Left Arm at the Top of Back Swing

by Larry Boyle
(Huntsville, Texas)

Looking down the target line the left arm assumes a position relative to the right shoulder at the top of the back swing.

My questions are:
Where should the left arm be positioned? above, below, or intersecting the right shoulder?

Would this position vary for a golfer as he goes from a wedge to the driver?

or should the left arm right shoulder relationship be the same for all clubs?

Louis Reply
Thanks for another great question!

The left arm should be slightly above the right shoulder, intersecting the right shoulder is also fine, but never below the right shoulder.(too flat)

To understand this more clearly,the length of each club and your posture is going to determine the plane you swing on (steep or flatter) and how far you stand from the ball.

The position of your left arm/right shoulder will vary very little with all the clubs you use.

Keeping your posture consistently the same with all your clubs will help you to maintain a similar swing plane with the long and short clubs. Let the shaft length determine the distance your hands are from your body, the longer the shaft the further you will stand from the ball.

With a wedge you will automatically stand a little closer the the ball.