How to make sure you have the proper wrist angle at impact

If you look at the impact positions of professional golfers, you’ll notice a commonality they all share — bowed wrists the moment their club makes contact with the ball. This means that when they reach impact, their wrists are bent away from the target as they lean the shaft forward.

There are a few benefits for this bowed-wrist position. Bowed wrists give you the best opportunity to hit the ball farther, and they also help you hit it more solidly. Additionally, you have better clubface and loft control when you have bowed wrists at impact.

However, many recreational golfers — specifically high-handicap players — bend their wrists in the opposite direction at impact. This “cupping” of the wrists at impact happens because high handicappers are trying to help the ball in the air. But while the act is well-intentioned, it can have disastrous results. Cupped wrists at impact can cause inconsistent contact and loss of power, neither of which will help you in your quest for better ball striking.

So, what’s the best way to train yourself to maintain your bowed wrists through impact? First and foremost, you should start slow. Hit some balls in slow-motion while holding that wrist bend through impact and get a feel for what the proper impact position feels like. Get into the “backwards-K” position at impact and ingrain it into your muscles memory.

Next, start hitting punch shots during your practice routine. Focus on maintaining your wrist angle through impact and don’t let your wrist swing through too quickly. Once you can consistently hit these low-flighted shots with bowed wrists, take it up to a full swing and keep the feeling of those proper wrists angles.

If you apply those punch-shot bowed-wrist principles to your full swing, you should see more consistent, and powerful, ball striking.

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Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF.com, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf.