Don’t worry about keeping your left arm straight. The problem is your right elbow is bent too much!
There is No Right and Wrong!
Before going further, let me stress that there is no right and wrong in the golf swing. Only optimal and suboptimal. If whatever you’re doing now is working for you, don’t change. I advocate limiting the flex in the right (trail) arm to no more than 90 degrees. Have there been great golfers with more than 90 degrees of flexion in the trailing arm? Yes. John Daly and Fred Couples are examples with more than 90 degrees. They “get away” with it because they have a massive body turn and excellent hand-eye coordination. Most amateur golfers should stick with 90 degrees or less. In my experience, golfers bend their trail arm too much because they lack good body rotation and flexibility. That being the case, we need to get the most out of what we have.
Who Wants more Consistancy and Distance?
What is the result of limiting the trailing arm to 90 degrees? It will improve consistency and lengthen the arc of your swing—the bigger the arch, the greater the clubhead speed. More speed means more distance. If you’d like more consistency and distance, raise your hand.
Old Habits Die Hard.
This excessive bending of the right arm will be a tough habit to break. To do so, you’ll need to break things down into “chunks.” Do this drill. Take any club you’d like and get into your address position. Notice there is a slight bend in the elbow of your trailing arm. Start your backswing in slow motion. Stop when the club is parallel to the ground. The amount of angle in your trailing arm should be the same as when you were at the address position! I think you’ll find your trailing elbow has a significant amount of flexion (collapse) at this point. It should not! The rotation of your body should control the takeaway, not the manipulation of the hands and arms. Keep your hands and arms in front of your body. Do not let the trailing arm bend!
Drill, Drill, Drill.
Don’t go further than described. That is, no more than the point where the club is parallel to the ground. Practice this “chunk” of the backswing until it is second nature. Once you do, the following steps are easy.
One Video is Worth Thousands of Words.
Here’s a short video to demonstrate what I’m talking about. I think you’ll find it interesting.
That’s it for now. Have a safe and happy new year!
Doug