I was wishing that I could get my lead arm as straight as you have typically been (I have reduced range of motion in my lead shoulder from an old injury), but now I realize I don't need it that straight! Good video and you prove again that while you are an amazing golfer, you are humble and always willing to make changes when necessary.
This is great! I’ve been suspicious of this being part of my issues with my elbow pain. Looking forward to trying this out in the sim. P.S. watched you for years over at TXG, I like what you’re building and doing on your own. Keep it up. Sending you those good vibes dude!
This is me to a t. I've been working with a swing speed trainer (rypstick) and been noticing a bit of pain in my lead elbow. This is definitely why. It's interesting because in doing this training I've watched some videos from long drivers and they also talk about having some bend in the lead elbow at the top of the swing to give themselves more speed in the swing. Nice to know it could help with some pain too. Definitely going to experiment with this.
Matt, I’m going the other way. I didn’t learn golf based on a straight lead arm and 30 years later I’m concluding that the inconsistency that I have wrt finding the bottom of the arc consistently is due to this excessive bending of my lead arm. However, I agree with your assessment in terms of not being rigid with the lead arm. I would describe your sensations as a compromise between a consistent lead arm length but with plenty of suppleness in it vs rigidity. HNY!
I used to have elbow pain from golf. Yes, I was hitting too many balls from a mat, but what I found is that I was trying to swing out to "right field" too much in my follow through. This causes the arms to snap straight because there's nowhere to go from there, rather than swing around the body and fold naturally. Took care of the problem pretty quickly, though it takes time for the elbow to heal. There are stretches that will help with the healing. Extend your arm fully straight out from the should at shoulder height and use your opposite hand to flex the wrist as far as you can. You should feel the stretch in the forearm and outer part of the elbow.
This is really interesting Matt, it’s like your accessing another lever in the lead arm elbow. The feel vs real is so evident here. As you say you feel the lead arm is almost bend to a right angle at the top but real is it’s just slightly flexed at most. Because the arm isn’t tensed, the muscles in the arm work freely to release easy speed.
Always was guilty of a "soft lead arm". I always have to think about straightening my lead arm ahead of time before I walk up to the ball. But I hit the ball much better when I have my the lead arm straight but never an over extended lead arm. Thanks.
Matt, your swing is looking amazing! One thing I’ve been puzzled about for a long time - your smash factor efficiency feels low for the 7 iron that I imagine you’re swinging with. You obviously hit it plenty far, but I would imagine a 100 SS with a 7 iron would yield 135-137 ball speed instead of 131, especially with a middled strike.
This is super interesting, cheers. I'm the complete opposite, super crumpled lead arm, elbows out at impact. Always felt like I'm getting minimal clubhead speed out from max effort, it's so odd how we find different ways to swing. If you ever get the time to look at this topic from the other direction I'd be all over it! All the best
Bizarre timing as I've just come from a lesson where I was a bit crumpled at the top then not finding strike. My coach straightened me out to what felt super straight (but didn't look it on replay) and was getting much better strike. On trackman my coach showed me the before and after heat map of strike. Went from all over the shop to actuall pretty good. Matt, reckon your swing looked much freer when you were trying to soften your arm ... even though not big difference visually or with club speed. Looked less mechanical and forced. Reckon the lesson is straight but not rigid! Love your coaching.
@@jasonwarlond7388 Jason , I am curious what your coach did to help you straighten your left arm as I have the same problem. I keep it straight up till around 11o'clock then it bends and doesn't completely get straight on the way down. Thanks
It's like you have been watching me at the range for video content. I am so guilty of trying to keep a stiff lead arm, resulting in thin, shanks, and weak cuts. Will be practicing making the lead arm more soft. I want to hit my draws again.
Awesome video! Definitely makes a lot of sense as I suffer from this same thing. Very curious though, did you notice any change in your angle of attack?
I have the same problem but for a different reason. I always get too nervous and as a result my arms and muscles would tighten up which leads to a straight and stiff lead arm. Once in a blue mon when I successfully get myself to relax then I don't have the straight and stiff arms and would always hit the ball way better. If I can only train my mind to relax more often, I can probably lower my score by 3 to 5 shots just from that.
I just watched a video the other day talking about this same thing. The example or drill they used was, using only your lead arm, try to hit the ball with it locked and then allowing it to bend. Bending led to better contact and much faster swing. It’s also what your arm naturally wants to do when hitting with one hand.
