Struggling to stop your right elbow from flying out during your backswing is one of the most common and stubborn frustrations in golf. That chicken wing movement not only feels weak but actively kills your power and is a primary cause of that dreaded over-the-top slice. This guide will walk you through exactly why a connected right arm is so essential and provide simple, effective drills to train the correct feeling, helping you build a more powerful and predictable golf swing.
Before we learn how to fix it, let’s quickly understand why this is so important. When your right arm and elbow stay connected to your body's rotation during the backswing, it sets you up for success. When it flies away, it's a huge power leak and a recipe for inconsistency.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that you need to actively "pin" your right arm against your side. This isn't true and often leads to a restrictive, flat backswing with no power. The goal isn’t to force your arm down, it’s to allow it to fold naturally in sync with your body’s turn.
Most flying elbows are born in the first two feet of the backswing. If you start the swing by lifting the club with just your hands and arms, your elbow is already detaching. Instead, the takeaway should be a "one-piece" movement. This means your shoulders, chest, arms, and club all start moving away from the ball together. You're using your torso rotation to move the club, not just your arms.
As you rotate away from the ball, your right arm should stay relatively straight for the first few feet. It's the continued turning of your shoulders that will naturally bring the arm across your chest.
A fantastic mental image for the correct top-of-backswing position is the "waiter's tray." Imagine you are a waiter carrying a tray of drinks on your right hand. To keep the drinks from spilling, your palm would be facing the sky, and your elbow would be pointing down towards the ground, tucked underneath to support the tray.
This is the structure you want in your golf swing. At the top:
This position doesn't mean your elbow is glued to your ribs. There will and should be space. However, the elbow itself maintains its "downward" orientation, keeping the arm’s structure intact and ready to deliver power from the inside.
Knowing what to do is one thing, feeling it is another. These drills are designed to take the concept and turn it into a repeatable physical sensation. Start slowly and without a ball, just grooving the motion.
This is a classic for a reason - it works. It provides instant feedback on connection.
This drill helps you feel how the right arm should naturally fold and load without the left arm pulling it out of position.
This drill is exceptional for golfers whose right arm tends to take over and dominate the swing too early.
As you work on this, watch out for these common tendencies that can send you down the wrong path.
Fixing a flying right elbow is not an overnight cure, but it is one of the most rewarding changes you can make to your golf swing. Focus on syncing your arm movement with your body's turn - don't think of it as pinning your arm down, but rather as your right arm folding into a supportive structure as a result of a good body rotation.
Mastering a new swing feel requires practice and clear feedback, and it isn't always easy to know if you're doing a drill correctly on your own. For those moments when you need a quick, reliable answer to understand a swing concept or to figure out the right shot on the course, we built Caddie AI. It's like having a 24/7 golf coach in your pocket, ready to diagnose a problem, explain a feeling in simple terms, or give you the confidence to execute a shot, removing the guesswork so you can play better golf.
Your hands are the only connection you have to the golf club, so how you place them on the grip acts as the steering wheel for your entire shot. Getting it right is one of the most important fundamentals in golf, giving you control over the clubface and helping you deliver power consistently. This guide will walk you through the primary grip styles, provide a straightforward process for building a solid, neutral grip, and help you troubleshoot common faults.
There is nothing in golf quite like the pure satisfaction of launching a drive deep down the center of the fairway, watching it hang in the air for what feels like an eternity before dropping gracefully past your buddies' shots. It’s the shot we all chase. This guide is built to give you the practical, no-nonsense fundamentals to add serious yards to your drives. We'll focus on sound technique and understanding a bit of physics - not just swinging out of your shoes.
That frustrating feeling when you make what feels like solid contact, only to watch your golf ball launch dead left of your target and stay there, can ruin a great round. This stubborn shot, known as a pull, seems to appear at the worst times, leaving you wondering what just went wrong in your swing. This article will break down the common causes of a pulled shot - from alignment to swing path - and give you clear, actionable advice and drills to get your ball flying toward the target again.
A powerful and accurate golf shot doesn't start at the top of your swing or at impact, it begins the moment the club moves away from the ball. The takeaway is arguably one of the most defining parts of the swing, as it sets the stage for everything that follows. This guide will walk you through the essential steps for a solid backswing, starting with the fundamentals - your grip and setup - before moving into the motion that generates consistency and power.
Striking a golf ball cleanly off the ground is one of the most satisfying feelings in the game, but it can also be a source of major frustration. You’ve probably felt it: that desire to hit a crisp iron shot that soars toward the target, only to hit the ground first or catch the ball thin. This comprehensive guide strips away the complexity and gives you a clear, step-by-step process for building a swing that delivers solid, consistent contact, helping you hit purer shots from the fairway.
Before we build the swing, let's appreciate what the 9-iron is designed to do. It’s a short iron, typically used for shots between 100 to 140 yards, depending on your swing speed. Its high loft (usually 40-44 degrees) is designed to launch the ball high into the air and bring it down with a steep angle of descent. This means the ball stops quickly on the green, allowing you to attack tucked-away pins.
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
