How To Keep Left Arm Straight During Golf Swing?

By John Lynch

You've been hearing it since you first learned how to swing a golf club - "you gotta keep your left arm straight during the golf swing".

The trouble is; how do you learn to keep your left arm straight?

A lotta golfers who think they keep their left arm straight during the golf swing are shocked when they see themselves swing on video...their left elbow usually breaks down somewhere during the back swing...or the downswing.

Some golfers are so intent on keeping their left arm straight during the golf swing they become rigid with little shoulder turn.

So, how do you learn to keep the left arm straight during the golf swing?

First, a little lesson on the physics of the golf swing...

Experts on the physics of golf refer to the "Magic Triangle" or "Eternal Triangle" that is formed in an ideal golf swing. This is the triangle formed by the golfer's left arm, the golf club, and an imaginary line from the golfer's left shoulder to the center of the club face (look at the picture of Tiger Woods above to get an idea of this triangle). For best results, this triangle should be maintained from the start of the back swing to just before the impact area when you release the club head. This will produce a high speed impact with the ball as described in detail by Joe Dante in his top selling golf instructional book - Four Magic Moves to Winning Golf.

By focusing on maintaining the magic triangle throughout the golf swing you are taken advantage of a powerful physical force...the conservation of angular momentum...the principal that states angular momentum of an object remains constant as long as no external force or moment acts on that object.

If the object (club head) is brought closer to the axis (formed by the golfer's stable spine), it speeds up. If the club head is moved further out, it slows down. In a golf swing, as the player rotates the club, the hands move farther from the body or axis and slow down. This reduction in momentum feeds into the much lighter club and increases the speed of the club head in the last part of the stroke, in a whiplash type of effect, increasing the force of impact on the ball.

The truth is, if your left arm does not stay straight during the golf swing, you are losing out on the benefits of centrifugal force because your swing arc is smaller. Think of your left arm as a spoke in a wheel and your swing arc as the circumference of the wheel.

You see, by not keeping your left arm straight you are essentially shortening the spoke thereby reducing the circumference. You are also upsetting the positive effects of conservation of angular momentum and thus reducing the impact speed between club face and ball.

Now that you understand the physics behind the benefits of keeping your left arm straight during the golf swing...

How do you learn to do so?

Assuming your golf swing fundamentals such as grip, stance, and alignment are relatively sound, all you have to do is simply become aware of this magic triangle. Don’t try to force this triangle…just become aware of it next time you go to the range…

Then, just before impact, release all that stored energy you will have in the club head, like cracking a whip!

After a while you will be shocked at how solidly you can strike the ball…

You’ll be surprised how straight your left arm becomes during the golf swing just by shining the light of awareness upon this magic triangle during the golf swing.

You will now have a tiger by the tail so use this new found power wisely!

Hit ‘em Long and Straight!

John Lynch

About The Author:
John Lynch is owner of No. 1 Golf Book Reviews and has published thousands of quality articles. To learn to golf, John recommends you visit: LearnToGolf.com

Lee Trevino Golf Secrets - What You Can Learn From The Merry Mex!

By John Lynch

I love to listen to Lee Trevino talk about the golf swing. If there ever was a self-made man, Lee is certainly it! The Merry-Mex learned golf the hard way, sneaking onto golf courses and caddying when he was young. He practiced long and hard when he was a young man in Mexico diligently honing his craft.

Lee certainly has a great understanding of the golf swing. Lee's swing is a bit unorthodox as he reroutes the club on the downswing...not a conventional golf swing to say the least. One thing Lee Trevino understands very well is how the golf ball responds to the club face at impact....which is the only thing the golf ball cares about. Do you think the golf ball cares about how your swing looks? All it knows is what is happening at impact.

When I finally figured out what Lee Trevino was talking about it made a tremendous impact on how solidly I began to strike the ball. I know this is a cliché and you probably have heard it a million times, you must hit down on the golf ball to make it go up! Do you know what is really happening when a golf ball is well struck at impact? It took me 8 years before I figured this out...and it was Lee who finally explained it to me.

Most golfers "flip" the club face at the ball in a futile attempt to make the ball go up...if there ever was a move in the golf swing that robs you of power, this is it. Lee likes to imagine the back of his left hand is the club face while he is swinging. On the down swing he imagines "trapping" the back of his left hand into the back of the ball...an incredibly powerful move that keeps the golf club at a right angle with the left arm deep into the downswing. "Hit the back of the ball with the back of the left hand" is Lee's mantra. World famous golf swing guru Butch Harmon says he likes to feel like he has Bethlehem Steel in his left wrist at impact.

