The importance of the right elbow (pointing down) in the golf swing

Keep your arms in front of your chest throughout the swing.

This is an oft repeated piece of golf advice that has its merit.  Keeping your arms in front of your chest forces the shoulders to turn – and if this ‘shoulder turn’ is gentle, your club will be right where it needs to be during your backswing.

What can go wrong?

The ONE thing that can go wrong with this tip is the involvement of the right arm – specifically the right elbow. If the right arm (right side) starts overpowering the left, the club will quickly get off plane, the shoulder turn will be lost – and there will be a general loss of power in the backswing (only in golf can using MORE strength result in a loss of power).

One way to avoid any right side involvement is to keep the RIGHT elbow pointing down. This has several important consequences:

1. Contain the right side’s overpowering instinct – The right elbow pointing down keeps the right chest from getting engaged. This prevents the right side from trying to overpower the left.
2. On-Plane Backswing – Most notably, if your arms are in front of your chest – and your right elbow is pointing to the ground, your club is almost GUARANTEED to be on-plane (on your way back).
3. On-Plane Downswing -The DOWNSWING plane becomes a lot simpler if you think of keeping the shaft on the plane of the right elbow (see image below)

Note the right elbow pointing down – the downswing is guaranteed to be on-plane from here down. Note also the flat left wrist on top of the backswing. 

Summary – Right Elbow Golf

The right elbow (and the entire right side in general) is a troublemaker in the golf swing. Bobby Jones believed that golf should be entirely a left handed sport – with the right side going along for a ride for the most part. The only time the right side enters the swing is before impact (a few feet prior to impact)  – where both hands provide the momentum through the hitting zone.

One way to eliminate any right side problems is to try and keep your right elbow pointing down throughout the swing. Remember that this will not work unless accompanied by the arms in front of the chest swing- thought.