Create a Wide Arc for Power in the Golf Swing

Increase Club Speed with Left Arm Swing to Create Width and Power

Jul 3, 2009 John Hoskison

A golf swing with a wide arc creates more power and club head speed at impact. Use the left arm to create width so the right hand can release powerfully into the ball.

The modern swing has evolved into a wide more powerful action. Not only has Tiger Woods set the bar higher where power is now essential on the Pga Tour, but also modern equipment is designed for a wider golf swing arc. Certain golf shots that were standard pressure plays only twenty years ago have all but disappeared. Teeing the ball down for a squeeze fade on a tight hole is all but gone, nowadays it’s tee it high, attack from a shallow angle and launch it high into the air. A wider swing is here to stay.

How to Create a Wider Arc on the Backswing

• It is not only pros that can work on making their golf swing wider and more efficient. All golfers can improve the width of their swing arc by following a few tips. Try to incorporate these suggestions into your swing for more power and increased club head speed at impact.

• The left arm creates the radius of the swing. On the backswing it is better to have a shorter swing, where the left arm stays straight, rather than a long swing where the left arm crumbles.

• Let your right arm support the left to help keep it straight. Rather than just letting the right arm fold, and play a passive roll on the backswing, use it to help push the club away from you. In this way the left arm, which might not be strong enough on it’s own, can remain straight.

• Do some tummy exercises every day to help develop your core strength. This doesn’t require thousands of sit up’s, but twenty a day will help you contain the torque built up on the backswing. As you twist the upper body over the lower body your tummy muscles hold the swing together. If the tummy is weak the swing just crumbles, but with a stronger core the swing builds up like a spring.

• All the hard work is done. At the top of the backswing you are wound up like a spring, all you have to do is let the potential energy stored release powerfully into the ball.

• Do not unwind the body so fast that the left arm crumbles, this is the main cause of a narrow ineffective downswing;
• When the golf swing has width it appears slower than a fast narrow swing. The big muscles are working, and they work slower to build power so don’t try to inject power too quickly. Start slow from the top and keep some space between the left arm and the body.

• Make sure you turn to a finish after you have unleashed the right hand and side into the ball. Although the width of the follow through should compliment the width created on the backswing, it is always a good idea to make sure the swing finishes in a good position.

See Also: Hit Against a Firm Left Side for Longer Drives or How to Make a Shollder Turn - Exercise for Golf Turn

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Create Width for Golf Swing Power	Use Right Arm to Support Left	Push the Club Away from you
Start Down Slowly to Keep Left Arm Straight