Hello golfers! Sarah Chen here, your Golf Instruction Editor for The Daily Duffer. I’ve spent over 15 years on the range and course, helping players of all levels unlock their potential. One area that often gets overlooked, or perhaps misunderstood, is the intricate relationship between our wrists, hands, and the golf club. We all want more power and accuracy, right? Well, a recent experiment sheds some fascinating light on how our hands can either be our greatest asset or our biggest hindrance.
You often hear about specific wrist actions – cocking, uncocking, rolling. But what if some of these motions, particularly through impact, are actually working against you? It’s a bold question, and one that prompted a deep dive into the true cause-and-effect of wrist and hand movements on ball flight.
Unpacking the Wrist and Hand Actions
Before we dive into the findings, let’s quickly define the six fundamental actions of the wrists and forearms. These are the building blocks of how the club interacts with the ball:
- Palmar and Dorsiflexion: Think of this as “flipping” – either bending your hand towards your palm (palmar) or towards the back of your hand (dorsiflexion).
- Ulnar and Radial Deviation: This is the “cocking” motion. Radial deviation is when your hand bends towards your thumb side (cocking up), and ulnar deviation is bending towards your pinky side (uncocking or releasing).
- Pronation and Supination: This refers to the “rotating” of your forearms. Pronation is rotating your forearm so your palm faces down, and supination is rotating so your palm faces up.
For years, golf instruction has put a lot of emphasis on combining these movements. We’re often taught to “set the wrists” (radial deviation) on the backswing, then “roll the forearms” (pronation/supination) through impact. But the recent experiments reveal something surprising about some of these traditional approaches.
“Interestingly, rotation was actually terrible in each grip position, as was any motion that primarily moved the club straight up and down in front of you. That included cocking and uncocking with a neutral grip, and flipping from the extremely weak or extremely strong grip.”
This is a big one! The experiment found that isolating forearm rotation through impact was actually detrimental to both power and accuracy with any grip. Furthermore, purely cocking and uncocking with a neutral grip, or flipping with extremely strong or weak grips, also yielded poor results.
As the source article points out, the traditional pattern of “cocking and rotating” is “using two of the worst possible motions through impact, at least based on what I saw in this experiment.” The rotator muscles aren’t inherently powerful, and relying on precise timing of a “roll” can be incredibly inconsistent.
What Actually Works for Power and Accuracy?
So, if some of the most commonly taught movements are less effective, what should we be focusing on? The experiment identified two clear winners for both power and horizontal shot dispersion:
- Flipping with a Neutral Grip: Yes, “flipping” – a term often demonized in golf – can be very effective when paired with a neutral grip. This essentially means allowing your hands to naturally extend through impact.
- Cocking Up and Down with an Extremely Strong Grip: This involves maintaining the “cocking” motion through impact, but only when your lead hand is turned significantly to the right (for a right-handed golfer).
Now, I know some of you might be raising an eyebrow at “flipping.” In my teaching experience, a “flip” is often associated with a loss of lag or power. However, this experiment suggests that when done correctly, and especially with a neutral grip, it can be beneficial for consistent turf interaction and ball flight. It’s less about a premature release and more about how the wrist extends through the hitting zone.
The “Dead Hands” Approach: Consistency over Power
Another fascinating insight from the experiment was the “dead hands” approach. This means minimizing wrist and hand action through impact, allowing the larger body movements to do the work. The results were compelling:
“To me, this was the most consistent, accurate, and precise in terms of horizontal shot dispersion and also shot height. However, without using the wrists, it naturally lacked power, which means you need to get that power from other places…”
While lacking in raw power, a dead hands approach delivered incredible consistency and accuracy, especially in horizontal dispersion and shot height. It doesn’t require as much practice to master the timing, making it a very appealing option for certain situations.
Think about it: On shorter, tighter courses, or when you simply need to find the fairway, a dead hands approach could be your secret weapon. For pitching and short chips where distance isn’t key but precise target acquisition is, this technique truly shines. As a coach, I tell my students that sometimes, hitting it 10 yards shorter but dead straight is far more valuable than a longer mishit.
“Dead hands for dead aim, in this case.”
Actionable Drills for Your Game
It’s always exciting to learn new concepts, but the real improvement comes from putting them into practice. Here are a couple of drills to help you explore these findings:
Try This: Neutral Grip Flip Drill (For Power & Accuracy)
- Setup: Take your normal, neutral grip with a mid-iron. (A neutral grip means your lead hand’s V points towards your trail shoulder, and your trail hand’s V points between your lead ear and lead shoulder).
- The Drill: Focus on maintaining a good body rotation, but feel your lead wrist naturally extend or “flip” through impact. It’s not a forced chicken wing, but a natural release where the back of your lead hand might feel like it’s approaching the target. Don’t actively try to “roll” your forearms.
- Goal: Hit easy half-swings at first, focusing on clean contact and a straight ball flight. You might be surprised by how solid and accurate your shots feel. This drill helps to eliminate excessive forearm rotation.
Here’s a Drill: Dead Hands Pitching (For Precision)
- Setup: Grab a pitching wedge or sand wedge. Choke down slightly on the grip and set up with your weight slightly forward.
- The Drill: Make a miniature backswing, imagining your wrists and hands are “locked” – no hinge, no flip, no roll. Use a simple shoulder-rocking motion to move the club. Keep your wrists firm through impact, letting your body turn through to pull the club.
- Goal: Practice hitting small pitch shots to a target. Notice how consistent your contact becomes and how predictable the ball flight is. This is ideal for those delicate shots around the green where control trumps distance.
Your Path to Better Golf
This exploration into wrist and hand actions is a fantastic reminder that the golf swing isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. What works for one player might not be optimal for another. By understanding the fundamental mechanics and experimenting with what feels effective for *your* swing, you can make significant strides.
Don’t be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. Try these concepts on the range with an open mind. Pay attention to how the ball reacts, not just how it feels. With a little experimentation and focused practice, you’ll be well on your way to more powerful and accurate golf. Happy hitting!
