Post by imperfectgolfer on Mar 4, 2010 14:23:06 GMT -5
Dodger - you wrote-: "How can a cupped left wrist be flat?"
You presumably do not fully understand the difference between an anatomically FLW and a geometrically FLW.
When a golfer has a geometrically FLW, the left wrist should appear to be cupped.
Note that I am holding the left arm and clubshaft in a straight line relationship - which means that the left arm flying wedge alignment is intact.
Note that my left wrist appears slightly cupped - and that represents a geometrically FLW.
A geometrically FLW differs from an anatomically FLW in an important visual sense - the visual sense that the back of the left wrist appears slightly cupped/scooped, and not perfectly flat. The left hand adopts this slightly cupped/scooped appearance when a golfer grips a rounded club grip in a fist-like neutral grip (2-knuckle grip). The degree of cupping/scooping will appear to be be greater if a golfer adopts a stronger left hand grip (3-knuckle grip), and it will appear to be less if a golfer adopts a weaker left hand grip (1-knuckle grip). A bent left wrist (dorsiflexed left wrist) will also make the back of the left hand appear to be cupped/scooped, but it differs from a geometrically FLW because the clubshaft will not be in a straight-line planar relationship with the left forearm. That's a critical difference! A golfer must avoid allowing the left wrist to bend at any time during the backswing - he must maintain a geometrically FLW throughout the backswing, to ensure that he maintains the left arm flying wedge's alignment intact.
Image 1 shows the appearance of the left arm flying wedge when the left arm is held straight-in-line with the left shoulder socket - it is equivalent to the same image as the geometrically FLW image above, but it is seen from a DTL view. In a DTL view, one cannot see that the left arm is straight-in-line with the clubshaft (because that requires a face-on view). However, one can see that there is an angle between the left arm and the clubshaft (yellow dotted line) and that angle gives the left arm-clubshaft alignment a wedge-like appearance.
During the backswing, this wedge-angle is going to decrease in magnitude as the left wrist cocks upwards. If the left wrist cocks upwards, without bending, then the clubshaft should always remain in a straight line relationship with the back of the left forearm, and that means that a golfer has maintained the left arm flying wedge's alignment intact.
Image 2 shows the appearance of the left arm flying wedge at the end-takeaway position (when the clubshaft is more-or-less parallel to the ball-target line). Note that it required a certain amount of internal rotation of the left upper arm and a certain amount of left forearm pronation to get the back of the geometrically FLW to become parallel to the ball-target line. Note that the clubshaft is in a straight-line planar relationship with the left forearm, and that requires a geometrically FLW (and not a bent left wrist).
Image 3 shows the geometrically FLW from a face-on view. During the mid-backswing, when the left hand moves further up the inclined plane, the left wrist should continue to be geometrically flat and the back of the FLW should be parallel to the inclined plane.
At the end-backswing position, if the left arm flying wedge is intact then the left wrist must still be geometrically flat, and that means that the left wrist should appear to be slightly cupped at the end-backswing position (as can be seen in Ben Hogan's swing).
Note that Ben Hogan has a geometrically FLW at the end-backswing (image 1) and that he maintains it in the early-mid downswing - thereby ensuring that the left arm flying wedge's alignment is intact during the club slotting process.
Jeff.
You presumably do not fully understand the difference between an anatomically FLW and a geometrically FLW.
When a golfer has a geometrically FLW, the left wrist should appear to be cupped.
Note that I am holding the left arm and clubshaft in a straight line relationship - which means that the left arm flying wedge alignment is intact.
Note that my left wrist appears slightly cupped - and that represents a geometrically FLW.
A geometrically FLW differs from an anatomically FLW in an important visual sense - the visual sense that the back of the left wrist appears slightly cupped/scooped, and not perfectly flat. The left hand adopts this slightly cupped/scooped appearance when a golfer grips a rounded club grip in a fist-like neutral grip (2-knuckle grip). The degree of cupping/scooping will appear to be be greater if a golfer adopts a stronger left hand grip (3-knuckle grip), and it will appear to be less if a golfer adopts a weaker left hand grip (1-knuckle grip). A bent left wrist (dorsiflexed left wrist) will also make the back of the left hand appear to be cupped/scooped, but it differs from a geometrically FLW because the clubshaft will not be in a straight-line planar relationship with the left forearm. That's a critical difference! A golfer must avoid allowing the left wrist to bend at any time during the backswing - he must maintain a geometrically FLW throughout the backswing, to ensure that he maintains the left arm flying wedge's alignment intact.
Image 1 shows the appearance of the left arm flying wedge when the left arm is held straight-in-line with the left shoulder socket - it is equivalent to the same image as the geometrically FLW image above, but it is seen from a DTL view. In a DTL view, one cannot see that the left arm is straight-in-line with the clubshaft (because that requires a face-on view). However, one can see that there is an angle between the left arm and the clubshaft (yellow dotted line) and that angle gives the left arm-clubshaft alignment a wedge-like appearance.
During the backswing, this wedge-angle is going to decrease in magnitude as the left wrist cocks upwards. If the left wrist cocks upwards, without bending, then the clubshaft should always remain in a straight line relationship with the back of the left forearm, and that means that a golfer has maintained the left arm flying wedge's alignment intact.
Image 2 shows the appearance of the left arm flying wedge at the end-takeaway position (when the clubshaft is more-or-less parallel to the ball-target line). Note that it required a certain amount of internal rotation of the left upper arm and a certain amount of left forearm pronation to get the back of the geometrically FLW to become parallel to the ball-target line. Note that the clubshaft is in a straight-line planar relationship with the left forearm, and that requires a geometrically FLW (and not a bent left wrist).
Image 3 shows the geometrically FLW from a face-on view. During the mid-backswing, when the left hand moves further up the inclined plane, the left wrist should continue to be geometrically flat and the back of the FLW should be parallel to the inclined plane.
At the end-backswing position, if the left arm flying wedge is intact then the left wrist must still be geometrically flat, and that means that the left wrist should appear to be slightly cupped at the end-backswing position (as can be seen in Ben Hogan's swing).
Note that Ben Hogan has a geometrically FLW at the end-backswing (image 1) and that he maintains it in the early-mid downswing - thereby ensuring that the left arm flying wedge's alignment is intact during the club slotting process.
Jeff.