Golf Takeaway Problems that Lead to Poor Wrist Action in the Golf Swing

Britt Olizarowicz

Apr 19, 2024 . 9 mins read

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Since HackMotion was developed, we have analyzed more than 1,000,000 golf swings for proper wrist action and movement.

Most of the time, we look for how the wrist action can be improved to be most efficient at impact.

However, one of the most important factors that is often overlooked are the mistakes players make in the takeaway that lead to poor wrist action throughout.

So, if you are struggling to get your wrist action under control, you are in the right place. Let’s take a quick look into your takeaway to see if it’s causing poor wrist action.

Key Takeaways

I’ve included a number of drills and exercises for you to work on your takeaway. However, if you need some more time to be able to review those more in-depth later, at least take a look at the key takeaways and where your problems in your takeaway could be.

• Starting the takeaway with the wrists as opposed to utilizing the bigger muscles creates way too much inconsistency.
• Arms should be quiet, allowing the shoulders, lower body, and core to help bring the club back more consistently.
• Manipulating the face of the golf club and trying to open or close it can alter your flexion and extension in the lead wrist.
• Early wrist rotation can disrupt the natural hinging in the swing and lead to a flat swing path, one that is difficult to recover from.
• Maintain width in the backswing as a way to improve the natural hinge of the wrist, improve leverage, and increase total distance capability.

How to Fix Golf Takeaway Problems that Lead to Poor Wrist Action

Every solution for how to fix a golf takeaway problem is tied to the cause. I’ve gone through five of the most common issues you are going to find and given you drills for how to fix them.

Stop Rolling the Wrists Too Early

Early rotation of the wrists and forearms, or what we can also call a wrist roll makes it hard to get into a consistent flexed position at impact. The problem with the roll is that it makes it hard to have a natural hinge later in the swing.

Many golfers who roll the wrist end up with a flat or inside swing path and shots that pull hard left or spray out to the right.

Using your lower body to turn and taking the wrists out of it just a bit will help get you back on track.

A great drill to fix this is to hinge the club up early and then swing from there. The drill kind of eliminates the part of your swing where you would normally be rolling the wrists. Eventually, you will learn this feeling and then start to get to that position more often.

Take a look at this drill from Chris Ryan Golf here.

Decrease Grip Pressure

There is natural movement in the wrists that occurs throughout the golf swing. Players need to hinge and unhinge to allow for fluid motion and proper wrist angles.

With excessive grip pressure, the swing becomes more stiff, and in many cases, the amount of extension in the lead wrist is increased.

One of the best ways to work on decreasing overall grip pressure is to incorporate that move into your pre-shot routine. Keep the club more upright, not on the ground, as you work through your routine. Ensure your body is moving; don’t let your hands sit on the club for too long.

Overall, grip pressure needs to be strong enough that you have control, but if you increase it too much, you’ll struggle with consistency in club position.

Start the Swing with the Shoulders and Legs – Not The Hands

For a great one-piece takeaway, you cannot rely on the arms and wrist to take the club back. The body and arms need to work as one cohesive unit and to do that; you can’t lead the takeaway with your hands.

It’s a very common mistake, even by better players, to want to stay more connected and compact on the backswing.

This thought can often lead to a takeaway that starts with just the hands and gets a little shallow.

Try some golf swings where you initiate with a shoulder turn or a hip turn as opposed to the hands working their way back. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to get on a good path and stay on it.

In this video by Porzak Golf, you’ll see an interesting drill with an alignment stick. All that needs to be done is an alignment stick placed between the feet and the ball on the backswing. The concept is to keep the hands on one side of the stick and the clubhead on the other.

This makes it impossible to start the takeaway with just the hands; you’ll have to incorporate a shoulder turn and some movement of your core.

Don’t Focus on Keeping the Clubface Open or Closed

Do you ever find yourself hung up on the position of your clubface as you take the club back?

This is a common problem for golfers, and they do it in an attempt to rotate and release.

However, when you focus on keeping the clubface shut or looking at the target, you may add too much extension in the lead wrist. Instead, keep the clubface square (not open or shut) throughout the takeaway by making sure you have a one-piece motion.

By the time you get to the position where the golf club is parallel to the ground (about waist high), you’ll see the toe of the clubhead pointed up to the sky. This will indicate a square clubface.

Take small swings in the 9 to 3 range to get that feeling of how to stay square on the takeaway. Wear your HackMotion and record those at impact to see how much more consistent you are on your shots.

Maintain Width Throughout the Takeaway

One of the most common mistakes we see with amateur golfers is letting the arms collapse too close to the body during the takeaway. If you can maintain width but still hinge and rotate, you will have a much easier time controlling your wrist position throughout the swing.

Failure to maintain width in the takeaway can decrease overall power in the swing.

Although we often think about proper wrist position and its impact on accuracy in the golf swing, it’s also just as important when it comes to distance.

This video from Art of Simple Golf gives a very simple takeaway drill where you can push the golf club back and get the feeling of width in your swing.

Using the HackMotion to Develop Consistency in the Takeaway

HackMotion gives you key metrics on your wrist position throughout the golf swing. The HackMotion starts at setup, then moves to the top of the backswing, and then there is another reading at impact.

Some golfers have asked about the best way to work on the takeaway since those numbers are not a checkpoint when working with HackMotion.

The great thing is that HackMotion works in real-time. Simply set up your HackMotion and bring an iPad or phone with you to your practice session. As you take the club back, pay close attention to the numbers as they are changing in real time.

Play around with things like an early wrist hinge, a manual closing of the clubface, or an opening of the face. You’ll notice the impact that these motions have on the overall wrist angles in the swing. Any of these subtle mistakes you make will have to be fixed as you make your golf swing.

Get your takeaway cleaned up and consistent, and you’ll give yourself an easier time getting the wrists into the correct position at impact.

FAQs

Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the golf swing takeaway and why it makes finding the proper wrist position more difficult.

How do I fix my golf swing takeaway?

Fix your golf swing takeaway by incorporating a one-piece motion that gets the shoulders and lower body incorporated into the first move. Use the HackMotion to track the position of your hands in real-time as you take the club back.

What happens when your takeaway is too inside?

When the takeaway is too far inside, it becomes difficult to recover. Golfers often hit a thin shot or a hook as they try to get the club back on the right path through the ball.

How do I get a better golf takeaway?

A better golf takeaway involves starting with the larger muscles (shoulders and lower body) and leaving the hands and wrists out of it. Avoid rolling the wrists as the first move of the golf swing takeaway.

How do I stop taking the club inside my takeaway?

Use a golf alignment stick on the ground to help keep the club from going too far inside on the takeaway. The alignment stick makes it possible to push the club straighter back and avoid that inside motion.

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Final Thoughts

At this point, you should feel more confident about the golf takeaway problems that lead to poor wrist action in the golf swing.

If you really can’t get your wrists in the right spot at impact, rewind to setup and takeaway and make sure you are getting yourself started on the right track.

Use the HackMotion to ensure proper wrist position, and continue to check back in on it as your game improves.