There are three ways to set your left wrist at the top of your backswing. You can 1) keep it flat, 2) flex, or “bow,” it or 3) extend, or “cup,” it. The success of players such as Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and, more recently, Viktor Hovland has made bowing the lead wrist a bona fide move du jour, but the truth is that there’s no one correct position for everybody. In fact, unless you’re as flexible as the players mentioned above, you’re probably better off keeping your left wrist flat.
To practice this, grab a ruler and slide it under the Velcro patch on your glove as shown. Next, make a backswing. If you feel the ruler “dig” into your wrist, you’re cupping. Not good for most weekend players. If you notice a gap between the ruler and your forearm, you’re bowing too much. The goal: Swing to the top while keeping the ruler flush against your lead forearm. This neutral position, for most players, leads to more consistent contact with every club in the bag.
Check out the pictures below for more.
Jason Carbone is the director of instruction at Woodland CC in Carmel, Ind.
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