Scott Cowx: How Body Orientation Supports Tour Player Wrist Motion Patterns

HackMotion

Jan 17, 2024 . 3 mins read

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Every year at the PGA Show events, the presentations of Scott Cowx are described as the “Most educational content in the PGA Show”.

This year, Scott continues to explore common Tour player release patterns and reveals how body and arm orientation supports the wrist motion.

Scott is the 2019 Canadian PGA Teacher of the Year and is regarded as on of the top coaches in the world, especially in the field of swing biomechanics.

Demonstration: How Arm Orientation Supports Tour Player Release Patterns

Start by watching a fragment from the webinar with a summary and visual demonstration (8 min). Later, proceed with an in in-depth presentation in video 2 at the bottom of this article (40 min, full webinar recording).

Understanding the Different Types of Wrist Motion Patterns

In this webinar, Scott covers the two most common wrist motion patterns tour players use to release speed at impact.

Wrist Option A – Stable extension towards flexion, with supination – “Turn Down Release”

• Players like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.
• At impact the speed of the clubhead is released more with wrist rotation (supination) rather than with wrist extension. Wrist stays in flexion a little longer.
• Usually great wedge players, pitchers and chippers – because they learn to control the loft of the club with the amount of flexion.
• Great at hitting stingers and different shot shapes.

Wrist Option B – Flexion to Extension – “Cobra Pattern”

• Players like Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Victor Hovland and Brooks Koepka.
• Almost 180 degree opposite of stable extension pattern.
• They push their lead wrist into flexion in the backswing, maintain it in
  downswing and release the flexion at impact (with movement towards
  extension), very little supination.
• Players with this pattern tend to play long shots very well, they are great drivers of the ball. But they tend to hit very uniform “stock shots”. Can struggle with pitching and chipping. Scott tends to teach pattern A for short game for these players.

HackMotion wrist sensors can help you identify what type of pattern the golfer uses and use the data to refine it.

As players get older they have less ability to separate their upper and lower body, so it is harder for them to play with “Wrist Option B”.

They are just not flexible enough. Rotation of the body is key for selecting the correct pattern for the player.

Full Webinar Recording: Body Orientation Differences of Wrist Option A and B