Improve Your Golf Swing with the Side Arm Throw Drill

The side arm throw drill teaches you how the trail arm should deliver speed through the release without throwing the club out at the ball. If you tend to shove your hands away from your body, lose your posture, or feel like your arms and body are fighting each other through impact, this drill gives you a much clearer motion. It helps you train a better relationship between your trail arm, your lead side brace, and the way your body supports the release. The result is a motion that feels more athletic, more connected, and much closer to how good players actually move through the strike.

How the Drill Works

This drill is built around a simple athletic action: a sidearm throw. That throwing motion teaches you that your trail arm does not straighten by pushing outward toward the golf ball. Instead, it works more across your body while your body provides a stable base for the arm to extend and release.

You can practice it in two main versions:

Two-arm version using a larger, light object such as a volleyball, soccer ball, basketball, or light medicine ball
One-arm version using a golf ball or similarly small object held in your trail hand

In both versions, the key idea is the same: your trail elbow works underneath and in front of the lead arm rather than flying out and away from you. From there, you release the object with the feeling that your body is not endlessly drifting forward. Instead, your lead side firms up enough to let the arm extend with speed.

That is an important concept in the golf swing. Through impact, your body is not supposed to chase the clubhead down the line forever. Good players create speed because the body helps position the arms, then provides a stable structure so the club can whip through. The side arm throw gives you that sensation in a way that is much easier to understand than trying to force positions with a club.

The drill also helps you avoid a very common amateur pattern: sending the trail arm out toward the ball. That move often steepens the shaft, stalls rotation, opens the shoulders too early, and makes solid contact much harder. A true sidearm-style release feels more like the arm is moving out in front of you and across you, not down at the ball.

Two-Arm Version

With the two-arm variation, hold a larger ball in front of your chest. As you rehearse the motion, feel your trail arm move into a position where the trail elbow is more underneath the lead arm. You can also add a slight “motorcycle” feel in the lead wrist and forearm—similar to bowing the lead wrist a bit—so the release looks and feels more like a golf motion instead of a generic chest pass.

From there, make a sidearm-style throw into a safe target such as a couch, padded wall, or open space. The goal is not to throw as hard as possible. The goal is to feel the correct sequencing: arm under, body braced, then release.

One-Arm Version

For the one-arm variation, hold a golf ball in your trail hand more like a shot put—resting in the palm and lightly supported by the thumb. Then rehearse and throw it sidearm so the elbow works across your body and the ball is sent out in front, not dumped down at the ground near your trail foot.

You can adjust the direction slightly depending on the club you are trying to match:

Iron feel: the throw will feel a bit more downward, but still ahead of the golf ball rather than directly at it
Driver feel: your upper body will feel slightly more tilted back, and the throw will feel more level or parallel to the ground

Lead Arm Support Variation

You can also improve the one-arm version by placing your lead arm across a club for support. This helps prevent the lead arm from spinning open too early and gives you a stronger sense of the trail side driving through a firm lead side. That can help you feel a release where the shoulders stay closed a touch longer, allowing the arms to create the side bend and rotation instead of the upper body flying open immediately.

Step-by-Step

Choose the right object. For the two-arm version, use a light ball such as a volleyball or soccer ball. For the one-arm version, use a golf ball or another small object you can safely toss.
Set up in a golf-like posture. Stand in an athletic position with your feet about shoulder width apart and a slight forward bend from the hips. You do not need a full backswing. This is a release drill, so focus on the delivery area.
Get the trail arm underneath. As you move into your delivery position, feel your trail elbow work more underneath and in front of the lead arm. This is one of the most important pieces of the drill.
Add a golf-style forearm condition. In the two-arm version, you can rehearse a slight lead-wrist bow or “motorcycle” feel so the motion matches a stronger golf release rather than a standard throw.
Brace the lead side. Before the release, feel that your body is supporting the motion. Your lead side should feel stable enough that your arms can extend through, rather than your whole body lunging forward with the throw.
Make the sidearm throw. Release the object sidearm with the feeling that the trail arm is moving across your body and out in front of you. Do not try to throw it straight out toward the golf ball.
Match the throw to the club. If you are rehearsing an iron release, let the throw feel slightly more downward. If you are rehearsing a driver release, keep more upper-body tilt and let the throw feel more level.
Use the lead-arm support variation if needed. Place your lead arm against a club or support object and make the one-arm throw. This helps you feel the trail arm releasing through a more stable lead side without the lead arm spinning open.
Repeat in small sets. Make a few quality reps at a time. Focus on the direction and sequencing of the motion, not power.