Nice Matt. Quick question: are those swing optix cameras? The frame rate and lack of blur are nice. I'm shopping around for a good camera setup for my home sim. Thx
Excellent advice, not just for better swing speed but also for better injury free longevity. You seem to be getting into biomechanics more. But you hit it so consistently and with such easy force that I am beginning to wonder if you are human or actually a new and advanced version of the liquid metal T-1000 robot in Terminator 2. Just joking. On the serious side, have you ever done any work with golfers suffering from age-related degenerative wear and tear on the knees, especially of the meniscus. Not traumatic tears that require arthroscopic surgery, but the kind of minor little tears and edge fraying that the orthopedic surgeon community is now beginning to consider do not warrant surgery and instead place more value on conserving this shock absorbing load distributing tissue in order to delay the onset of osteoarthritis. I myself have just run into this issue after over 60 years of playing golf, with my right knee. But even younger golfers are beginning to encounter damage to the menisci in the left or lead knee due to the over-emphasis of an extreme jump on the downswing to maximize ground force. I have found a couple of scientific studies by sports medicine and therapy researchers dealing with changes and adaptations in the stance and golf swing to minimize torque and compression stresses in the knee joints.
i also found it funny watching your feel vs real experience. to me i couldn't even tell that you were bending your lead elbow. i would have guessed that actually making a real change to elbow bend at impact would immediately cause fats or thins (making it more straight or making it more bent respectively) due to change in height of the low point. i think in Matt's case, his straight and hyperextended could possibly have no impact on the arm length (your mileage may vary because anatomy). therefore slightly bent could also have no impact on the arm length, up to a point of course. in any case i suspect that the elbow pain is caused not by keeping the elbow locked all the time but instead by bending it in the swing and suddenly locking it straight at the later part of the swing. that shock from suddenly locking the elbow near P7 or P8 should be more stressful on the joint compared to a persistent locking followed by a small shock at ball impact, which actually acts to subtract force against the elbow joint rather than add to it (hitting something like a ball or a big fat should unlock the elbow not cause it to lock more). on tour some good examples of players who bend their lead elbows are Spieth and Hovland who start to bend from P3-P4 and keep it bent all the way to post impact. they never lock it past P3. Hovland's is very very noticeable. they both have shoulders quite open at impact so that "chicken wing" never gets in the way though. they also have swung like this for many many many years. its going to be hard for anyone to change lead elbow bend because of the low point change. i agree the desire to lock the elbow comes from fundamental rules to keep the low point as consistent as possible coupled with the desire to get more width. on the latter topic the GEARS guys at AMG have this really good video (search Pros vs Ams: Shoulder Rotation and Arm Depth) where they show that you can get 30 degrees of shoulder rotation solely from flex in your scapula and collar bones even if your sternum is stationary and the Pros are activating this about twice as much as Ams. to imagine this motion, keep your arms stretched out straight in front of you with palms together and try to push one palm forward. you will get free shoulder rotation. my understanding of this was, when trying to get more shoulder turn and width in the back swing, i would focus on pushing the lead shoulder under my chin and pulling my train shoulder behind my head and feeling those scapulas and collar bones moving. this is opposed to the previous swing thought i had which was just to try to "pull" my hands as far away from me as possible, often ending up with locked lead elbow at some point in the swing. it gave me more shoulder turn and reduced my lead elbow pain. i did have to go thru a period of thins though.
I keep my lead arm as tight as possible. Feels like I'm holding a dumbbell i flex it so hard to stay in a strong grip. I have a 160 ball speed and just under 300yds. Use your legs and torso, not your arms. You're driving for accuracy, not for distance... the course isn't a long drive tournament.. Can't stand play partners trying to swing like John Daly and spending 5 minutes after every tee shot hunting a ball in the bushes.
Развлечения
Matt, you're basically in a league of your own as a lefty. Great seeing swing tips from the wrong (right) side of the club.
I was wishing that I could get my lead arm as straight as you have typically been (I have reduced range of motion in my lead shoulder from an old injury), but now I realize I don't need it that straight! Good video and you prove again that while you are an amazing golfer, you are humble and always willing to make changes when necessary.
