Use this ‘flick’ drill to increase your clubhead speed and hit the ball longer

It’s trendy these days to eliminate any excessive wrist motion during the swing, but it’s important to recognize that your wrists play an integral part in boosting clubhead speed and squaring the clubface at impact. 

I teach my students to “flick” their wrists through impact — a necessary move found in all good golf swings. As the clubhead approaches the ball, notice that your right wrist is bent and your left wrist is flexed. After impact, however, the opposite is true: Your left wrist is bent and your right wrist is flexed. That means somewhere in between (i.e., through impact) your wrists need to flick. 

A great way to develop a feel for this is to practice flicking only your wrists at the bottom of your swing. Start by simulating a slow practice swing, then as you move the club near parallel to the ground on the forward swing, activate only your wrists and flick the club through. It’ll feel incredibly handsy since you’re not moving your body. That’s the point: You want to heighten the sensation here so when it comes time to make a real swing, your wrists will flick with velocity and ease, helping you increase your clubhead speed and hit longer shots. 

Remember, flick doesn’t mean flip — your hands don’t flip over. They merely flick the handle, much like you do when skipping a rock across a lake. 

The Brian Manzella Golf Academy is based at English Turn Golf & Country Club in New Orleans, La.