What should your right arm do in a golf swing?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 22, 2026
On the backswing, the right arm and elbow should stay relatively close to your body. On the downswing, the right arm should tuck so that you can shallow the golf club. This allows you to rotate your body through the swing and provides a great position at impact.
Is right arm relaxed in golf swing?
Every right-handed golfer knows the left arm should be straight at address. (For lefties, its the opposite.) But what about the right arm? Theres no hard-and-fast rule about the right arms position at setup, but this much is key: It should be relaxed, not tense.
Which arm is more important in golf swing?
Given the number of people who are right-handed, naturally, more golfers would say left is the proper dominant hand and arm when in-game. To correct this, Glenn Hall, a famous instructor, helps us with understanding this properly by clarifying that the hand must be used to hit the ball but the lead arm leads the swing.
Should elbows be tucked in golf swing?
Your right elbow should be consistently tucked throughout the backswing and downswing, because that arm position will help you trace the proper swing path with the club. If you let the right elbow get away from your body early in the swing before trying to recover later on, it will be too late.
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.
42 related questions foundShould your right 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.
What does the right arm do in the downswing?
Tuck the Right Elbow in Your Downswing
It allows the club to shallow and move behind the hands, which in turns promotes more rotation of the body. This makes it much easier for the hands to lead the club into impact and provide a powerful and consistent impact.
When should you straighten your right arm downswing?
If you want to hit the ball far and accurately, you need to extend your right arm fully during the downswing. Your arms are straight at only one moment during your swing ― just after you hit the ball. Straight arms immediately after striking the ball show you've extended your right arm correctly through the shot.
Which hand should dominate 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 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.
How loose should arms be in golf swing?
Arm Slot. Teaching professional Shawn Clement agrees that the player's arms should drop to begin the downswing, but he says they must drop into the right position. Clement advises players to focus on dropping their arms in front of the body, while keeping their hands on the proper swing plane.
How do I get off the right side of my golf swing?
The only way to do that is to get your weight left. Push hard off your right side. A good feel is that you're "covering the ball" with your chest at impact (1). The whole right side of your body should turn to the target.
Should right elbow bend in backswing?
Simply put: The right arm should be on top of the left arm (1) as you start the backswing, and then it should move under the left arm (2) as you swing the club to the top. Many amateurs fold and shorten the right arm too early as they snatch the club away.
Should there be tension in the golf swing?
Ideally, on a scale of 1-10, your grip pressure should feel like a 4. On short game shots, try for a 3, or even 2! Most importantly, keep your grip pressure consistent throughout the entire swing. Change in grip pressure is a killer in both the short game and full-swing shots.
What should arms feel like in golf swing?
The golf swing should feel effortless, with minimal tension. Think of it like a coiled spring: as you rotate and load into the backswing, you are storing up energy (just as a coiled spring would) before releasing all that energy – in one sweeping downswing motion – through the ball at impact.
What is the magic move in golf?
What is the “Magic Move” you say? It is simply returning your right elbow to your side on the downswing. Once the right elbow returns to the body on the downswing, the entire dynamics of the golf swing become much more efficient.
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.
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.
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 dominant in Chipping?
For years it has been taught that when you're chipping, the left arm governs the motion and controls the clubface.