Your right hand in the golf swing can feel like a bit of a mystery. For many golfers, it becomes either a powerless passenger just along for the ride or a bully that tries to muscle the club, causing all sorts of problems. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Getting the right hand to work correctly - not as the main engine, but as a disciplined source of speed and control - is one of the most significant steps you can take toward a more consistent, powerful golf swing. This guide will break down precisely what your trail hand should be doing in the grip, backswing, downswing, and through impact to help you finally feel in sync.
Let's clear something up from the start. The most common mistake amateur golfers make is trying to hit the golf ball with their right hand. When you consciously try to steer or smash the ball with your dominant hand, you almost always throw the club "over the top." This reroutes the club onto a steep, outside-to-in swing path, resulting in weak slices, pulls, and a total loss of power. The urge is strong, especially for beginners, but it's a swing-killer.
So, what is the right hand’s job? Think of it less as the engine and more as the transmission. Your body’s rotation (the turning of your hips and shoulders) is the engine that creates the big power. Your right hand’s role is to:
When you understand these roles, you can start training your right hand to be a productive partner in the swing instead of an unruly saboteur.
Everything starts with the grip. A bad grip with your right hand can doom the swing before it even begins by forcing you to make compensations. Your goal is to find a neutral position that allows the hand to work athletically without manipulating the clubface.
As for how your fingers connect - overlap, interlock, or ten-finger - that’s a matter of personal comfort. Arnold Palmer used a ten-finger grip, Jack Nicklaus used an interlock, and Tiger Woods uses an overlap. There is no single correct way. Pick the one that feels most secure and allows your hands to feel connected, and focus on getting the palm orientation right.
During the backswing, the right hand's role is mostly passive and supportive. The takeaway and backswing should be initiated by the one-piece rotation of your shoulders and torso. If you let your right hand take over here, you’ll either snatch the club inside too quickly or pick it up too steeply. Neither is a good outcome.
As your body rotates away from the ball, your wrists will naturally begin to hinge. Your right wrist should gently bend backward. This is a subtle move. As you get about halfway back, when the club is parallel to the ground, your right wrist will have hinged a bit, helping to "set" the club. Avoid the feeling of consciously trying to grab and set the club with your right hand, just let the momentum of the turn do the work.
This is a classic and very useful swing thought. As you reach the top of your backswing, your right hand should feel like it's supporting the club's weight a bit like a waiter supporting a tray of drinks. Your right palm will be angled slightly towards the sky, with your right elbow pointing down toward the ground, not flying out behind you. This position shows that your right arm is properly structured and ready to support the club as it changes direction, rather than pushing it from the top.
Here’s where a disciplined right hand makes all the difference. While the lower body initiates the downswing by shifting slightly toward the target and starting to unwind, the right hand's job is to wait. It must resist that powerful urge to throw the club at the ball from the top.
As you start down, the angle in your right wrist - that "waiter's tray" position - should be maintained for as long as possible. This is what pros refer to as "lag." The longer you can keep that wrist bent back, the more speed you’ll be able to generate where it counts: through the ball.
If you un-hinge your right wrist early (casting), you are throwing away all your stored power before you get to the ball. The feeling should be that you’re pulling the butt-end of the club down towards the ball, not throwing the clubhead at it.
As your body continues to rotate through, and your hands get down near your right thigh, it's finally time for the right hand to release its power. As your left side clears, the right hand straightens and delivers the clubface squarely to the back of the golf ball.
The feeling is not one of flipping or scooping. A brilliant image is to feel like you are delivering a soft underhand slap or a full-handed push through the ball toward your target. Your right palm, which was underneath the club at the top, rotates so that it’s facing the target at impact and beyond.
A great follow-through is the result of a great swing, not a manufactured position. But paying attention to what your right hand does after impact can tell you a lot about what came before it.
Immediately after striking the ball, your right arm should extend fully down the target line. Imagine you’re shaking hands with the target. Both of your arms should create a wide, powerful extension. This is a sign that you released the club properly and didn’t hold anything back.
A common fault here is the "chicken wing," where the right elbow folds in quickly against the body. This is a classic sign of an overactive right hand "hitting" at the ball instead of the body "swinging" through the ball. If you feel your right arm extend and then see your right hand finish high up by your left ear in a balanced position, you've allowed your body's rotation and a correctly timed release to a power the swing perfectly.
Mastering your right hand is about shifting your perspective from hitting to swinging. It’s a tool for support, control, and perfectly timed speed, not brute force. By focusing on a neutral grip, a passive backswing, and a powerful release driven by your body’s rotation, you'll transform your right hand from an enemy of consistency into your greatest ally for solid, repeatable golf shots.
Of course, understanding a concept is one thing, and applying it to your own swing is another. When you feel stuck or aren't sure if your right-hand action is causing inconsistent shots, you can turn to a coach who is always available. We designed Caddie AI to be your personal, on-demand swing expert. You can ask it to analyze your grip, explain feel vs. real in the downswing, or even snap a photo of a tricky lie to ask how best to play it - all I need is your question to provide a simple, targeted answer to help you play smarter and with more confidence.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
