Why Ulnar Deviation Feels Weak and How to Fix It

Ulnar deviation—the unhinging of the wrists—often becomes an important piece when you are trying to move from decent ball striking to truly high-level contact. It helps shallow the arms, improves how the club is delivered, and makes it easier for your body to keep rotating through the shot. But when you first work on it, it can feel surprisingly weak. That usually is not because the move is wrong. It is because your swing may be getting speed from somewhere else, and ulnar deviation exposes that pattern. If this motion feels like you are losing power, there are a few common reasons why.

What ulnar deviation actually does in the downswing

In simple terms, ulnar deviation is the wrist action that lets the club unhinge as you approach impact. In a good swing, that motion is not a random flick. It is part of how the club drops, shallows, and then releases with control.

Why this matters is that ulnar deviation supports several things good players need:

• Clubface control
• Low-point control
• Path consistency
• Arm shallowing so the club can approach the ball from a better delivery position
• Body rotation through impact instead of a stall-and-flip release

So if this motion feels weak, that does not mean it is a bad idea. It usually means your swing has been relying on a different power source—one that may create speed, but not always with the same consistency or control.

Why ulnar deviation can feel weak at first

The weak feeling usually shows up when your arms and wrists have been asked to do too much of the work. If your old pattern created speed by throwing the club with the upper body or hands, then shifting toward a release that is more organized and body-supported can feel like you are taking power away.

That sensation is misleading. You are not necessarily losing speed. You are often just moving the source of speed from the wrong place to the right place.

A useful way to think about it is this: your arms and wrists should act more like a steering wheel and transmission than the engine. They help transfer speed, direct the club, and manage the strike. But if they have been acting as the engine, then a more efficient release will initially feel underpowered.

Cause #1: You create speed with too much shoulder internal rotation

One of the most common reasons ulnar deviation feels weak is that you are used to creating speed by aggressively internally rotating the trail shoulder and throwing the arm inward. In that pattern, the club gets delivered by a pulling or slinging action from the arm rather than by the rotation of the body.

If that has been your normal source of speed, then asking your wrists to unhinge while the body keeps rotating can feel passive by comparison. You are used to a sharper, more forceful sensation from the arm. Ulnar deviation does not give you that same “hit” because it is not supposed to be the main power source.

What this looks like

• You feel like you are throwing the clubhead from the top or mid-downswing
• Your trail shoulder feels like it is the main engine of the strike
• The arms outrun the body
• The club may steepen or approach from too far out in front of you

Why this matters

This pattern can create speed, but it often makes it harder to control the bottom of the swing and the face. Ulnar deviation tends to work best when the body is moving the system and the arms are staying more in front of the torso. If the shoulder throw is your main move, then the wrist unhinging motion will feel weak simply because it is being asked to replace a much more forceful pattern.

Cause #2: You rely on back extension and “standing up” for power

Another common issue is using back extension—or standing up through the shot—as a major source of force. This often goes together with the arm-driven pattern above, but it can also show up on its own.

When you drive the swing by extending your spine and lifting through impact, you can create a strong sensation of force. But that force is not the same as a well-supported rotational release. As a result, when you try to keep the wrists organized and let ulnar deviation happen within a better body motion, it can feel like the strike has lost its punch.

Common signs

• You feel yourself pushing upward through impact
• Your chest lifts early
• Your pelvis moves toward the ball or stops rotating well
• The release feels better when you “jump” at it

Why this matters

Standing up can create a dramatic hit, but it often works against the kind of delivery that gives you repeatable compression. Ulnar deviation fits much better with a swing where the lower body and core are rotating and bracing, not simply thrusting upward. If your old power source was extension, then a body-supported release may feel less explosive until you learn how to use the hips and core more effectively.

Cause #3: You are used to a strong rehinge or wrist flick after impact

The third major reason is in the release itself. If you are used to getting near the bottom of the swing and then rehinging the wrists quickly—almost like a flick past impact—then keeping the club moving with more ulnar deviation and less immediate rehinge can feel like you are slowing down.

Many golfers interpret this as “I’m not releasing it.” In reality, they are often just removing an extra hand action that used to create a sensation of speed.

What this feels like

• You are used to a very active hand release through the strike
• The club feels like it snaps past your hands
• When you try to keep the release more organized, it feels like you are hitting the brakes

That “braking” sensation is important. It is not always actual deceleration. It is often just the absence of a familiar wrist throw. If you have relied on that throw for speed, then a more stable release pattern will feel quieter and therefore weaker.

