A cupped wrist at the top of your golf swing quietly sabotages your power, accuracy, and consistency by leaving your clubface wide open. This common position issue is one of the leading causes of the dreaded slice and weak, high-flying shots. In this guide, we'll break down exactly what a cupped wrist is, show you how to see it in your own swing, and give you practical drills to fix it for good.
To understand what it means to "cup" your wrist, let's first get a clear picture of the three main positions your lead wrist (the left wrist for a right-handed golfer) can take at the top of the swing.
While a tiny bit of cupping, or extension, is normal in many golf swings, the term "cupping the wrist" generally refers to an excessive angle. This over-extension creates a disconnect between your arms and the club, making it incredibly difficult to deliver a powerful and square clubface to the ball.
It might not look like a huge deal, but that slight angle in your wrist at the top of your swing sets off a chain reaction that ruins impact. The position of your lead wrist is the undisputed steering wheel for your clubface. When you cup it, you're pointing that steering wheel off the road. Here’s why it’s so damaging.
This is the big one. Cupping your wrist directly opens the clubface. An open clubface at the top of your swing means you have to make a heroic, perfectly-timed compensatory move on the way down just to get it back to square. Most recreational golfers simply don't have the time or a fast enough rate of clubface rotation to save the shot. The inevitable result? The club slaps across the ball with an open face, putting left-to-right spin on it and sending it slicing into the trees.
To hit a golf ball with that satisfying "thump" of pure compression, you need to deliver the clubface squarely with a slightly descending blow. A cupped wrist makes this almost impossible. As you come into impact with an open face, you end up adding loft and wiping across the ball instead of compressing it. Shots don't have that penetrating flight, instead, they fly high, float weakly, and land short of your target. You’re swinging hard but the energy isn't transferring into the ball because the clubface isn't stable.
A golf swing that relies on a last-millisecond "flip" of the hands to square an open clubface is a recipe for wild inconsistency. On the rare occasion you time it perfectly, you might hit a great shot. More often, you’ll be slightly too early or slightly too late.
If you suffer from the dreaded two-way miss, an overly cupped wrist is one of the first places you should look.
Alright, so you suspect you might be a victim of the cupped wrist. How do you find out for sure? Luckily, it's pretty easy to diagnose. Forget guesswork, you need to see it for yourself. Here are two definitive ways to check.
Your smartphone is your best friend here. You can't rely on feel alone because your bad habit will feel "normal" to you.
If you don't have a camera handy, this simple drill can help you feel the difference between a cupped and a flat wrist.
Fixing a cupped wrist is about replacing an old habit with a new feeling. It takes repetition, but these drills are incredibly effective at teaching your hands and body what a powerful, flat-wrist position feels like.
Often, cupping happens right at the start of the swing when a player incorrectly rolls the wrists open. This drill fixes that initial move.
Sometimes, the best way to find neutral is to feel the opposite extreme. If you're stuck in extension (cupping), you need to feel flexion (bowing).
This drill provides direct tactile feedback, alerting you the moment your wrist starts to cup.
A cupped lead wrist is a subtle but destructive habit that opens your clubface, causing inconsistent contact, slicing, and a significant loss of power. By understanding what it is and using video to identify it in your own motion, you can start building a new, more powerful position with targeted drills.
I know trying to diagnose your own swing can be challenging. Watching clips of yourself on the range is a great start, but getting another set of eyes on it is invaluable. With Caddie AI, you can capture your swing on video, and I can analyze it for you in seconds. I'll pinpoint the exact moment you're cupping your wrist and give you the same kind of clear, personalized feedback and drills a personal coach would, allowing you to stop guessing and start fixing.
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