Left elbow vs right elbow

[Chieflongtee]

Most instruction books recommend a straight left arm on the back swing. Yet if you reverse the swing(i.e almost a full circle back to parallel) the right elbow naturally bends considerably on the follow through. Not everyone has the same flexibility and/or the same build. We are not robots and do not have mechanical arms. What's up with that? Any comments?

[jvincent]

My 2 cents on this. Apologies in advance to the lefties out there but I'll only use right handed golfers as the reference.

The "left arm straight" is really about being able to get the club back to the ball reliably. The more bending in the left arm you have, the more difficult that is. Note that most beginners go overboard on this and lock their left arms ridgidly, which is bad.

Once you've hit the ball, both arms will be straight for a while after impact. If you've had your swing video taped you'll notice this, but once you get further into your follow through they will naturally start to bend.

[Chieflongtee]

Calvin Peete used to bend his left elbow and was actually one of most accurate driver on tour.
http://www.afrogolf.com/calvinpeete.html

[BC MIST]

Most instruction books recommend a straight left arm on the back swing. Yet if you reverse the swing(i.e almost a full circle back to parallel) the right elbow naturally bends considerably on the follow through. Not everyone has the same flexibility and/or the same build. We are not robots and do not have mechanical arms. What's up with that? Any comments?

I am not sure what the real issue is.

The radius of the swing is from the left shoulder to the ball. If the backswing is circular in shape, it's not, but let's say it is, then the radius of that circle consists of the left arm and the golf club. At the end of the radius is the ball(address position) But if you look at the golfer at address, from the down the line view, the left arm and the club form an OBTUSE angle. The distance from the left shoulder to the ball is say, "x" inches. At impact, the reality is that the angle formed by the left arm and the club is a STRAIGHT angle. So now the distance from the left shoulder to the ball is "x" + "y" inches. In order for this to take place, the upper body of the golfer has to literally back-up. This is the major weakness of the conventional swing. Throw in the bending of the left arm at the top of the swing, and the equation becomes even more complicated as it takes considerable skill to shorten the radius, and then lengthen the radius in order to make square contact. A couple of pictures and a diagram would make all this easier to understand.

One of the reasons why single axis players are more consistent/accurate is that impact and address positions are the same. No backing up is required.

Cal Pete had a bent left arm due to an accident. During his swing his left arm (radius) did not shorten or lengthen, therefore, it was easy for him to make consistent contact. It was not because of this that he was a straight hitter, it was because he was talented.

What happens to the right arm, or the left for that matter, after separation of the ball from the clubface, is inconsequential. If the golfer was to intentionally try to keep either arm straight in the through swing, he would likely end up with arm/shoulder/back problems