Absolutely No Wrist Break

Fri, 08/30/2013 - 14:00 -- Don Trahan

Today's video is all about why you shouldn't break your wrists when swinging a golf club. When starting your takeway, don't think about breaking your wrists. Instead, you should think about your arms rotating as a unit. By using what I call the 3P setup, you'll be able to get into the right positions with no problems.

A question was sent in that referenced the MLB Home Run Derby and how the slow motion replays were showing that the hitters weren't breaking their wrists until well after impact. It's the same type of concept for golf. If you break your wrists, it can lead to all sorts of problems and it will really hinder your ability to return the club to the correct impact position. In turn, your power and accuracy will become compromised as well.

Keep it vertical and don't break those wrists!

The Surge

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Comments

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade on

First things first. I want to congratulate DJ on an unbelievable back 9. After a 41 on the front he sucked it up and shot an amazing 30 to make the cut and demonstrated a lot of will power and great play!

baiktjcarb@aol.com's picture

Submitted by baiktjcarb@aol.com on

I agree Robert. What an unbelievable -6 back nine and 5 birdies in a ROW!!!!
What is even better for me is I will see him personally next week at the Chiquita on my home course, River Run. Look for us on TV !!!! Our last 4 holes are fantastic. I expect -16 to win. Rough will be tough at 2 1/2-3 inches. Champion Bermuda greens will run at 12-13 on the stimpmeter. Tom C.

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead on

Thankyou Surge for yet another excellent video! Some folk give Surge a hard time for 'rambling on' etc, not this fella. The more Surge talks, the more pearls of wisdom he gives me. They confirm or correct the things I am working on in the PPGS swing. The 'prayer position' is a great reminder to me to check the grip on the club. Until recently I was continually swing around after striking the ball, with a variety of results. In a previous video Surge concentrated on the finish to the swing. Good ball striking is good only when it is On-On-On, as I heave learned the hard way.
Keep up the homespun backyard driving range chats Surge. Interpretation is everything. Each time you go over a previous topic, there is usually a wee snippet of information of 'light going on' proportions for many of us. Me included : - )
Glad to see DJ prospering today. Thanks for the info Robert Meade. Go DJ!
DH in NZ

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade on

DH,

I too need constant reminders to keep it in the "bowling alley". "What goes straight up comes right back down (with gravity) and then straight back up".
Otherwise just like you I swing around after striking the ball. The other thing that I continually have to get again and again is the prosperity that comes with keeping it 3/4's. Over swinging gets me into more parts of the golf course than I want to be. Though we found 5 more nice new golf balls in the brush the other day while looking for one of mine. love the generousity of my fellow golfers :)

Okay DH, this next part does not apply to you but has been bothering me as I have played on a golf track with beautiful soft/fast greens the past two weeks.

Okay, pet peeve-
Why don't more players fix their ball marks on the greens??
Guesses 1) Lazy
2) Ignorant
3) in a careless hurry
4) Never learned golf etiquette
5) Don't own a ball mark fixer hence it's not in their pocket handy.

Being that this blog has most older golfers with a lot of class. (I have always noticed that we have some of the most caring people I have never met face to face) and so most DO fix THEIR BALL MARKS ON THE GREENS, I will assume this applies to a minority here. But consider this a public service reminder if you want to look like a genuine classy golfer and respectful of those that will putt over your marks;

Here's the correct way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTTzbhDMUCE

Almost all golf club houses and shops sell ball mark/divot fixers. We should all carry and use one every time out. Personally I end up repairing at least 5 every time I walk up on a green. I hope every one else here does too. You and the people coming after you will roll more putts in with a smooth green.

Robert Fleck's picture

Submitted by Robert Fleck on

I fix pitch marks on almost every green I step onto, and given that I don't hit every green I step on to, most of the time I'm repairing old, un-repaired marks from other golfers. I'm also often the only person in my group who takes the time to do that. When I get to the first tee for a round I make sure I have tees, ball mark, and my pitch mark repair tool in my pocket before I tee off. And I tend to make several comments during a round about the disrespectful behavior of golfers who DON'T fix marks on the green. Sadly, I have yet to see my leading by example or embarrassing fellow players lead to them picking up the practice. ;-)

Dale S.'s picture

Submitted by Dale S. on

Of course since it's a lot hotter and drier here in Ohio now, it hasn't been as bad lately. When I told our club owner about the furrows I was plowing in his greens with approach shots earlier, he threatened to make me carry a bucket of sand. I wonder if everyone knows that to fix a pitch mark, you insert the tool around the mark and push the top towards the center of the depression. Don't pry up, and don't replace detached sod, it's not going to regrow.

