The 8 Most Common Wrist Mistakes in Your Golf Swing (And How to Fix Them)

Do you ever feel like it’s easier to make mistakes in golf than to get things right? You’re not alone.

The golf swing is full of moves that feel natural but actually make it harder to hit the ball well. Nowhere is this more obvious than in your wrists.

Your wrists directly control the clubface, and until you train them to move the right way, you’ll always fight inconsistency.

The good news? Once you understand the common wrist mistakes and how to avoid them, you can start squaring the clubface earlier, adding distance, and tightening up your ball flight.

Here are the 8 wrist mistakes golfers make most often and the fixes you can start working on today.

Key Takeaways

If you don’t have time to read our entire guide on the common wrist mistakes in golf and how to avoid them, here are a few key points to take away.

• Excessive lead wrist extension reduces control, power, and consistency in shots. Check your position at the top and then again at impact.
• Hinging wrists early on takeaway extends the lead wrist, leading to a steep swing plane and poor contact.
• Flipping wrists at impact to square the clubface results in thin and fat shots, reducing control over the ball; instead, work on maintaining a flat or slightly flexed lead wrist.
• Releasing wrists too early on the downswing causes you to lose lag and power, negatively impacting distance and shot consistency.
• Use HackMotion to measure your wrist action and make sure you are in the correct position as you play.

The 8 Most Common Wrist Mistakes in Your Golf Swing

Too Much Lead-Wrist Extension at Impact

One of the most common wrist faults is excessive extension (cupping) in the lead wrist through impact. When the wrist is extended, the clubface points open, and you lose compression, distance, and control.

HackMotion data from over a million swings shows that flat or slightly flexed wrists at impact deliver the best face control.

How you’ll notice it:

• Ball starts right and doesn’t curve back
• Contact feels weak or “glancing”
• Lead wrist looks cupped on video at impact

How to Avoid

Start trending toward flexion earlier in the downswing. The Motorcycle Drill exaggerates bowing the lead wrist and helps you feel the correct motion.

Set HackMotion to give you audio or vibration feedback when you reach a flat-to-flexed position at impact.

Early Hinge on Takeaway

Hinging your wrists right away in the takeaway adds extension and opens the clubface almost immediately.

This sets you up for a steep swing plane and inconsistent contact. The best players maintain width for the first third of the swing, letting the wrists hinge gradually instead of snapping them early.

How you’ll notice it:

• Clubhead whips inside right after takeaway
• Steep divots and fat shots
• Clubface looks open at waist-high

How to avoid it:

Focus on width through the first part of the swing. Use the tee-in-grip drill: place a tee in the butt end of your club and swing to waist height.

The tee should point down the target line, not behind you. HackMotion will confirm your wrist is staying closer to neutral during the takeaway.

Casting (Early Release of the Wrists)

Casting, or early release, happens when you “throw” the clubhead past your hands before impact. This eliminates lag, reduces shaft lean, and costs you power.

Instead of compressing the ball, you hit it weakly and often fat. Professionals avoid casting by holding wrist angles until late in the downswing.

How you’ll notice it:

• High, weak shots with little distance
• Divots starting before the ball
• Hands behind or even with the clubhead at impact

How to avoid it:

Work on the Casting Drill from HackMotion. Start in a normal address, then pause at the top and focus on keeping the lead wrist from “dumping” angles too early. As you swing down, rehearse maintaining flexion and shaft lean until your hands are ahead of the ball.

With HackMotion, set biofeedback at P6 (club parallel in the downswing) to make sure your wrist stays flat or slightly flexed instead of extending.

This trains the feeling of holding lag and delivering more power at impact.

Flipping at Impact

Flipping is a last-second attempt to square the face by throwing the wrists.

While it shows athletic instinct, it ruins low-point control and leads to fats and thins. Instead of leaning the shaft forward and compressing the ball, you scoop it.

