What Do the Wrists Do in the Golf Swing?

Confused about what your wrists should be doing in the golf swing? You're not alone. This single area causes more frustration than almost any other, but understanding it is your ticket to more power, better consistency, and a truly effortless-feeling swing. This guide will break down the essential movements of the wrists - from the backswing to the release - giving you clear, practical advice to finally get them working for you, not against you.

Your Wrists Are a Power Source, Not Power-Hitters

Before we get into the "how," let's clear up the "what." The single biggest mistake golfers make is thinking the wrists are supposed to actively hit or "smack" the golf ball. They aren't. Your wrists are power transmitters, a bit like a hinge on a door or the final crack of a whip. Their primary job is to store the energy your body creates in the backswing and then release it with incredible speed through impact.

Think about a simple lever. Your lead arm is the long part of the lever, and your wrist hinge creates the angle. The bigger your body turns, the more energy gets stored in that hinge. When you try to actively "flick" your wrists at the ball, you break this system. You lose all that stored-up power and, even worse, your timing becomes incredibly inconsistent. The best golfers have quiet, reactive wrists that respond to the rotation of their body. They don't force it, they let it happen.

The Takeaway and Backswing: Setting Your Wrists for Power

The "wrist set" is crucial for loading power, but it needs to happen correctly and at the right time. It's a combination of two distinct movements: the hinge (up and down) and the rotation (bowed vs. cupped).

The Wrist Hinge: An "L" for Leverage

The hinge, sometimes called wrist cock, is the up-and-down motion of the wrists (scientifically, this is radial and ulnar deviation). It’s what creates that powerful angle between your lead arm and the club shaft.

In the first part of your backswing, as your chest and hips begin to rotate away from the ball, the wrists begin their work. It should feel like a natural consequence of the club's weight and momentum, not a sharp, intentional action. A fantastic checkpoint is when your left arm (for a righty) gets parallel to the ground in the backswing. At this point, your wrists should be hinged enough to create a rough 90-degree angle - or an "L" shape - between your arm and the club shaft.

A Drill to Feel It: The Half-Swing Hinge

1. Take your normal setup.
2. Without a full body turn, simply lift your arms and hinge your wrists until your left arm is parallel to the ground and the club points straight up, forming that "L" shape. Take notice of how that feels in your hands and wrists. This is the hinged position.
3. Now, try the takeaway again. Rotate your chest and hips away from the ball, allowing the club's momentum to naturally create that same "L" position. If you just rotate the body without manually setting the wrists, the club gets too far inside and behind you - a common fault. A little bit of feel for that hinge at the right time keeps the swing on a good path.

As you continue turning your shoulders to the top of the backswing, this angle is maintained, storing power like a coiled spring. You are now "set" at the top.

Bowed vs. Cupped: Solving the Wrist Rotation Mystery

While the hinge is about storing power, rotation is all about controlling the clubface - your steering wheel. At the top of your swing, your lead wrist can be in one of three positions:

• Cupped (Extension): The back of your lead hand is angled away from your forearm. This position opens the clubface at the top, a common reason the majority of amateurs slice the ball. If the face is open at the top, you need to make a massive compensation on the way down to square it.
• Flat: The back of your hand is in a straight line with your forearm. For most golfers, this is the Holy Grail. A flat wrist at the top usually means the clubface is "square," or pointed right at your target line. It's a neutral, reliable position that requires very little manipulation on the downswing.
• Bowed (Flexion): The back of your lead hand is angled toward your forearm, like Dustin Johnson or Jon Rahm. This position closes the clubface at the top. While powerful, it requires a very aggressive body rotation to avoid hooking the ball.

Your goal should be a flat lead wrist at the top. It simplifies everything. If you struggle with a slice, take a video of your swing. There's a high chance you have a cupped wrist at the top. Working towards getting it flat will be a game-changer for your direction.

The Downswing: Holding the Lag and Releasing with Authority

"Lag" is one of those golf terms that sounds complex, but it's just the anlge you created in the backswing. More specifically, it’s the skill of maintaining that wrist hinge for as long as possible during the downswing.

The secret to lag isn't about using your wrist muscles to "hold" the angle. In fact, that kind of tension is a lag-killer. Instead, lag is a product of great sequencing. The downswing should start from the ground up: your hips lead the way, "unwinding" and pulling your torso, which then pulls your arms and, finally, the club. Your wrists are the last link in this chain. They simply stay passive and hold that angle because the body is leading the movement.

Here’s the feel you want: as you start down, feel like your hands are doing nothing. Feel like you are pulling the butt end of the club down towards the ball, not casting or throwing the clubhead at it. Great golfers feel like they are storing that wrist hinge deep into the downswing, ready to unload it at the last possible second.

A Drill to Feel It: The Rope Pull

1. Take your stance without a club. Get to the top of your backswing.
2. Imagine you are holding a heavy rope in your hands, with the other end anchored at were the top of your swing was.
3. To start the downswing, initiate the move with your lower body, feeling like you are *pulling* downwards on the rope. Your hips turn first, then your chest, and your arms just follow.
4. Notice how your wrists remain angled and passive? That is the feeling of lag. You aren't forcing it, your body's aequence is creating it.

Impact and Release: The Final Piece of the Puzzle

This is where everything comes together. Because you've maintained that lag, your hands will arrive at the ball slightly ahead of the clubhead. With an iron, this allows the club to strike the ball first with a descending blow, compressing it against the face for that pure, powerful strike. Your lead wrist should be flat or even slightly bowed at the moment of impact. You are hitting down and through the ball - letting the club's loft do the work of getting it airborne - not scooping at it trying to lift it.

So what is the "release"? It's not a voluntary, conscious flip of the wrists. The release is the natural and powerful un-hinging and unwinding of the wrists that happens as a result of the body rotating through the shot. As your right arm straightens and your body continues to turn past the ball, the clubhead whips through. Your wrists just let it go. Trying to "time" a release with your hands is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Instead, focus on turning your body through the shot.

A great-feeling thought is to extend your arms towards the target after impact. Don't let your arms 'chicken wing' or crumple up immediately. As your body rotates, feel both arms extend long and straight out towards the target. After they've extended, they can then relax and fold up over your lead shoulder into a balanced finish.

Final Thoughts

Your wrists are vital, but their role is subtle. They should be relaxed, creating a hinge in the backswing to store power, and then releasing that power naturally through impact as a result of your body unwinding. Trying to actively control, hit, or flip with them is the root of so much inconsistency. Focus on a good body rotation, and let your wrists react to that turn - you'll be amazed at the easy power you discover.

Mastering these feelings takes practice, and knowing exactly what to fix in your own swing can be tough. Sometimes you might wonder if that bad shot was because of your wrist hinge or because you didn't rotate your body properly. That’s why we worked to build Caddie AI. When you're stuck, you can simply ask for a clear explanation of feel vs. real in the release or request a a simple drill to get your wrist flat at the top. Our goal is to give you that expert insight right when you need it, removing the guesswork so you can focus on making confident, committed swings.