Dale

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead on

Robert,
Could not agree more mate! Grrrrrr! On any round, I fix a multitude of pitchmarks, replace loads of divots [Some the size of Michael Phelp's feet], even on the tee!!! Add to that, having to rake others' quarrying attempts and footprints from bunkers.....etc,etc,etc! My wife religiously picks up plastic, bottles, glass bottles and cans, together with other rubbish! Some of it ony a couple of yards from the rubbish bins provided. One of my pet hates, is discarded cigarette butts, just dumped anywhere! Here in 'under fire', clean, green New Zealand [due to milk powder contamination issues recently],it is a privilege to step out onto the course with the sweet smell of flowers and fresh air. Then to be suddenly engulfed in a cloud of noxious cigarette smoke, by thoughtless,ignorant or 'couldn't give a damn' smokers, beggars belief! I make no apologies on that rant at all.
Just finished watching round 2 of the Deutsche Bank comp! Was it my imagination or was Phil Mickelson trying to imitate John Daly today??? Hope that tomorrow will be a better day for him. Stenson's 63, his career best score was well earned. A certain supposedly 'iconic' player spitting today! Does no one these days carry a tissue or handkerchief? Will be watching the fair ladies shortly.
PS. Lost my Ryder Cup ball marker, but still have the pitch mark tool, courtesy of Luke Donald from the 2010 Ryder Cup, via my daughter : - ) It certainly is never idle ; - )
DH hoping to get out on the morrow to repair more......... ; - )

Kevin McGarrahan's picture

Submitted by Kevin McGarrahan on

Robert,

Have you noticed that the people who complain the most about ball marks on the green are those who don't fix them? Most course superintendents and club pros tell everyone (and have it printed on a lot of scorecards) to repair the ball mark you made plus one other on. I do this every time I play - 36 ball marks per round. One of the reasons I do that is because I see a lot of older golfers who cannot get down to fix their ball mark, so I do it for them. The rest fall in the categories which you described. I played at a course in Massachusetts years ago that gave everyone a plastic repair tool with their scorecard and urged them to use it. The majority would admit to having several in their bag and forget to use it. I must have 40-50 of them that I give to playing partners who don't have one.

resumez@cox.net's picture

Submitted by resumez@cox.net on

Robert;

Here with greens that are "rock hard" (nearly) ball marks are a minor problem. It IS possible to make one, with a perfectly hit short iron or wedge, but it rarely happens.
When I lived in the LA area, I played a course with soft slow greens. The course had a sign at the first tee that read "PLEASE! Fix 3 ball marks on all greens" I would frequently repair 3 to 5, usually while waiting for others to get on the green, or to make their first putts.
However, my pet peeve is people who do not replace divots in the fairway, specially when every cart has two sand bottles! This situation is bad enough that the one rule I frequently disregard is the "play it as it lies" from a fairway divot. The rationale is "why should I be penalized for someone else's laziness, stupidity, etc. ?"

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

resumez@cox.net's picture

Submitted by resumez@cox.net on

Normally, we have hard dry almost bare fairways -- lots of roll, but very tight lies. Good if you seconds shot is an iron, not so good if it is a fairway wood. The frequent complaint is something like "Why don't they grow some grass in the fairways?"
Well, now monsoon season is here, the weather is a few degrees cooler, but very humid and frequently wet. The Bermuda is growing like crazy!! Now the high drive is the ONLY way to go! The ball tends to stop like a wedge shot - whether it is hit high or low.
On the other hand, it does make second shots, specially FW easier to hit. For some reason the area within about 70 yards of the greens has remained firm. This has produced the odd situation of a 150 yd drive, followed by a 175 yd 3W! Previously, it would have been the other way around, most of the time. Incidentally, the 3W from the tee is also about 150 yd

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

ron.tripodi@gmail.com's picture

Submitted by ron.tripodi@gma... on

Standing distance from aiming line

How do you determine the set up distance from your aiming line? I know it should change when you use longer clubs but I have a difficult time with the distance and I feel like it’s different every time even when using the same club.
Thanks,
TGO Ron

Robert Fleck's picture

Submitted by Robert Fleck on

A couple years ago, Greg MacDonnell did a great daily on just this subject. Basically, when you set the club behind the ball, for all standard shots the butt of the club should be directly over your toe line.

golftime@cogeco.ca's picture

Submitted by golftime@cogeco.ca on

I re-watched this old video a couple of days ago. What stood out to me Don talking about how the forearms turn but the wrists don't break. During my last two practise sessions I have incorporated that thought into the swing. All of a sudden PWs were going 10 yards longer and were very consistent in direction. I guess that I had become very stiff and everything was restricted. Sometimes a very simple statement can trigger great results.