00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:57.310
crisp not quite as good ground contact. So if you're struggling or if you look

42
00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:57.380
at

43
00:02:57.380 --> 00:03:01.200
your video and you just see that you have a really hard time using bounce focus

44
00:03:01.200 --> 00:03:01.380
on

45
00:03:01.380 --> 00:03:06.180
pointing the elbow more behind you or from the face-on trying to get the elbow

46
00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:10.380
shoulder and wrist to kind of stay in line a little bit longer instead of

47
00:03:10.380 --> 00:03:15.980
having that elbow lead because that elbow leading can do a number on how you

48
00:03:15.980 --> 00:03:18.940
you control the leading edge and how you control low point.

Have questions about this video?

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