What Is a Reverse Hinge Golf Swing?

If you've ever watched a slo-mo of your golf swing and seen your lead wrist bending backward uncomfortably at the top, you're likely dealing with a reverse hinge. This common but troublesome move, also known as a cupped wrist, might be the hidden cause behind your inconsistent shots and stubborn slice. This article will break down exactly what a reverse hinge golf swing is, why it often leads to problems, and most importantly, provide clear, actionable drills to help you build a more stable, powerful, and repeatable motion.

What Exactly Is a Reverse Hinge in a Golf Swing?

In simple terms, a reverse hinge is when your lead wrist (the left wrist for a right-handed golfer) bends upward into an extended position at the top of your backswing. Think about wearing a watch on your lead wrist. If your wrist is "flat" at the top - the position most instructors teach - the face of your watch would point out towards your target line. If your wrist is "bowed" like Jon Rahm or Dustin Johnson, the watch face would point more down towards the ground. With a reverse hinge, the back of your hand "cups," causing the watch face to point up towards the sky.

This move is incredibly common, especially for golfers who try to "lift" the club with their hands and arms instead of rotating their body. When the arms work independently of the body's turn, the hands often take over and create this weak, cupped position to get the club to the top. While a few gifted tour pros like Fred Couples have played wonderfully with a cupped wrist, they possess world-class timing and make other perfectly matched compensations that are extremely difficult for the average player to replicate.

For most of us, that little backward bend of the wrist sets off a chain reaction of compensations that can wreak havoc on a golf swing.

Why a "Cupped" Wrist Can Sabotage Your Consistency

The main problem with a reverse hinge is what it does to the clubface: it opens it dramatically. An open clubface at the top of the swing is a position you have to recover from on the way down, and that requires split-second timing. Here’s how it leads to some of the most frustrating problems in golf.

1. The Inevitable Slice (or Drastic Hook)

When the clubface is pointing open at the top, you’re in what A-level coaches call "a race against time." You have about a quarter of a second on the downswing to get that clubface from wide open back to square at impact. Most amateur golfers simply can't do it. The body unwinds, the hands are a little late, and the club comes into the ball still open, producing that high, weak slice to the right. Frustrated by the slice, many golfers then try to consciously "roll" or "flip" their hands through impact to close the face. Sometimes this a snap hook into the left-side trouble, making things a double miss.

2. Loss of Power and Solid Contact

A good golf swing stores and releases energy efficiently. A cupped wrist position breaks the structural integrity between your lead arm and the club. It creates slack in the system, making it very difficult to generate and maintain lag, which is a major source of clubhead speed. More importantly, it encourages a "scooping" motion at the ball as your body tries to help the clubface square up. Instead of compressing the ball with forward shaft lean for that pure, Tour-pro sound, you end up adding loft and hitting thin or fat shots. A cupped wrist makes solid, powerful ball striking incredibly challenging.

3. Adds Complexity to Your Swing

Your brain is smart. It instinctively knows when the clubface is open at the top, and it will immediately start trying to find ways to fix it on the way down. This leads to a checklist of swing thoughts: "I need to drop my right shoulder," "I have to flip my hands," "I need to swing more to the left." The swing becomes an overly-technical series of maneuvers instead of a simple, rotational athletic motion. By fixing the root cause - the reverse hinge - you can eliminate the need for all these band-aid compensating, moves and get back to just turning and swinging the club.

How to Check If You Have a Reverse Hinge

You can't fix a problem if you're not sure you have it. The good news is that spotting a reverse hinge is easy once you know what to look for. "Feel" isn't always "real" in golf, so you’ll want to see it for yourself.

• The Smartphone Test: This is the gold standard. Prop your phone up on a golf bag or tripod to record your swing from the "down-the-line" view (standing directly behind your hands, looking at the target). Use the slow-motion feature.
• Pause at the Top: Play the video back and pause it at the absolute peak of your backswing.
• Examine Your Wrist: Look at your lead wrist. Imagine a straight line running along the top of your forearm. Does the back of your hand bend away from that line, creating a clear "cup" or angle? If so, you have a reverse hinge. A flat wrist will see the back of your hand and forearm forming a relatively straight line.
• The Mirror Method: If you don't have time to film, you can do this at home. Stand with your side to a full-length mirror and make slow practice backswings. Watch your wrist carefully as it reaches the top. While not as precise as video, it will give you a good visual cue.

Actionable Drills to Flatten Your Lead Wrist

If you've confirmed you have a cupped wrist, don’t panic! Fixing it is about ingraining a new feel. These drills are designed to help you replace the old habit with a stronger, more stable position. Start slow, without a ball, focusing only on the sensation.

Drill 1: The Motorcycle Throttle

This is a fantastic drill for feeling the opposite of a cup. The goal is to feel your wrist moving slightly into flexion (bowing) as you complete the backswing.

• Take your normal setup.
• As you swing to the top, imagine your lead hand is on a motorcycle throttle.
• Just as you're reaching the top, feel as if you are gently "revving the engine" by turning your knuckles down toward the ground.
• This sensation promotes that desirable flat or slightly bowed wrist position, immediately countering the faulty move of a reverse hinge. Do ten slow rehearsals with this feeling, then try hitting a few soft shots while thinking about "revs at the top."

Drill 2: The Back-of-the-Glove Trainer

This drill provides immediate tactile feedback, making it impossible to cheat. All you need is a credit card or a business card.

• Take your setup and address the ball.
• Place a credit card so it sits snugly between the back of your golf glove and your forearm. It should be lying flat along your wrist.
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• Practice making making smooth, slow three-quarter backswings.
• If you cup your wrist, you will immediately feel the pressure on the top and bottom of the card and the center lift which can even lift the card away making it easy to know you are do this incorrectly. The goal is to keep feeling a light, even pressure from the card against both your glove and your forearm all the way to the top. By focusing with this feedback it will flatten your wrist almost naturally giving you a greater feel of "being connected to your forehand".

Drill 3: Checkpoint Rehearsals

If you get the club in a good position early, it's easier to keep it there later. This drill helps control the clubface from the very first move away from the ball.

1. Checkpoint 1 (Takeaway): Start your backswing. When the club shaft is parallel to the ground, stop and check its position. The "toe" of the club should be pointing generally up to the sky. If you have a tendency to cup your wrist early, the clubface itself will be pointing skyward, which is already an open position.
2. Checkpoint 2 (Halfway Back): Continue your swing until your lead arm is parallel to the ground. Stop and check again. In a neutral swing, the angle of the clubface should roughly match your spine angle. Players who reverse hinge will often have a clubface that is much steeper, pointing more vertical.

Rehearse moving slowly between these two checkpoints, focusing entirely on keeping that left wrist flat and controlling the clubface. After ten rehearsals, try hitting a few balls with a shorter, three-quarter swing trying to replicate that same feeling.

Final Thoughts

Transitioning away from a reverse hinge won't happen overnight, but it is one of the most worthwhile for golfers seeking true consistency. A cupped wrist at the top forces you to become a phenomenal compensator, while a flat or even slightly bowed wrist puts the club in a powerful, simple, and neutral slot. And with your club in an expert position, much less can go wrong on the downswing, freeing you up to just turn and strike.

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