Instruction

The importance of the elbows in putting

Published

13 years ago

Oct 21, 2013

As we all know, putting requires a solid stroke that is derived from very coordinated motions of the shoulders, arms and hands, not to mention the complex set of psychomotor motions that must be mastered between the body and brain in order to be consistent. If you have control of this “powerful package” formed by your shoulders and arms, then you will be able to control your putting stroke.

In this article, I examine the most common problems that excessive flexion and extension of the lead and trailing elbows cause during a golfer’s stroke and how to fix them.

Within my putting academy I use several high tech tools in order to study the effects of the putting stroke. In this article I will feature two of my systems:

Advanced Motion Measurement’s 3D Motion Analysis System
The SAM Puttlab created by Science & Motion Sports

The Most Common Putting Problems

Within my putting research I feel I have identified the six most common issues within a golfer’s putting stroke that stem from the improper flexion and extension of the elbows. These issues can happen at any point during the stroke, and will negatively influence a gofler’s actions on the greens if left untamed. We used 3D Motion Analysis Testing with golfers of differing handicap levels in order to identify the following flaws, which are listed in order from address to follow-through.

Elbows at the address position
Flexion values for lead and trailing elbows at the address position
Lead and trailing elbow extension during the address position
Elbow separation on the backswing
Rear-elbow flexion on backswing
Lead-elbow flexion through impact and its influence on the lead wrist
The “pulling in” of the elbows during the finish

Elbows at the address position

If you assume your normal address position with your putter and look down, you will see that your elbows hang a certain distance apart; however, what happens if you push your elbows together or move them outward? Is there a correct position?

The graphic above shows a right-handed golfer whose elbows are separated by 12 inches. The “pockets” on the inside of each elbow are not quite facing the sky, but they are close. This is the most relaxed, but controllable position golfers can have within their putting setup. They have “locked in” the framework, but have not created any adverse tension or unnatural positions with their elbows in the process.

What happens when the elbow separation becomes too narrow? Whenever golfers press their arms close together, tension is created. The tension is mostly felt where the inside of the upper arms meet the side of the chest. As we all know, tension in the putting stroke is a bad thing and it will not take long to permeate throughout the whole body, making a smooth stroke almost impossible. If the elbows start to creep too close, inside the 8-to10-inch mark (depending on your frame size), I can almost guarantee that they will have unwanted tension in their putting stroke.

Think back to Jack Nicklaus’ putting setup. What do you remember? Nicklaus had wide elbows and a very steady head! This is a fine position for the type of “push” putter Nicklaus was, where the rear forearm “pushed” or powered the stroke while the lead arm went along for the ride. But most people do not do this when placed in this position. If your elbows move 13-to-15 or more inches apart, most golfers will find that maintaining proper posture becomes very hard unless their putter is quite long. Whenever I see someone whose elbows are this far apart, I usually see poor posture as well from the down-the-line view. Whenever golfers crouch over the ball, they tend to “stand-up” through impact and leave the ball out to the right of your target. It also can be very uncomfortable to set up in this manner with a standard length putter, which leads to: “OW! My back.”

In the graphic above, the golfer has placed his rear forearm and the lead forearm in different flexes, which causes shoulder alignment issues. The rear forearm is flexed at 162.5 degrees (with 180 degrees being straight) and the leading forearm is flexed slightly more at 154.2 degrees. This places one shoulder out of line with the other, but more on that later in the article.

In a perfect world, I would like to see a golfer’s forearms flexed the same amount so that his or her shoulders, hips, knees, feet and the ball’s targetline are all parallel to one another. This creates, what Dave Pelz calls “perfect flowlines.”

A note for the average golfer

Most golfers align their shoulders to the left of their intended target line due to the improper flexing of the forearms. Thus, if I had to pick one error I’d like to eliminate within the set-up position I’d like to see the trailing forearm flexed slightly more than the lead forearm (remember, more flexed means closer to 90 degrees), or dropped closer to the hip. This accomplishes two things:

It keeps the shoulders square to the target line at address, not open, as most players tend to place them.
It also helps the rear forearm and the club shaft stay merged within in the same plane.

Drill: Whenever the rear forearm is flexed correctly, a line drawn up the club shaft will bisect the forearm directly. Look for this in your mirror at home.

