How to Fix a Cupped Wrist in Golf (Complete Guide with Proven Drills & Practical Tips
Did you know that a high-handicap golfer has an average of 24.3 degrees of extension in their lead wrist at the top of their golf swing? Lower-handicap golfers have about 14.5 degrees at the top of the backswing.
Why is this important?
A cupped wrist at the top of the backswing makes it much harder to square the clubface and hit a straight shot.
After analyzing more than 1,000,000 golf swings, we know that a flat or even slightly bowed wrist at the top is a better position to be in. Let’s examine a cupped wrist, how it can impact your golf game, and what you can do to fix it.
Contents
Cupped Left Wrist in Golf (Key Takeaways)
If you don’t have time to go through our entire guide on wrist cupping at the top of the backswing, here are the key takeaways to consider:
- A cupped lead wrist at the top of the backswing has too much extension; the less extension you have at the top, the easier it is to fire through impact with speed and body rotation.
- Amateur golfers tend to add extension or cupping to their lead wrist as they take the golf club from setup to the top of the backswing.
- Using HackMotion is like having a coach on your wrist as you practice the positioning of your wrists in your golf swing.
- A cupped wrist at the top of the backswing that doesn’t move to square at impact will affect total distance, consistency, and ball flight.
- There is a direct correlation between lead wrist extension at the top of a backswing and the extension (cupping) at impact.
If you prefer to watch instead of read, here’s a video recap of everything you need to know about a cupped lead wrist at the top of the backswing and how to fix it!
What is a Cupped Wrist at the Top of the Backswing?
A cupped wrist is a position where the back of the hand (left hand for a right-handed golfer) has an arch to it. The arch is upwards, towards the forearm, so the wrist makes almost a concave shape.
A cupped wrist is not in a good position to be in.
The cupped wrist can lead to an open clubface, inconsistency in the ball striking, and a definite loss of power.
One way to tell if you have a cupped wrist is to take a video of your swing and look for this position; in addition, you can put the HackMotion sensor on and see if your wrist is too extended at the top.
What Does a Cupped Wrist Look Like?
One of the easiest ways to see what a cupped wrist looks like is to check the position at the top of the backswing and compare it to a bowed or flat wrist.
This image shows the extended (cupped) position compared to the flat and flexed.
Although the cupped wrist can cause problems with consistency and clubface control, some players have played with a cupped wrist their entire career.
For instance, Ben Hogan and Webb Simpson have been known to have some cupping in their wrists at the top of the backswing.
The opposite of this would be a player like Dustin Johnson, who has a bowed wrist at the top.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Wrists in the Golf Swing Explained
Before we can explore exactly how to fix this cupped wrist position in your backswing, we have to look at how the wrists work in the golf swing.
There are three basic movements that you must understand:
- Extension/flexion
- Radial deviation/ulnar deviation
- Rotation
- Extension/Flexion: The wrists’ bowing (flexion) and cupping (extension) control the clubface’s angle. Flexion closes the face, while extension opens it.
- Radial/Ulnar Deviation: This refers to the side-to-side cocking and uncocking of the wrists. Radial deviation (cocking) and ulnar deviation (uncocking) influence the power in your swing.
- Rotation (Pronation/Supination): Rotation involves the twisting movement of the wrists and forearms, known as pronation (inward) and supination (outward), contributing to the overall control of the club during the swing.
What is the Proper Wrist Position?
There is no one specific wrist position that you need to achieve to be a great player.
It would be great if we could tell you that 15 degrees or 10 degrees of extension was perfect, but that is not the case. Instead, we need to look at patterns that we see from the best players in the game.
Proper Wrist Extension Patterns
Many amateur players start with too much extension in the lead wrist and then add even more as they swing to the top of the backswing. From this point, with a cupped wrist and open clubface, there is a lot of work to do to return the clubface to square.
Take a look at the chart below. Notice how lower-handicap and even mid-handicap golfers decrease the extension from address to the top of the swing. As a result, they have less cupping at impact and a more square clubface.
