Wrist cock

[Big money]

How important is it on the backswing?Looking at this from a technical point of view.Would one not benefit from less levers in the golf swing.And utilize less cocking of the wrists?

[STUDque]

Wrist cock is not a blanket solution. It'll depend on many other factors in your swing whether or not it's beneficial.

 

Generally speaking, you want a neutral wrist. But if you look at Justin Rose, he bends his plenty and then you've got the flip side with DJ and his negative bend.

 

You could share pictures of your swing and may get more personalized answers from the knowledgeable folks here; but this is still a question I'd recommend asking your swing coach that knows your swing and tendencies.

 

 

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[Big money]

Wrist cock is not a blanket solution. It'll depend on many other factors in your swing whether or not it's beneficial.

 

Generally speaking, you want a neutral wrist. But if you look at Justin Rose, he bends his plenty and then you've got the flip side with DJ and his negative bend.

 

You could share pictures of your swing and may get more personalized answers from the knowledgeable folks here; but this is still a question I'd recommend asking your swing coach that knows your swing and tendencies.

 

 

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great points.I guess I'm one of those that likes to dissect info on the swing.Personally I think less is better than more.The pro told me the only definitive in the swing is impact.The rest is all individual preference

[Shankster]

I've lightened up my grip a little, the wrists hinge naturally. Before I was white knuckling them and had all sorts of peoblems. A lighter grip frees up the swing.

 

 

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[TSauer]

I've lightened up my grip a little, the wrists hinge naturally. Before I was white knuckling them and had all sorts of peoblems. A lighter grip frees up the swing.

 

 

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Exactly this. Something I focused on last season. Instead of forcing it, just let it happen.

[ole gray]

Watch Steve Stricker on YouTube etc. very simple with little wrist cock

 

 

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[Lime Shark]

Is this about wrist cock or wrist hinge? They are two different things.

 

Wrist cock is when the lead arm's wrist bends toward the thumb. The back of the wrist is still perfectly flat for most golfers.

 

Wrist hinge is when the trail arm's wrist folds directly backwards (how you get the holding a waiter's tray position).

 

[Big money]

Is this about wrist cock or wrist hinge? They are two different things.

 

Wrist cock is when the lead arm's wrist bends toward the thumb. The back of the wrist is still perfectly flat for most golfers.

 

Wrist hinge is when the trail arm's wrist folds directly backwards (how you get the holding a waiter's tray position).

 

Awesome example

[Lime Shark]

Back to the original question: yes, you should cock your lead wrist.

 

The releasing of that lever on the downswing transfers the energy to the club, making it move faster.

 

If you don't cock your wrist, the energy won't be as efficiently transfered from the arms to the club.

 

[Big money]

I played around on the simulator today with the wrist cock.When I had little or late wrist cock I tended to enter the ball very shallow. With almost a zeroed our AOA.Where if I cocked my wrists early and pronounced it I had positive AOA.From a distance stand point the earlier wrist cock gave me more fire power.Less was more accurate but shorter.

 

Great learning experience today

Pro told me do what feels best.He is all concerned about impact and a solid strike.

[BIG STU]

I do not use much on a regular shot in fact I forward press to lock my left wrist. Now some short shots I use a lot of wrist cock but they do not teach that because it can lead to flipping

BTW I like your Pro's attitude as in do what feels best to you

[Peaksy68]

I have very little wrist cock in my swing. A series of wrist injuries prevents me from swinging how I would like.

When I do consciously try to get some more in my swing I tend to hit the ball better, better distance and flight, but then I can't move my wrist for a few days due to pain.

 

I'd rather play with a swing that lets me keep playing than one that works well for a day but stops there.

 

I like to think of my swing as like Steve Strickers, but with much less quality.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Good question, interesting discussion so far!!

 

As I've struggled with a loss of distance the past few years, one of the things I tired to "self fix" I know that always works out well----right, was getting more club-head speed into impact by making sure my wrist were cocked (not hinged) early in the takeaway, then let them uncock naturally during the downswing and hopefully right near impact.  

 

Obviously this seems like it rely's on correct timing and maybe so. But I do know I had a couple drives this year where this was my main swing thought, and they ended up being some of my longest drives of the year by 30 yards or so. 

 

Someone mentioned Steve Stricker, and that's what my backswing used to look like normally, ok not as text book as his, but I mean very simple, not a lot of wrist cock and not too long.   But now it probably looks like his grandfathers swing.   

