Nina Caldwell
Golfers are often faced with the challenge of breaking a wristy stroke. Excessive wrist movement can cause issues with the putter's path and impact consistency. While some wrist motion is inevitable and even beneficial for generating clubhead speed, too much can lead to a loss of control and unwanted variables in the stroke. To address this, golfers can employ drills and techniques such as ulnar deviation, which limits the range of motion in the wrist, or use technology like HackMotion to gain real-time insights into their wrist movements and make adjustments for a more stable and connected stroke.
Characteristics and ways to break wristy golf stroke
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Goal | Keep the ruler or pen in the same position |
| Drill | Rock the shoulders back and through while looking in the mirror |
| Hold the putter so the shaft rests on the rods and your hands are under the rods | |
| Cross the lead arm rod over the trail arm rod | |
| Take your setup and be sure the rods are touching both forearms | |
| Make a few practice strokes and focus on what feels different | |
| Practice swinging the club using just your wrists back and through the impact zone, then slowly integrate your body into the motion | |
| Use tools like HackMotion to get a real-time look at the movement your wrist is making | |
| Ensure consistency and follow patterns | |
| Maintain the angles created at the address and minimize wrist movement through the stroke | |
| Keep the triangle shape between the shoulders, arms, and club throughout the stroke | |
| Use ulnar deviation to stabilize the wrist |
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What You'll Learn
Keep the same triangle between the shoulders, arms and club
The triangle in a golf swing refers to the triangular relationship between the arms and the shoulders. This triangle is essential for creating a consistent and powerful golf swing. Maintaining the triangle throughout the swing helps keep the clubhead on the proper swing plane, resulting in a more accurate shot.
To maintain the triangle, the left arm should remain straight, forming the base of the triangle. The right arm should be bent, forming one side of the triangle, while the shoulders form the other side. The arms and shoulders must work together to transfer energy from the body to the clubhead. When the triangle is maintained throughout the swing, this transfer of energy becomes more efficient, resulting in more power and distance.
There are several drills that can help you maintain the triangle during the swing. One is the Clubhead Cover Drill, where you place a head cover under your right arm and maintain its position throughout the swing. This helps keep your right arm close to your body, maintaining the triangle. Another drill is the Hula Hoop Drill, where you place a hula hoop around your waist and practice swinging, ensuring your arms stay close to your body and the triangle is maintained.
Additionally, focusing on keeping the same triangle between the shoulders, arms, and club during the stroke can help eliminate excessive wrist movement, which can negatively impact the accuracy and consistency of your swing. Excessive wrist movement adds unwanted variables and can cause problems with controlling the direction of the ball. By minimising wrist movement and maintaining the triangle, you can achieve a more consistent and controlled swing.
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Try the ulnar deviation technique
Ulnar deviation is a technique that can help stabilise your wrists and improve your putting stroke. It is a simple method that involves increasing the amount of wrist ulnar deviation at set-up, compared to your normal swing set-up position.
To practice this technique, hold your forearm out in a horizontal position with a neutral wrist and try to flex and extend your wrist as much as possible. Then, position your wrist in a more ulnar position and attempt the motion again. You should notice that the range of motion has decreased, which is the key benefit of ulnar deviation. This limited range of motion reduces unwanted variables and helps to stabilise the wrist during the putting stroke.
To further develop this technique, it is important to get a greater feel for the mass of the putter, both at set-up and during the stroke. This will help you manage the weight of the club and maintain the stability of your wrist.
Ulnar deviation is also known as "unhinging" and is one of the "big arm shallowers". It helps to keep the club wide and away from the body during the transition, creating a good "flat spot". By actively training this ulnar deviation pattern, golfers can improve their consistency and avoid common swing problems that arise from retaining the hinge for too long.
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Avoid breaking the wrists when putting
The wrists play a crucial role in the putting stroke, and golfers often struggle with breaking their wrists during the stroke. This can cause a loss of control over the putter face, leading to inconsistent results. To avoid breaking the wrists when putting, there are several techniques and drills that can be practised.