Why this matters

A dramatic rehinge can make timing difficult. It tends to add variability to face control and strike location. Ulnar deviation, when paired with good body rotation, helps the club keep moving through impact without needing that last-second hand throw.

The deeper issue: your arms are acting like the engine

All three of these causes point back to the same larger idea: your arms may be functioning as the main power source. If that is happening, then ulnar deviation will almost always feel weak.

That is because ulnar deviation is not designed to be a standalone power move. Its role is more about transferring speed from the body into the club while also helping you control how the club is delivered.

Think of it this way:

• Your hips and core are the engine
• Your arms are the connector
• Your wrists are part of the transmission and steering

If you have been trying to drive the whole swing with the connector and steering system, then the correct release will feel underpowered. But once the engine is doing its job, ulnar deviation no longer feels weak. It feels efficient.

How the impact bag helps you diagnose the problem

When a motion feels weak, one of the best tools is an impact bag. Not because you should smash it as hard as possible, but because it gives you a freeze-frame of impact. It lets you feel where the tension is coming from and what part of your body is actually delivering the strike.

That is the key question: where is your force coming from?

What to pay attention to

• Do you feel the strike mostly in the arms and shoulders?
• Do you feel yourself standing up to create the hit?
• Or do you feel the strike being supported by your hips, core, and rotation?

If you deliver the bag with the wrists still highly hinged and the club more over the top, you may notice a steep, arm-dominant pattern. To improve that, you want to feel the lead arm and elbow more in front of the body, the club working down in a more organized way, and the body turning through the strike.

In that pattern, ulnar deviation is no longer the thing creating force. It is simply helping transfer force from your pivot into the club.

Use recoil drills to test whether the body is really in charge

A very useful addition to impact bag work is a recoil drill. Instead of just moving into the bag, you move into impact and then feel a controlled stop or slight rebound.

This is helpful because arm-dominant swings often struggle to stop cleanly. If you are throwing the club with the arms, the motion wants to run on. But if your body is braced and rotating properly, you can strike the bag and control the movement.

Why recoil works

• It exposes whether you are flinging the arms or supporting the strike with the body
• It teaches you to feel bracing and rotation through impact
• It helps you sense that the club is being delivered by the pivot, not by a late hand throw

If the recoil feels awkward, that often means the arms are still trying to dominate the release. If it feels stable and connected, you are probably moving in the right direction.

What to check in transition and release

If ulnar deviation feels weak, there are two places in the swing you should examine closely: transition and release.

In transition

Ask yourself how you are starting the downswing.

• Are you immediately throwing the trail shoulder and arm?
• Are you lifting or extending your torso to create speed?
• Or are you allowing the body to begin unwinding while the arms stay more connected and in front?

If transition is arm-dominant, then ulnar deviation will feel weak because the arms are already trying to do too much.

In the release

Look at what happens near the bottom.

• Do you keep rotating and let the club release with structure?
• Or do you add a sharp rehinge and flick to create the sensation of speed?

If the release depends on a late hand action, then a cleaner, more body-supported release will feel muted at first.

How to apply this in practice

The goal is not to force ulnar deviation by itself. The goal is to build a swing where that motion fits naturally because the body is delivering the club correctly.

1. Start with slow-motion rehearsals. Feel the arms staying more in front of your torso while your hips and core begin to move the downswing.
2. Use an impact bag. Hold impact and notice where the pressure and tension are. Try to feel the strike supported by your body, not just your shoulders and hands.
3. Add recoil reps. Move into the bag and stop under control. This helps train bracing and body-driven delivery.
4. Reduce the urge to throw the club. If you are used to internal shoulder rotation or a hard wrist flick, expect the new motion to feel quieter.
5. Monitor your posture through impact. Avoid using early back extension or standing up as your main source of force.
6. Hit short shots first. Half-swings and punch shots are a great way to feel the body delivering the club while the wrists transfer that energy.

Most importantly, do not judge the move only by how powerful it feels at first. Better mechanics often feel less dramatic before they start producing better shots. If ulnar deviation feels weak, that is often a clue that you are exposing an old arm-driven release. Clean up the power source, organize the release, and the motion will start to feel strong in the right way—stable, repeatable, and much easier to control.