[null]

There are know absolutes in the golf swing, especially the backswing.  Talk about "ideal positions" is okay, but it is not gospel.  Wrist cock, grip, etc are all parts of a very complex process and there is no way to say a certain amount of wrist cock or cocking the wrists at a specific point in the backswing is the optimal solution for everyone

[Miboy62]

I use some wrist cock, for me it helps keep my left arm straight.

[Bags]

How important is it on the backswing?Looking at this from a technical point of view.Would one not benefit from less levers in the golf swing.And utilize less cocking of the wrists?[/quote

 

 

Bags

[Kenny B]

Lots of power comes from the wrists unhinging at the correct time.  It's not important to focus on hinging in the backswing, as it should occur naturally as the trail elbow folds.  The hinge helps create the leverage angle in the downswing.  Some players can actually increase the leverage angle during the downswing; Sergio does that very well.  I don't and unfortunately I don't hinge enough.  If I do a slow motion swing, I can generate a decent leverage angle in the downswing; speed it up and it's gone!  

[BIG STU]

Lots of power comes from the wrists unhinging at the correct time.  It's not important to focus on hinging in the backswing, as it should occur naturally as the trail elbow folds.  The hinge helps create the leverage angle in the downswing.  Some players can actually increase the leverage angle during the downswing; Sergio does that very well.  I don't and unfortunately I don't hinge enough.  If I do a slow motion swing, I can generate a decent leverage angle in the downswing; speed it up and it's gone!  

Now all of this proper wrist hinging does create power  but you have to time it up correctly. My swing for years used a lot of wrist cock at the proper place and depended entirely on timing. I generated a lot of power from my hands and wrists. Now about a year or so ago I discovered that due to age my hands and wrists did not work as they used to.  It first cropped up in my putting. I always used the arc method which was sorta natural to me. Got to fanning a lot of putts right figured it out that my hands did not work like they used to and I was leaving the putter face open. I ended up going to a SBST stroke with the claw grip and it worked. I found out on my regular hitting stroke that I was having trouble timing it up because again due to age my body does not work like it used to. Back in the day I automatically re routed the club to the hitting zone. Sometimes I laid it off in the back swing sometimes I did not. But I re routed it subconsciously. I ended up going to a shorter back swing and doing a 1 piece take away. Now part of the above is also due to not playing or practicing every day like I used to. Us older guys do not need to be pounding balls everyday. Since I do not play comp or play big money matches any more I do not practice every day or play. For me I came up with a serviceable swing for me. It has taken a year but it is coming to fruition or at least it was before the extreme cold weather hit The key is to find what works for your body.   

[Rtracymog]

I take lessons on occasion from a golfing machine guy and the wrist cock is one of the first things that I do in the swing. Once the wrist cocks and is set, the rest of the backswing is easy.

 

 

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[Kenny B]

I take lessons on occasion from a golfing machine guy and the wrist cock is one of the first things that I do in the swing. Once the wrist cocks and is set, the rest of the backswing is easy.

 

 

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I tried this once.  It does not work for me.  With my single plane swing, cocking wrists early puts me completely off plane.  It gets ugly from there.  

[Big money]

All great replies,sadly I'm even more confused.Feel now like there is no or wrong way to hit a golf ball

[BIG STU]

All great replies,sadly I'm even more confused.Feel now like there is no or wrong way to hit a golf ball

I have said it for years and so have others Mr Arnold Palmer and Mr Tiger Woods included. This is sorta a synopsis --- Swing your own swing not the swing you saw someone else do or the swing you wish you had I sure did-- A Palmer---- Tiger said it basically like I have always said it and I said it long before I heard him say it---  There is no one etched in stone way to properly swing a golf club or play the game of golf-- 

Now I will admit you can not convince some instructors of that especially most rank and file PGA of America Members-- Remember my old man ran a course and between running the range and being the starter at the first tee I have seen a lot of swings over the years and have found it true. I have seen guys with crap swings that could flat play Jim Thorpe and Allen Doyle on the Champions Tour come to mind. I have seen these kids out of the local PGM schools around here that have a beautiful cookie cutter swings but can't play a lick. Everyone can not be Adam Scott. Even the current #1 player in the world Dustin Johnson has a "flaw" according to the gurus he bows his wrist at the top. Does not seem to hold him back any at all. All in all IMHO you need to play golf and not golf swing. You have to experiment some. When you get a swing and method that is comfortable to you then concentrate on getting that little white ball in the hole in as few of strokes as you can

[Lime Shark]

Lots of power comes from the wrists unhinging at the correct time.  It's not important to focus on hinging in the backswing, as it should occur naturally as the trail elbow folds.  The hinge helps create the leverage angle in the downswing.  Some players can actually increase the leverage angle during the downswing; Sergio does that very well.  I don't and unfortunately I don't hinge enough.  If I do a slow motion swing, I can generate a decent leverage angle in the downswing; speed it up and it's gone!  

