Move Less - Get Good

What Is a “Chicken Wing”? In a nutshell, a “chicken wing” is one of your elbows bending outward, behind you. This can happen during either the backswing or the downswing. It disrupts many things. In my opinion, some form of the chicken wing could be partly to blame for almost every mishit. It is that prevalent. Based on my discoveries, almost no golfers—including pros—use their elbows correctly. Why Do Golfers Use Their Elbows? Golfers use their elbows because they are getting ready to throw the club head at the ball using just their arms and hands. They subconsciously hinge every possible lever and lift their arms to create as much potential power as possible for throwing the club head. None of these movements are consistent or repeatable. I don’t want to go into all the different mishits caused by this problem. Let’s just get to what will make your swing more athletic, control your chicken wing, and improve your shotmaking. Read the next paragraph slowly, then simulate the position w...

I ask my students to use their shoulders to control the backswing. This means the shoulders move the arms and club to the top of the backswing. My students ask me, “Where should my arms go? Up what plane? To the inside?” I tell them, “Along the path of least resistance.” I know that sounds noncommittal, but that is what happens. If the arms are set up properly—with the shaft in line with the front arm and the elbows close together, pointing back toward the hips—traveling along the path of least resistance will be very easy. Again, the shoulders control the backswing. The arms and hands must not help or lift. We first need the spine to be in a natural, athletic position. We do not want the top of the spine tilted to the right or left. If the spine tilts to one side, the shoulders become restricted and can’t turn freely. The shoulders themselves need to be level and natural. The spine will also tilt forward a bit as our rear end counterbalances us to create an “athletic position.” This i...

Changing your golf swing is like changing the path you take to a particular room in your house. Your current golf swing has a routine that starts in room 1, goes to room 2, then room 3, and finally ends in room 4, where you take your swing. When you follow this routine or path, you are in your comfort zone and have the best chance for consistency. Now, if you take a different route through different rooms, your mind will be apprehensive, and you won’t feel sure of yourself until you trust the new path. Eventually, it becomes familiar and replaces the old path. This takes time and many repetitions of the new routine. It is very doable as long as you stay focused and remain disciplined. The golf swing I teach is simple, athletic, and repeatable. What makes my method different is the setup, which prepares you for your new swing. If you don’t follow the setup, add to it, or leave something out, you’ll struggle. Once learned, my method has only a few setup elements, and following them will ...

Constant Elbow Pressure If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I mention constant grip pressure and passive hands a lot. If we want the large muscles to dominate, it is crucial that grip pressure remain constant so the hands do not take over. It is equally important to maintain constant pressure between the elbows, keeping them directed toward each other. As I work with my students and address different issues with their golf swings, I find that many of these problems can be eliminated if their elbows start close together—pointing back toward the hips—and remain directed toward each other during the swing. The front arm stays straight on the backswing while the back arm bends a little, and the opposite happens on the downswing. A little bending is not what I’m talking about; I’m talking about keeping the elbows close together. It is almost too simple. By maintaining constant elbow pressure throughout the entire swing, the shoulders can control the backswing, and body ro...