Game changer, the reason of my slice. I fully now can control the club face. Thank you so much
This is great! I’ve been suspicious of this being part of my issues with my elbow pain. Looking forward to trying this out in the sim. P.S. watched you for years over at TXG, I like what you’re building and doing on your own. Keep it up. Sending you those good vibes dude!
This is me to a t. I've been working with a swing speed trainer (rypstick) and been noticing a bit of pain in my lead elbow. This is definitely why. It's interesting because in doing this training I've watched some videos from long drivers and they also talk about having some bend in the lead elbow at the top of the swing to give themselves more speed in the swing. Nice to know it could help with some pain too. Definitely going to experiment with this.
Matt, I’m going the other way. I didn’t learn golf based on a straight lead arm and 30 years later I’m concluding that the inconsistency that I have wrt finding the bottom of the arc consistently is due to this excessive bending of my lead arm.
However, I agree with your assessment in terms of not being rigid with the lead arm.
I would describe your sensations as a compromise between a consistent lead arm length but with plenty of suppleness in it vs rigidity.
HNY!
I used to have elbow pain from golf. Yes, I was hitting too many balls from a mat, but what I found is that I was trying to swing out to "right field" too much in my follow through. This causes the arms to snap straight because there's nowhere to go from there, rather than swing around the body and fold naturally. Took care of the problem pretty quickly, though it takes time for the elbow to heal. There are stretches that will help with the healing. Extend your arm fully straight out from the should at shoulder height and use your opposite hand to flex the wrist as far as you can. You should feel the stretch in the forearm and outer part of the elbow.
This is really interesting Matt, it’s like your accessing another lever in the lead arm elbow. The feel vs real is so evident here. As you say you feel the lead arm is almost bend to a right angle at the top but real is it’s just slightly flexed at most. Because the arm isn’t tensed, the muscles in the arm work freely to release easy speed.
Always was guilty of a "soft lead arm". I always have to think about straightening my lead arm ahead of time before I walk up to the ball. But I hit the ball much better when I have my the lead arm straight but never an over extended lead arm. Thanks.
Matt, your swing is looking amazing! One thing I’ve been puzzled about for a long time - your smash factor efficiency feels low for the 7 iron that I imagine you’re swinging with. You obviously hit it plenty far, but I would imagine a 100 SS with a 7 iron would yield 135-137 ball speed instead of 131, especially with a middled strike.
I have elbow pain in the trail arm that I never used to have. Hoping it can heal up before I come in for my session in end of Feb
Take a look at Victor Hovlands impact position, his lead have has a massive amount of bend at impact it helps with shaft lean at impact.
This is super interesting, cheers. I'm the complete opposite, super crumpled lead arm, elbows out at impact. Always felt like I'm getting minimal clubhead speed out from max effort, it's so odd how we find different ways to swing. If you ever get the time to look at this topic from the other direction I'd be all over it! All the best
Bizarre timing as I've just come from a lesson where I was a bit crumpled at the top then not finding strike. My coach straightened me out to what felt super straight (but didn't look it on replay) and was getting much better strike. On trackman my coach showed me the before and after heat map of strike. Went from all over the shop to actuall pretty good. Matt, reckon your swing looked much freer when you were trying to soften your arm ... even though not big difference visually or with club speed. Looked less mechanical and forced. Reckon the lesson is straight but not rigid! Love your coaching.
@@jasonwarlond7388 Hey, glad you managed to make a good bit of progress on it!
@@jasonwarlond7388 Jason , I am curious what your coach did to help you straighten your left arm as I have the same problem. I keep it straight up till around 11o'clock then it bends and doesn't completely get straight on the way down. Thanks
This is totally me! I have to wear a brace so I can playing. The brace is worth it. But would like to get this figured out.
It's like you have been watching me at the range for video content. I am so guilty of trying to keep a stiff lead arm, resulting in thin, shanks, and weak cuts. Will be practicing making the lead arm more soft. I want to hit my draws again.
Awesome video! Definitely makes a lot of sense as I suffer from this same thing. Very curious though, did you notice any change in your angle of attack?
Slightly more negative, I think it caused me to flip a bit less through impact
I have the same problem but for a different reason. I always get too nervous and as a result my arms and muscles would tighten up which leads to a straight and stiff lead arm. Once in a blue mon when I successfully get myself to relax then I don't have the straight and stiff arms and would always hit the ball way better. If I can only train my mind to relax more often, I can probably lower my score by 3 to 5 shots just from that.
