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Should right arm be straight at Impact Golf?

Author

Emma Payne

Published Jan 19, 2026

The right arm should not straighten before impact.

This makes it easier to release the club and rotate around your body with the right exit point. Ideally, you can swing out toward your target line with the club head and away from the body. This will allow your head to come up and track the ball at it takes flight.

When should you straighten your right arm downswing?

Keep your right arm slightly bent during impact with your left knuckles facing the ground. After striking the ball, continue straightening your right arm until it becomes fully extended in the follow-through.

Should arms be straight in golf swing?

So, what is the correct way to do it? Golfers should try and keep their left arm as straight as possible without it being rigid, or locked, but some bend is fine. Most professional players start with a straight left arm at address, which bends to around five degrees at top of their backswing.

What should my right arm do in the golf swing?

With your trail arm in a good position the lower body can initiate downswing and pass control to the upper torso, then to the arms in the proper sequence. Having the right elbow in the proper position at the top allows the trail arm to move externally and under the lead arm resulting in a shallowing of the club shaft.

Which arm is more important in golf swing?

You keep your left arm straight to get the maximum arc out of your swing. The more arc you get from your swing, the more power you will have. Allow the left arm to push the club into the back swing and keep your right arm tight to your body to keep the swing straight.

32 related questions found

Which arm should control the golf swing?

Third, Hall said golfers must have their lead arm and hand in control of their swing. That's the left arm for right-handed golfers and the right arm for lefties. By leading, you avoid hitting at the ball.

Should left arm be straight at impact?

A. You are correct, the left arm should be straight at impact. But let's not confuse straight with stiff. The straightening of the left arm is the response to a proper release of the golf club, not something you will need to try to do at the moment of impact.

Why can't I keep my left arm straight in golf swing?

Your grip may be too much in the palms therefore the wrists aren't hinging or setting the club properly in the first place. This causes forces you into bending that lead elbow to complete your backswing. From there you are forced into casting the golf club by releasing the angle in the lead arm during the downswing.

Is the golf swing left arm dominant?

The left hand and arm must play the dominant role in the swing at all times. If it does not, you have no alternative but to over employ the right hand, The right hand can only dominate if the left hand and arm fails to play its controlling role.

Should elbows be tucked in golf swing?

Keep your elbow close during the downswing

You want your elbow to move freely during the backswing to increase power, and you want it tucked during your downswing to hit it straight at your target. To do this is simple, all you must do is tuck your elbow right in front of your rib cage as you swing through the ball.

Do you hit the golf ball with your right or left hand?

Actually, it isn't so much that they over‐use the right hand as it is that they don't use the left hand enough. The good player hits the ball hard with his right hand, but makes sure the left leads the swing. The left hand largely supplies the control, the right hand the power.

Which hand controls the clubface?

The left hand (the right for southpaws), is responsible for the rotational movement of the golf club, which, in turn, controls the direction of the clubface.

Which hand is the dominant hand in the golf swing?

The left-hand dominant golf swing is known to be very powerful, and it will help correct some misses golfers have in their game. If you are a player who wants power and you like the classic methods of pulling the golf club through your swing, then left-hand dominance is the right idea for you.

Is the golf swing right sided or left sided?

For years, golfers have been taught that the golf swing is a left-sided motion. Proponents of the left-sided swing claim that allowing the left side to dominate better keeps the club on plane and promotes greater accuracy. No disagreement with that here.

Should lefties play golf right-handed?

As GOLF Top 100 Teacher Terry Rowles explains here, there's no right or wrong way of doing it. When a right-handed plays golf left-handed, or vice-versa, your dominant arm becomes your lead arm, which can make it harder to release the club.

How do you know if you golf left or right?

If you're right-handed, the clubhead's grooves should point to your left. If the club is a putter, the smooth side should face left. If both sides of the putter appear smooth, check the clubface's angle, because the hitting surface should be lofted very slightly.

Are most golfers right-handed?

Just as the majority of the population is right-handed, most golfers are also right-handed. Nevertheless, major manufacturers make left-handed versions of many golf clubs. Most published golf instruction is written for right-handers, so lefties must reverse the directions.

Is golf harder for lefties?

Is golf harder than lefties? I would have to answer yes. While it's better than it was the past 15-20 years, the sport is still more challenging for lefties. In fact, a lot of players are lefty and choose to play right handed just to make the sport easier.

Do lefties need special golf clubs?

In truth, no other component of a golf club (except for putters), be it shafts or grips, is specifically designed to fit a right or left-handed golf club. So, the club head of a right-sided golf club can be attached to the shaft of a left-handed one, and no one would know the difference.

Can left-handers play golf?

Golf is a game many left-handers end up playing right-handed, often because they learned with the much more available right-handed clubs. But, if you enjoy the game, you may want to switch over, buy some lefty clubs and start playing golf the way you were meant to play.