How you’ll notice it:

• Thin or fat shots around the green and with irons
• Ball balloons in the air with little penetration
• Shaft leans backward through impact

How to avoid it:

Use the Hit-Hard-Stop-Quick Drill from Rob Cheney. Swing aggressively into the ball, then stop the club quickly just after impact.

This forces you to keep the lead wrist flexed and the shaft leaning forward. HackMotion feedback will help you exaggerate flexion through the strike.

Trying to Roll the Wrists to Square the Face

Some golfers think they can control the clubface by “rolling the wrists” through impact. In reality, this is a timing move that produces either big hooks or slices.

Instead, proper forearm rotation combined with steady wrist angles squares the face much earlier in the swing.

How you’ll notice it:

• Shots hook one swing, slice the next
• Feels like you’re manipulating the face at the bottom
• Inconsistent strike location

How to avoid it:

Replace rolling with correct forearm rotation.

Try the stand-up rotation drill: hold the club horizontal and practice turning the lead arm palm up (supination) while the trail arm turns palm down (pronation). When you add this into your swing, the clubface squares naturally without a last-second roll.

Overactive Wrists (Full Swing & Putting)

Some golfers let their wrists do all the work in both full swings and putting strokes.

Overactive wrists in the full swing lead to inconsistent face angles and poor strike, while in putting, they destroy face control and distance consistency.

How you’ll notice it:

• Full swing feels “handsy” and inconsistent
• Putts start left or right without pattern
• Difficulty repeating a solid strike

How to avoid it:

Blend your wrist action with body and arm rotation. For putting, use the T-Rex Drill, keep your elbows tucked in, and move the stroke with your shoulders, not your wrists.

HackMotion biofeedback is especially useful here, buzzing when your wrist angles wander too much during the stroke.

Excessive Wrist Cupping at the Top

A cupped lead wrist (too much extension) at the top of the backswing leaves the face open and makes squaring it much harder.

While some players start with a little extension at address, staying cupped at the top forces compensations in transition and impact.

How you’ll notice it:

• Persistent slices or wipey fades
• Clubface points toward the sky at the top
• Always feels like you need to “save” the shot coming down

How to avoid it:

Train to feel flatter or slightly flexed at the top. Use HackMotion feedback at P4 (top of backswing) to measure your extension.

The Dynamic Transition Drill helps you bow the wrist as you begin the downswing, making it easier to deliver a square face.

Shaft Lean with an Open Face

Shaft lean at impact is good, but only if paired with a flat or flexed lead wrist. Too many golfers push their hands forward while keeping the wrist extended, which opens the face.

The result is a stall and flip through impact just to make the ball go straight.

How you’ll notice it:

• Range rehearsals look good, but shots leak right
• Divots start early, often behind the ball
• Handle ahead, but face wide open on video

How to avoid it:

When you lean the shaft forward, also move the lead wrist toward flexion. Practice stopping at P6 (club parallel in downswing) and checking the face is angled slightly down, not skyward.

Use HackMotion to set biofeedback for flat-to-flexed at impact so you know you’re matching shaft lean with proper face control.

Short-Game Exception: Bunker Shots

For greenside bunker shots, the rules flip. Here you actually want more lead-wrist extension to expose the bounce and keep loft. This helps the club glide through the sand and pop the ball out softly.

How you’ll notice it:

• Too much flexion –> digging, bladed shots
• Ball comes out low with no spin

How to avoid it:

Set HackMotion to allow positive extension windows. Try the Turn the Tap Drill: feel the back of your lead hand to the sky through the strike, keeping loft on the clubface for high, soft bunker shots.

Final Thoughts

How many of these wrist mistakes do you see in your swing?

The wrists are the steering wheel of the clubface, and small changes can mean the difference between consistent compression and a round full of mishits.

Start by working through the list one at a time, beginning with lead-wrist extension at impact. Wear HackMotion while you practice; it acts like a coach on your wrist, giving you real-time feedback on where your wrists are at each checkpoint.

Once you match up proper wrist mechanics with your body and swing, you’ll unlock straighter shots, better distance, and more control over your game.