 

Do you mean unhinging or uncocking? They are two different things.

 

The thread is about cocking the wrists. Not hinging the wrists.

[Lime Shark]

All great replies,sadly I'm even more confused.Feel now like there is no or wrong way to hit a golf ball

 

 

The picture below shows someone with zero lead arm wrist cock at setup (Moe Norman). Notice that because he has no wrist cock, the club and arm form a straight line.

 

 

Here Moe at the top of the backswing. Notice the club is now at a right angle to his lead arm. How did he do that? He cocked the wrist on his lead arm. If he had no lead arm wrist cock, then the club would still be running in a straight line out from his arm. 

 

 

I'm not exactly sure what people mean here when they say they don't cock their lead wrist in the golf swing. Unless their left arm and golf club form a straight line at the top of the golf swing, they are cocking the wrist at the top of the backswing.

 

Below is a picture of someone at impact position. Notice the lead wrist is not cocked. This is typical, because of the centrifugal force pulling the club out. 

 

Unless you are in this position at the TOP of the backswing (shaft and arm in a straight line) you most definitely ARE cocking and uncocking your lead wrists.

 

[bluesmandan76]

I'll add to lime shark's excellent post... you NEED to cock and hinge the wrists for power, accuracy, and fluid rhythm in the swing. This is what happens: a guy hits some bad shots and thinks he can be more accurate if he eliminates the wrists... but he loses some power and compensates by other things and ends up with a fast choppy stiff swing that is still inaccurate. The solution is not eliminating the wrists but using them correctly.

 

 

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[Kenny B]

The picture below shows someone with zero lead arm wrist cock at setup (Moe Norman). Notice that because he has no wrist cock, the club and arm form a straight line.

 

 

Here Moe at the top of the backswing. Notice the club is now at a right angle to his lead arm. How did he do that? He cocked the wrist on his lead arm. If he had no lead arm wrist cock, then the club would still be running in a straight line out from his arm. 

 

 

I'm not exactly sure what people mean here when they say they don't cock their lead wrist in the golf swing. Unless their left arm and golf club form a straight line at the top of the golf swing, they are cocking the wrist at the top of the backswing.

 

Below is a picture of someone at impact position. Notice the lead wrist is not cocked. This is typical, because of the centrifugal force pulling the club out. 

 

Unless you are in this position at the TOP of the backswing (shaft and arm in a straight line) you most definitely ARE cocking and uncocking your lead wrists.

 

Interesting that you should use Moe as an example.  I have been a student of Moe's swing for 10 years.  Now if I could just get as much leverage as Moe had...

[Lime Shark]

Interesting that you should use Moe as an example.  I have been a student of Moe's swing for 10 years.  Now if I could just get as much leverage as Moe had...

 

Moe is one of the few golfers that have no wrist cock AT SETUP.

 

Most golfers have the lead wrist partially cocked at setup. Which again leads to my puzzlement about how they can say they don't cock their wrists. If they didn't cock their wrists at all, then their setup would look like Moe Norman.

[EthanSterlingPrice]

For me if I don't have that wrist movement then my swing plane gets extremely flat but I was also taught that the wrist break isn't entirely a conscious motion when done correctly. The biggest factor in favor of wrist break for me is that it allows you to get the lag required for a more powerful strike on the ball. Then as mentioned at the start of the thread there is the issue of having another lever to time in the downswing and plenty of issues that pop up if done incorrectly so to each their own. I personally use a healthy bit of wrist motion though on the full swing.

 

 

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[TBT]

I've lightened up my grip a little, the wrists hinge naturally. Before I was white knuckling them and had all sorts of peoblems. A lighter grip frees up the swing.

 

 

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This is something that I have been working on....sometimes I tend to "choke" the club and I have lots of issues and it tends to make me try to "force" a release.

 

light grip pressure gives me a natural wrist cock and a natural release...it's more accurate and LONGER!