Great video. Would love to see more on your method of squaring the face.
I just watched a video the other day talking about this same thing. The example or drill they used was, using only your lead arm, try to hit the ball with it locked and then allowing it to bend. Bending led to better contact and much faster swing. It’s also what your arm naturally wants to do when hitting with one hand.
Nice Matt. Quick question: are those swing optix cameras? The frame rate and lack of blur are nice. I'm shopping around for a good camera setup for my home sim. Thx
Excellent advice, not just for better swing speed but also for better injury free longevity. You seem to be getting into biomechanics more. But you hit it so consistently and with such easy force that I am beginning to wonder if you are human or actually a new and advanced version of the liquid metal T-1000 robot in Terminator 2. Just joking. On the serious side, have you ever done any work with golfers suffering from age-related degenerative wear and tear on the knees, especially of the meniscus. Not traumatic tears that require arthroscopic surgery, but the kind of minor little tears and edge fraying that the orthopedic surgeon community is now beginning to consider do not warrant surgery and instead place more value on conserving this shock absorbing load distributing tissue in order to delay the onset of osteoarthritis. I myself have just run into this issue after over 60 years of playing golf, with my right knee. But even younger golfers are beginning to encounter damage to the menisci in the left or lead knee due to the over-emphasis of an extreme jump on the downswing to maximize ground force. I have found a couple of scientific studies by sports medicine and therapy researchers dealing with changes and adaptations in the stance and golf swing to minimize torque and compression stresses in the knee joints.
Bobby Jones had a slight bend at address and he hit the ball really well.
i also found it funny watching your feel vs real experience. to me i couldn't even tell that you were bending your lead elbow. i would have guessed that actually making a real change to elbow bend at impact would immediately cause fats or thins (making it more straight or making it more bent respectively) due to change in height of the low point. i think in Matt's case, his straight and hyperextended could possibly have no impact on the arm length (your mileage may vary because anatomy). therefore slightly bent could also have no impact on the arm length, up to a point of course.
in any case i suspect that the elbow pain is caused not by keeping the elbow locked all the time but instead by bending it in the swing and suddenly locking it straight at the later part of the swing. that shock from suddenly locking the elbow near P7 or P8 should be more stressful on the joint compared to a persistent locking followed by a small shock at ball impact, which actually acts to subtract force against the elbow joint rather than add to it (hitting something like a ball or a big fat should unlock the elbow not cause it to lock more).
on tour some good examples of players who bend their lead elbows are Spieth and Hovland who start to bend from P3-P4 and keep it bent all the way to post impact. they never lock it past P3. Hovland's is very very noticeable. they both have shoulders quite open at impact so that "chicken wing" never gets in the way though. they also have swung like this for many many many years. its going to be hard for anyone to change lead elbow bend because of the low point change.
i agree the desire to lock the elbow comes from fundamental rules to keep the low point as consistent as possible coupled with the desire to get more width. on the latter topic the GEARS guys at AMG have this really good video (search Pros vs Ams: Shoulder Rotation and Arm Depth) where they show that you can get 30 degrees of shoulder rotation solely from flex in your scapula and collar bones even if your sternum is stationary and the Pros are activating this about twice as much as Ams. to imagine this motion, keep your arms stretched out straight in front of you with palms together and try to push one palm forward. you will get free shoulder rotation. my understanding of this was, when trying to get more shoulder turn and width in the back swing, i would focus on pushing the lead shoulder under my chin and pulling my train shoulder behind my head and feeling those scapulas and collar bones moving. this is opposed to the previous swing thought i had which was just to try to "pull" my hands as far away from me as possible, often ending up with locked lead elbow at some point in the swing. it gave me more shoulder turn and reduced my lead elbow pain. i did have to go thru a period of thins though.
Looks like you get more shaft bend (lag?) in transition doing this, with a smoother swing.
But 100mph+ with a 7 iron…😱
I keep my lead arm as tight as possible. Feels like I'm holding a dumbbell i flex it so hard to stay in a strong grip.
I have a 160 ball speed and just under 300yds.
Use your legs and torso, not your arms. You're driving for accuracy, not for distance... the course isn't a long drive tournament..
Can't stand play partners trying to swing like John Daly and spending 5 minutes after every tee shot hunting a ball in the bushes.
Check out Victor Hovland
Check John Daly