One method is to focus on maintaining the angles created at the address position throughout the stroke. This minimises wrist movement and reduces unwanted variables that can affect the putt's consistency and direction. Top players tend to adopt a stroke where the hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders work as one unit, maintaining a consistent triangle shape.
Another technique is to understand and manage ulnar deviation of the wrist. This position limits the range of motion in the wrist, providing stability and reducing variables. To find this position, hold the club and move your arm back and forth, allowing the wrist to move into ulnar deviation. This stable feeling in the wrist is what you want during the putting stroke.
Additionally, drills such as the one using a ruler or pen can help. The goal is to maintain the ruler or pen in the same position while performing the stroke. If the wrist breaks, the strain on the object will increase, providing feedback and helping you develop a feel for maintaining a stable wrist.
Finally, it is important to analyse your wrist action during the stroke. Utilising technology such as 3D motion analysis systems can provide insights into the movements of your wrists. This understanding can then be applied to make adjustments and improve your putting technique.
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Use a putting drill to reduce wrist motion
Golfers can improve their putting stroke by minimising wrist movement and stabilising the stroke. This can be achieved through a variety of drills.
One such drill involves using two alignment rods or sticks, which are placed under the golfer's arms, forming a channel for the putter shaft. The golfer then takes their setup, ensuring the rods are touching both forearms at similar points, before making practice strokes. This setup should give the golfer a more connected" feel, with the putter head working on a slight arc.
Another drill, known as the "door frame" drill, helps golfers maintain the same forearm/wrist angles while adjusting their body tilt. The golfer stands with their lead ear near a door frame or an alignment stick, takes their regular golf posture, and practices pushing their hips forward while keeping their head centred near the frame.
Additionally, golfers can practice without a ball by swinging the putter back and forth to get a feel for the motion. Once comfortable, they can add a golf ball and focus on keeping their wrists stable while rolling putts.
To improve grip pressure, golfers can try a drill where they grip the club tightly, then gradually release the pressure in their hands. This helps them find the right balance between pulling the club up and pushing it down.
By incorporating these drills into their practice routines, golfers can effectively reduce wrist motion and improve their putting strokes.
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Understand the role of the forward and rear wrist joints
The forward wrist (left wrist for right-handed golfers and right wrist for left-handed golfers) plays a crucial role in controlling the aim of the putter face. When the forward wrist moves excessively, golfers lose control over the ball's starting direction and the stroke's consistency. This is why golfers should aim to minimise forward wrist movement and maintain the angles they create at address.
The rear wrist also influences the effective loft of the putter. When the lead wrist breaks down, the rear wrist often follows in a slapping motion, increasing the loft. This causes golfers to launch the ball into the air, resulting in shorter distances.
To improve your forward wrist control, you can try the release drill, which helps golfers struggling with their wrist position at impact. Start with a shorter swing and gradually increase power and length. Additionally, use tools like HackMotion to confirm that your wrist angle is in the correct "in-range" zone.
For the rear wrist, focus on allowing your shoulders and arms to lead and power your putting stroke to the finish position. This will help reduce "hand slap" and improve directional and loft control.
By understanding and controlling the movements of both the forward and rear wrists, you can significantly improve your putting stroke and overall golf game.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several methods to break a wristy golf stroke. One method is to rock your shoulders back and forth in front of a mirror, keeping a triangle shape between your shoulders, arms, and club. You can also try the ulnar deviation method, which limits the range of motion in your wrist. Another method is to use a device such as HackMotion, which gives you real-time feedback on your wrist movement. Finally, you can try a simple drill where you cross your lead arm rod over your trail arm rod and make practice strokes, focusing on using your body more and your hands less.
Breaking a wristy golf stroke will help you achieve a more consistent pace and direction in your putts. It will also help you square the putter face up as it comes closer to the golf ball, giving you more control over the ball's starting direction.
A wristy golf stroke refers to excessive wrist movement during the swing or putting stroke. This can cause problems with the amount of extension and flexion in your stroke and make it difficult to control the direction of the ball.
Instead of a wristy golf stroke, you can focus on using your body more and your hands less. This will help you achieve a more consistent stroke with better speed and direction. It will also help you square the clubface for a pure strike, generating extra clubhead speed.