So what happens to the golf ball at impact when it is struck correctly? When you swing down on the ball at impact the golf ball actually spins up the club face to the top grooves. This is what the grooves in the club face are for...this is what gives the golf ball spin. How do you think pro golfers stop the ball on a dime on the green? They are using more of the grooves on the club face than amateurs. Golfers who flip the club face at impact are only utilizing the bottom grooves on the club face...the result; a weak, flat trajectory with little spin...Their left wrist has completely broken down at impact.

Watch the golf pros left wrist at impact...most of them have a bowed left wrist at impact...the opposite of the golfers who flip at the ball where the left wrist has broken down. This bowed left wrist allows a late powerful release into the golf ball...the secret to tremendous power off the tee.
Next time you go to the range, think "Back of Left Wrist Into Back of Ball" as you start your downswing. This mental image forces you to swing from the inside and retain the release deep into the downswing. The ball will start sounding different coming off your club face because you will now be hitting the golf ball the way the club was designed to strike a golf ball. Your golf ball will have a higher trajectory and it will go a lot further.

Try it...it works!

Hit 'em Long and Straight!

John Lynch

About The Author:
John Lynch is owner of No. 1 Golf Book Reviews and has helped hundreds of golfers lower their scores. Learn to golf by visiting: LearnToGolf.com

How To Play Scratch Golf

By John Lynch

I had been sitting at bogey golf for years and playing scratch golf seemed a long distant dream to me.

I review golf instructional books and training aids. I’ve read, swung, probed, and prodded just about every golf gizmo and instructional book there is out there. I consistently watch the Golf Channel and most golf tournaments – there was something preventing me from joining the hallowed club of scratch golf.

I was your typical bogey golfer – if I started my round playing well I usually would shoot mid to high 80’s. If my golf swing started to leak oil, I would try something different with my golf swing on the golf course...

Then the wheels would start to fall off and my scores would plummet!

The truth is my golf swing was not perfect but I got by with it. I was nowhere near the scratch golf I was dying to play. I had developed a move in my back swing allowing me to swing to the inside and at the same time open my club face.

Needless to say I hit the ball pretty far with this method.

But I wasn't consistent.

Then in early May 2007 this golf training system by Andy Brown came across my desk for review. I approached my review with much skepticism – The sales copy read: “How to dramatically cut 7-12 strokes off your handicap using 4 simple moves” – a pretty bold claim I thought to myself.

Click Here To Visit Site

It was early May 2007 and the winter here in New England had been unusually COLD and SNOWY! – My golf swing was still rusty from the long winter layoff.

Needless to say, I was anxious to start a new golf season with high hopes of making some serious inroads to my quest to play scratch golf.

Here's more...

When I first practiced the 4 Magic Moves at the range my golf swing felt a little odd. I thought to myself "this can't be right".

I reluctantly stayed with it...

Then I began to observe the club felt much lighter as I swung...I also began to find it easier to drop the golf club into the "slot" during my downswing - causing me to strike the ball from the inside.

I quickly realized, "I've been swinging the club too much from the inside, now my golf swing is on plane!"
"This is why the club feels much lighter, I am swinging the club on plane"

I began to see a more penetrating ball flight with my irons AND my metal woods...

The golf ball was exploding off my club face!

And that's just the beginning...

Five days after learning these Four Magic Moves I carded my first ever hole-in-0ne!

Read the story on my hole-in-one here

I quickly developed more confidence in my swing – I now know where the ball is going. This confidence has transferred to my short game and I am now scoring on the course.

Playing golf now is much more fun!

I am no longer happy with pars, I want birdies and eagles!

By the end of July 2007 my handicap fell from an 18 to a 10 - in 3 short months!

Then, in May 2008, I discovered the elusive holy grail of golf – I became a scratch golfer!!

I can honestly say The Four Magic Moves To Winning Golf has absolutely revolutionized my golf game and I wanna shout this out to the world!!

This Golf Training program is the real deal!

One year ago I was an 18 handicap, I am now a scratch golfer!!

Hit 'em Long and Straight!

John Lynch

About The Author:
John Lynch is owner of No. 1 Golf Book Reviews and has published thousands of quality golf instruction articles. To learn more about the Four Magic Moves To Winning Golf, John recommends you visit: Four Magic Moves