What Should The Left Arm Do?

I'm positive that last week's article on the weight shift disturbed a few of you. For those who missed it, my main point was that the head must move a bit in order for your golf swing to have any semblance of a weight shift. Balance is not a phenomenon that occurs with a stationary head. If you weren't convinced that I was a heretic last week, this article should get you off the fence.

Before I get off and running, I want to apologize to the left handed players out there. I'll be using "left arm". By now, you are used to transposing things. I considered a number of phrases to replace "left arm". They all sounded manufactured and forced, so you're stuck. Sorry.

Let's examine the role of the left arm during the backswing. Simply put, its job is to maintain the same relationship to the left side of the body that it enjoyed during the setup. This consistent relationship should be present throughout the downswing as well, but let's take things one step at a time.

In a perfect world, your left arm would be relaxed at setup. The extreme upper portion of your biceps should be able to pin a dollar bill against your pectoral muscle. Your dollar shouldn't fall out at any point during the backswing.

It sounds simple until you try it. If you place the currency between your biceps and chest and simulate a backswing, your left arm is likely to feel short, weak, and hideously awkward. I sympathize, but this is actually how your left arm should behave. And yes, you can practice by hitting balls with legal tender ensconced in your armpit. If you choose to do this, it will fell both very odd, and markedly different than your standard swing. What I'm saying is that it's a great way to practice, but be prepared for some initial failure. Rest assured, it will be worth it in the end.

The reason this exercise is so miserable is years of brainwashing. The golfing public erroneously believes that the left arm should be rigid and stiff. You are continuously assaulted with this game wrecking piece of advice. It's just not so. The stiff left arm fallacy leads to that arm moving independently of the shoulder muscles. This requires an in kind adjustment later in the swing. My decades of teaching experience have taught me that it is that very adjustment that leads to a chronic slice.

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