Stop Flipping Wrists in Your Golf Swing & Take Control of the Club at Impact

Most golfers don’t realize they flip the club until they watch a slow-motion video of their swing. They just know that their ball flight is not as powerful as they want it to be.

The question is, what CAUSES you to flip? If we can get rid of this cause, you can keep your wrist from flipping at impact and gain power and consistency.

This guide will explain why golfers tend to flip their wrists and how to work on fixing this problem for good.

How to Stop Flipping Wrists at Impact? (Key Takeaways)

Learning the correct setup and synchronizing wrist and body movements are essential steps to eliminate wrist flipping in your golf swing. Here’s what we’ll cover to help you achieve a stronger, more consistent impact:

1. Center Your Hand Position and Check Your Grip: Ensure your hands are positioned centrally at address, and check that your grip isn’t too weak.
2. Practice the Correct Release with a Shorter Swing: Start with smaller swings to build the feel for a proper release without wrist flipping.
3. Focus on Weight Transfer with Body Rotation: A smooth weight shift supported by body rotation is crucial for a powerful, stable impact.
4. Maintain a Flat or Slightly Flexed Wrist at the Top: This position controls the clubface, minimizing the urge to flip at impact.
5. Using HackMotion, you can get real-time feedback on your wrist position, along with targeted drills to fine-tune your form. This valuable feedback allows you to make quick adjustments and practice with purpose, leading to consistent improvement.

Prefer watching over reading? Check out our video for an in-depth look at why flipping happens and how to stop flipping your wrists at impact.

What Causes Flipping Wrists in the Golf Swing?

Wrist flipping in golf refers to when the lead wrist quickly extends, attempting to square the clubface at impact. In this motion, the clubhead overtakes the hands before impact, leading to poor strike quality and high spin, which sacrifices power and control.

So, what causes flipping? It’s usually due to a lack of synchronization between body and wrist movement. When the body and wrists aren’t working in harmony, the hands are forced to compensate, trying to square the clubface manually at impact.

With a properly synchronized swing, however, the body rotates smoothly with a forward weight shift, while the arms and wrists maintain their angles. This allows the clubface to square naturally at impact without requiring extra hand action, resulting in a cleaner, more powerful strike.

How to Stop Flipping Wrists in a Golf Swing

One of the key factors in preventing wrist flipping is ensuring that your setup and grip are optimized. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Common Setup Issues That Lead to Wrist Flipping

1. Weak or Palmy Grip
   A weak grip—where the hands are rotated too far towards the target—keeps the clubface open during the swing, often causing golfers to flip their wrists to square the face at impact. This leads to inconsistent shots and loss of power. Additionally, a palmy grip (where the grip rests too much in the palm rather than the fingers) reduces clubface control, increasing the likelihood of a flip.
2. Improper Hand Position at Address
   Setting your hands too far behind or in front of the ball at setup can disrupt your swing path and timing. When the hands are positioned too far behind the ball, golfers may compensate by scooping or flipping to square the clubface at impact. Conversely, when the hands are too far forward, it becomes challenging to maintain wrist angles, often leading to an early release or flip.

The Ideal Setup and Grip for Reducing Flipping

• Hand Position at Address
  When setting up with irons, your hands should be slightly ahead of the ball, creating a subtle forward shaft lean—about 1-2 inches. Avoid excessive forward shaft lean, as it can reduce power and limit proper body rotation through the swing.
• Neutral Grip
  To maintain control and reduce flipping, your grip should be neutral rather than weak or overly palmy:
  • Neutral Grip: Ensure the grip is in your fingers, not the palm. This helps you control the clubface without excessive wrist action.
  • V Shape Alignment: Check that the “V” formed between your thumb and index finger on your lead hand points toward your trail shoulder.
  • Grip the Club Slightly Lower: Holding the club about half an inch down from the butt end provides more control over the clubhead through impact, making it easier to avoid flipping.

While a stronger grip can sometimes help with reducing slices or flipping, be cautious not to overdo it. Small adjustments to your grip can make a significant impact on your swing consistency and control.

2. Perfect Your Club Release with Shorter Swings

Start with shorter swings to learn how to release the club correctly—without flipping. A proven exercise for this is the 9-to-3 drill, where you move the club from a 9 o’clock to a 3 o’clock position. This drill focuses on maintaining clubface control, body rotation, and proper wrist mechanics through a simplified, manageable motion.

How to Perform the 9-to-3 Drill

1. Backswing to 9 o’clock
   Start by taking the club back to waist-high (the 9 o’clock position). Allow a slight wrist hinge but keep your lead wrist flat, ensuring the clubface stays under control.
2. Initiate the Downswing with Body Rotation
   Begin your downswing by rotating your body toward the target, keeping your hands ahead of the clubhead. This forward shaft lean through impact is essential for preventing wrist flipping.
3. Swing Through to 3 o’clock
   Continue swinging until the club reaches waist-high again (the 3 o’clock position) on the other side of your body. Make sure the clubface remains square as you complete the motion.
4. Finish Strong
   Your finish should involve a full body rotation toward the target with a stable lead wrist—no flipping involved.

Here is what a guided drill sequence looks like in the HackMotion app.