What You Should Feel

When you do this drill correctly, the motion should feel athletic and natural. It should not feel like you are forcing your hands down at the ball or trying to manufacture lag. Here are the main sensations to look for:

Trail elbow under and in front rather than stuck behind you or flying away from your side
Trail arm working across the body instead of extending straight out toward the ball
Lead side firming up so the arm has something to release against
Body supporting the release rather than sliding endlessly through it
Shoulders staying closed slightly longer while the arms deliver the strike
Extension happening from the release, not from a push away from your body

A good checkpoint is this: if the throw feels similar to skipping a stone or making a sidearm toss, you are probably close. In those motions, you instinctively organize the arm and torso in an efficient way. You do not throw by shoving your hand straight away from your chest. You brace, sequence, and release. That is exactly what this drill is trying to transfer into your swing.

You may also notice that the motion feels more around you than you expected. That is usually a good sign. Many golfers are so used to sending the club outward that the correct release initially feels exaggerated across the body, even though it is actually much more functional.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Throwing out at the ball. This defeats the purpose of the drill. The throw should go out in front of you with the arm working across your body, not directly at the ball position.
Letting the trail elbow get above or behind the lead arm. If the elbow does not get underneath, you will lose the delivery pattern you are trying to train.
Sliding the whole body through the throw. If your torso keeps drifting with no brace, you will not feel the arm release correctly.
Opening the shoulders too early. When the chest flies open, the arm path often gets thrown outward and steep.
Using too heavy a ball. A heavy object can change the motion and make you muscle the drill. Keep the object light enough that you can move naturally.
Trying to throw hard instead of throwing correctly. Quality of motion matters more than velocity.
Making it a full swing drill. This is primarily about the release and delivery area. Keep your attention there.
Ignoring club-specific tilt. An iron-style throw and a driver-style throw are not identical. Match the angle to the shot you are training.

How This Fits Your Swing

The side arm throw drill fits into a bigger idea: your body moves the arm, and the arm delivers the club. In a good golf swing, the body does not simply spin as fast as possible while the arms hang on. Nor do the arms independently slap at the ball. The two work together.

Your pivot helps place the trail arm in a strong delivery position. Then, as your lead side stabilizes, the trail arm can extend and release with speed. That is why this drill is so useful for golfers who struggle with the release. It teaches you that impact is not a pushing motion out at the ball. It is a coordinated, athletic release supported by the body.

This drill is especially helpful if you tend to:

Cast the club early
Throw the clubhead outside the hands
Stand up through impact
Open your shoulders too soon
Feel disconnected between your torso and arms

As you improve, you should start to see the same pattern show up in your swing: the trail arm will deliver more efficiently, the club will approach from a better direction, and your strike will feel less forced. You may also notice better compression with irons and a more natural release with the driver, because the motion is no longer dominated by an outward shove.

Use the drill away from the ball first. Once the movement feels familiar, make a few slow practice swings and try to recreate the same sensations. The goal is not to literally throw the club like a ball, but to borrow the athletic pattern of a sidearm throw so your release becomes more instinctive and better organized.

Done correctly, this drill gives you a simple but powerful feel: the trail arm works under and across, the lead side braces, and the body supports the release instead of interfering with it. That is a much better blueprint for consistent impact than trying to hit at the ball with your hands.