Proper Wrist Hinge Technique

Novice and amateur golfers tend to have a problem hitting crisp iron shots. There are two reasons for this mistake. First, the takeaway tends to be too low to the ground, therefore delaying the proper hinging of the wrists until too late in the back swing.

Another problem is the misguided effort of swinging your arms too far in the back swing, thinking that doing so would make a more powerful shot. Actually, doing so would cause a breakdown in posture and it usually leads to a reverse pivot. Such flaws cause missed hits and a lack of distance and control.

There are several simple steps that one can take to gain control over the length of the swing in order to create more solid contact. Upon set-up, create a 45-degree angle between the left arm and the club's shaft. Doing so would start the swing with the wrists already hinged halfway to the necessary 90 degrees.

During the takeaway, the hands should stay close to the ground while the club head moves up quickly. Your goal is to get your left thumb pointing at the right shoulder as soon as possible. You will know that you have achieved the proper wrist hinge when your left arm is parallel to the ground and the club shaft is perpendicular it.

This kind of corrective positioning would set the wrists much earlier in the back swing, thereby eliminating the need to swing the arms too far at the top. The tendency to lose posture and reverse pivot will be removed through this more compact golf swing.

Always remember that creating a proper wrist hinge in the back swing would lead to a noticeably better ball striking. This would result to a more consistent distance and direction on all iron shots.