For higher handicappers, you can see that extension (or cupping) increases from address to the top, making it much harder to reduce this extension by impact.
| Handicap | Extension at Address | Extension at Top | Extension at Impact | Change Address to Top | Change Address to Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 10 | 19.3 | 14.5 | 3.6 | -4.8 | -15.6 |
| Between 10 and 25 | 19.6 | 17.0 | 9.0 | -2.5 | -10.5 |
| More than 25 | 18.8 | 24.3 | 10.7 | 5.5 | -8.1 |
How to Stop Cupping Your Wrist in Golf (Drills and Tips)
If you have identified that your wrist is, in fact, in a cupped position at the top of your backswing, here are a few of the best drills to help you get it straightened out.
Grip Change
The simplest thing to check on first is to ensure that your grip is not causing this problem.
A golfer with a strong grip (too strong) often has a cupped wrist at the top of the backswing. The stronger grip tends to make getting that flat position or even a slightly bowed wrist more challenging.
If you are still determining how your grip should look, here is an excellent example of a neutral grip, which most players should aim for when they set up to hit.
Driver Wrist Flexion Drill
The next three drills are all from Rob Cheney, who does a great job of explaining how to fix the cupped left wrist at the top of the backswing. With the Wrist Flexion drill, you can work on hitting straighter drives.
The concept is to start your downswing by feeling a flexion or bowing of your lead wrist at the top of the swing and then trying to maintain that through impact.
It feels very much like the revving of a motorcycle as the downswing starts.
Hit Hard Stop Quick Drill for Iron Striking
Trying to stop the golf club just after impact helps you gain awareness of the clubhead through impact. The only thing you have to do in this drill is try to stop the club just after impact.
As you work on this, you’ll be able to gradually increase speed and eliminate issues with extension or cupping in the lead wrist at impact.
Chipping vs. Pitching Wrist Drill
Proper wrist positions are crucial for improving your ability around the greens. With this drill, you’ll work on keeping your thumbs pointing down and maintaining a consistent (not cupped) lead wrist through impact.
For pitching, you’ll have more of a hinge, which can create a slight cupping in the lead wrist. This can increase loft and help the ball land softly on the green. Using HackMotion on your lead wrist will help ensure you don’t take this lead wrist extension too far in your pitching.
Take control of your golf game by learning wrist mechanics with our FREE online guide.
Glove Logo Up and Away
If you are a player who needs to focus on positions instead of feel, this video will help you know exactly where your hands should be throughout the swing.
You’ll find that as the club comes about halfway back, the glove logo should be pointing up and away from you. It’s a great visual as you work on the driving range.
FAQs
HackMotion is like wearing your golf coach on your wrist. You’ll get all your answers about what you should be doing in your swing. If you have additional questions, here are a few quick answers.
Does a cupped wrist cause a slice?
A cupped wrist is not the only cause of a slice, but it is a leading one. With a cupped wrist at the top of the backswing, there is more extension in the wrist. The extension opens the clubface. If that clubface remains open throughout impact, the ball will go to the right.
Does a strong grip cause a cupped wrist in golf?
A strong grip can cause a more cupped wrist in golf. However, this depends on the overall strength of the grip.
Some players with a slightly stronger grip can use the grip to keep the clubface more square through impact, avoiding creating a weak grip as it could have other issues with wrist position in your swing.
What are Tour players with cupped wrist?
If you are looking for an example of a golf professional with a cupped left wrist, Webb Simpson would be one to look at. There are also some pictures and videos of Ben Hogan, in which you can see a cupped left wrist. These golfers are very talented and still were able to square the clubface.
Can you play golf with a cupped wrist?
You can play golf with a cupped wrist. However, you may make it harder on yourself to generate the speed and squareness you are looking for at impact.
How measuring wrist angles can help you improve?
When working to get better at golf, a lot of feel is involved. The feel is important, but it is also tough to measure.
Measuring wrist angles gives you a general idea of whether you are making real changes in your game and how those changes impact your ball striking.
Final Thoughts
We gave you a lot of information to implement in your golf game. These actionable tips can be practiced without HackMotion.
However, if you want to see the differences in your game and improve faster, the HackMotion wrist sensor should be included in your practice routine. Instead of wasting your practice time, you’ll be continually improving your ability to fix the cupped left wrist at the top of your backswing.
Your feedback shapes the future of our articles. Help us deliver the best content for you.
Great to hear! But what could we add to make it even better? Share any suggestions to make this post top-notch.
We're sorry to hear that. Could you share what was missing or off?
