MyGolfSpy Drill Of The Week: The Lead Arm Drill

When I head to the range, I carry an arsenal of drills in my head from years of teaching golf. If I start struggling or my kids or friends do, I can offer up a “here, try this.” It’s a real advantage but even I forget some of the good ones from time to time and I enjoy rediscovering them and slipping them into a session.

If you’re a dedicated practicer like me, that’s what this series is for. Each week, I’ll share one of my favorite drills. Take a look, see if it applies to your game, and make your practice sessions more useful and a lot more interesting.

To kick things off, here’s one that looks like somebody just warming up. It isn’t. There’s a lot more to it. If you’d rather watch how it works, the video from PGA instructor Dana Darley is below.

How it works

This is a lead arm drill that requires you to swing the club with one arm. You can use any iron you want.

1. Take your normal setup but hold the club with just your lead hand. Keep the grip in your fingers, not your palm.
2. Swing back only until your lead arm is parallel to the ground.
3. Hinge the wrist and then pull down so the club drops into the slot with the back of your lead wrist leading the way.
4. Keep your body moving. Your chest should stay over the ball as you come through.
5. Work up to three sets of 10.

Why it’s worth your time

One of the reasons I love this drill is that there are so many benefits to it. Some of them include:

• Centered contact: Repeatedly dropping the club into the same slot builds a more consistent strike.
• Path and face control: It’s hard to get way outside or way under the path when you’re swinging with one arm.
• Low-point control: Your chest stays over the ball as you pull down which builds awareness of where the club bottoms out.
• Lag: The downward pull of the lead arm is what holds your wrist angle so the club doesn’t get thrown from the top.
• Rhythm: A smooth, repeatable pull-down helps your tempo.
• Strength: You’re building the lead arm strength to stabilize the club and lead the downswing instead of letting the trail arm take over.

Mistakes to watch for

• Grip drifting into the palm. When the hand gets tired, it tends to slip back. Check that the club stays in your fingers.
• Going too far back. You only need to reach parallel. If you go past that, you lose the point of the drill.
• Stalling the body. Your chest should keep moving and cover the ball. If you’re all arms, you’re missing half of it.

Who it’s for

This lead arm drill works for every handicap level and every stage of the game from players just starting out to people who’ve been at it for decades. If you’re working on something like wedge distance control, it will help you gain more awareness to the club position. It’s a good all-around drill.

My take

I was surprised by how difficult it gets once you reach the third set. It starts out feeling easy but by the end, your lead arm is working. That’s what makes it a strength builder for me as well as a technique drill. Having that strength in your lead arm gives you stability throughout the swing and that’s always a good thing. Give it a try on the range this week.