Work on your main issue

Learn the correct wrist motion with personalized training program

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Level 1

Dynamic release drill Train your release before working on other aspects of your swing

Level 2

Dynamic transition drill Train your sequencing and pivot, as well as punch shots or your wedge game

Level 3

Impact full swing challenge Train your maximum power swing

The 9-to-3 drill is a simple yet powerful way to build muscle memory for a strong, flip-free release. With practice, this movement helps you maintain a consistent, powerful impact position that translates into better accuracy and distance control.

Progressing to the 10-to-2 Drill

Once comfortable with the 9-to-3 drill, you can transition to the 10-to-2 drill to add more body rotation and a fuller release:

• How to Perform the 10-to-2 Drill: Take the club back to 10 o’clock (just above waist height) with a slight wrist hinge, then rotate through impact and finish at 2 o’clock. This slightly longer swing builds on the 9-to-3 drill by adding more rotation and an extended release, all while maintaining wrist stability and forward shaft lean.
• Why It Works: Gradually increasing your swing length helps you integrate control and proper mechanics step-by-step, reducing the likelihood of flipping or overusing your hands. This progression reinforces consistent body rotation, balanced weight transfer, and a stable clubface—laying a strong foundation for transitioning to a full, powerful swing.

By practicing these drills in sequence, you’ll build a more consistent and powerful release that withstands the demands of a full swing.

3. Lead the Downswing with Hip Rotation

Proper body rotation is essential for avoiding wrist flipping in the golf swing. By initiating the downswing with your hips, you create a powerful, controlled motion that keeps the clubface square through impact. This continuous rotation allows your hands to remain passive, reducing the need for last-second adjustments like flipping to square the clubface. Additionally, effective rotation helps you maintain forward shaft lean and wrist stability, ensuring consistent, powerful contact.

Try the Hip Rotation Drill

To improve your hip rotation and get a feel for this motion, try an exaggeration drill:

• Backswing: Focus on moving your trail hip as far away from the ball as possible.
• Downswing: Shift your lead hip away from the ball as you rotate through impact.

This drill helps reinforce the feeling of proper body rotation, promoting a solid, flip-free impact position. Practicing this motion builds muscle memory for a controlled, consistent downswing that keeps your clubface square without relying on wrist adjustments

4. Shift the Pressure on the Lead Foot at Impact

Correct weight transfer is key to avoiding wrist flipping in your swing. Shifting pressure onto your lead foot during the downswing supports balance, promotes a forward motion, and keeps your hands leading the clubhead through impact. This weight shift helps maintain forward shaft lean, stabilizes the wrists, and enables a full body rotation—reducing the need for a compensatory flip.

Practice Proper Weight Transfer with Step-Through Swings

To develop a feel for effective weight transfer, try step-through swings:

• Step-Through Drill: Begin your swing as usual, and just before impact, take a small step forward with your lead foot. This movement encourages a natural forward weight shift and momentum that prevents flipping.

Incorporating this drill into your practice helps ingrain the sensation of a smooth, forward weight transfer, leading to a more solid and controlled swing without the need for wrist adjustments.

5. Stabilize the Clubface with Wrist Flexion

If your lead wrist is extended at the top of your swing, it can cause the clubface to open, making it challenging to avoid flipping at impact. A simple adjustment—adding wrist flexion—can help solve this by keeping the clubface stable and reducing the need for compensatory wrist movement.

Why Wrist Flexion Works

• Promotes Forward Shaft Lean: Adding slight flexion (bending the lead wrist downward) stabilizes the clubface, encouraging forward shaft lean through impact.
• Prevents Last-Second Flipping: Known as the “motorcycle move,” adding wrist flexion helps you maintain a firm, controlled lead wrist position, keeping the clubface square without relying on a last-second flip. This leads to more consistent, solid contact and improved control over your shots.

One of the things you can do to close the club face is to create more flexion by decreasing the amount of extension at the top. Here is how it looks in HackMotion data.

Check out the video below to see a demonstration of correct wrist flexion at the top and how it impacts your swing.

Best Drills to Stop Flipping Wrists in a Golf Swing

Motorcycle Drill

You can use the HackMotion Motorcycle Drill to learn how to transition properly into the downswing. At the top of the swing, you will feel your lead wrist start to “rev” the grip just as you would a motorcycle.

This reduces extension in the lead wrist on the downswing. In addition, be sure not to add any extension from setup to the top of the backswing so you’ll have an easier time getting to square.

Use HackMotion to Stop Flipping Wrists

HackMotion is like having a coach on your wrist as you practice. With the HackMotion you will be able to understand not just why you are flipping, but you’ll get a training plan on how to fix this issue.

The first step here is to collect data about your swing and HackMotion will diagnose the classic signs of flipping just before impact. Then you will get a personalized training plan with drills and guidance.

Getting rid of the flip takes some practice time. With HackMotion you’ll ensure that time is well spent.

Final Thoughts

Now it’s time to get out there and improve your wrist position and stop flipping the wrists for good.

HackMotion will allow you endless hours of practice (with direction), knowing you are working on the right things. When the flip disappears, the impact feels entirely different, making this learning curve well worth your time.