Lead and trailing elbow extension during the address position

I touched on this aspect of the address position above, but I would like to go into deeper detail in order to show you the correlations between the leading and trailing elbow flex and its effect on the position of the shoulders.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 1 shows a trailing forearm that is flexed at 162.5 degrees (too straight), and shoulders that are opened two degrees. This goes to show you that as your rear elbow flex diminishes, the shoulders will open. However, if your lead forearm is too straight, then the shoulders will likely be too closed.

There are two ways to eliminate this from creeping into your putting stroke.

Use a mirror and audit your down-the-line position.
Have a friend place a club shaft along your forearms at your address position. If it is parallel to your ball’s target line then you are fine. If not, you will know which forearm is not flexed enough.

Elbow separation on the backswing

Another interesting flaw that I’ve seen develop during testing (mostly with average golfers) was those golfers’ tendency to “widen” or “spread” their elbows farther apart as the club moved from address to the top position. Biomechanically, that move keeps the putter head from rotating open on the way back, and tends to push the putter on a more straight-back-and-straight-through path.

I really don’t know why it happens (I will need to do extra testing in order to answer this question), but my conjecture is that these players internally believe that they must move the putter straight back and straight through on a straight line and not an arc.

NOTE: If you could naturally move the putter straight back and straight through with zero face rotation, it would be a much easier way to putt. But our testing has shown that the body’s anatomical design always tries to put “some” arc in the stroke unless you physically stop it from doing so by making a physical manipulation (i.e. widening your elbows on the backstroke).

Rear-elbow flexion on backswing

Another interesting development in the very novice golfer was the over-flexion of the rear elbow during the backstroke. Imagine setting up to hit a putt, and the first move you make is to flex (moving toward 90 degrees) your rear elbow in order to power the putter shaft on the backswing.

This causes two things to happen. One, it allows your putter to leave the ground too rapidly, and two, it causes your angle of attack on the forward swing to be too steep. This action de-lofts the putter at impact too much, and unless you adjust your putter’s loft accordingly, you will actually drive the ball into the ground. That causes the ball to bounce before it rolls.

In the image above, you can see on the left how the backswing line is very “up” and the right side of the graph (in red) shows the putter face being de-lofted 2.4 degrees. Now assume that you have a standard putter with 4 degrees of loft and you deloft it 2.4 degrees:

4 – 2.4 = 1.6 degrees of dynamic loft.

Couple this with the fact that your putter is chopping down on the ball (moving 2.4 degrees downward at impact), and you have the keys to making the ball skid and bounce off the start of its roll! In order to stop this problem from happening, simply keep the putter head closer to the ground during the backswing and that should take care of most of it.

Lead elbow flexion through impact and its influence on the lead wrist

As the putter moves through impact, several things are happening at once: the putter path is flattening out, the putter is hopefully moving at a constant rate of acceleration and the face is beginning to rotate back to square (90 degrees to your arc). It is here that the ball’s initial starting direction and velocity are programmed. If you have issues here, you will surely fail.

Notice the lead elbow’s flex above, 134.6 degrees, which means it has a lot of flex in it on the way through impact. Now, notice the lead wrist’s position (it is 33.1 degrees extended, or cupped). This shows you that as the lead elbow flexes more through impact, the lead wrist begins to breakdown and this adds loft to the putter and interrupts the natural closing rate of your putter head, which leaves putts out to the right. This impact alignment breakdown is the major flaw for all golfers today, from PGA Tour players down to the weekend hacker.

In a perfect world, the above example is how your impact alignments should look — the lead elbow is very extended and the lead wrist is in a very neutral position. If you “breakdown” the lead elbow’s flex, the lead wrist will follow suit and you will add loft to your putter as shown by the graphic below.

4-degree putter + 3 degrees of added loft = a 7-degree putter

That’s basically a chipper!

The “pulling in” of the elbows during the finish

By now, we have all seen the golfer who “pulls his arms into his body just after impact,” which would be like impacting the golf ball and then trying to stick the butt of the club into your belly-button as quickly as possible. Obviously, this impedes the level of accuracy golfers are going for on the putting green, but thankfully it only afflicts novice golfers and is a flaw that is easily overcome.

Just after impact, golfers should feel the putter head staying reasonably low to the ground (don’t force it!) as in the graphic below. This allows the putter head to naturally release back to square at impact and it keeps the putter head’s rate of rotation through impact constant. You can see how the leading elbow flex is 150.1, which is very close to 180 (perfectly straight), and this does not allow the lead wrist to breakdown too rapidly during the process. This is the motion necessary to control the closing rate of your putter face through impact.

When these positive motions occur through impact, it keeps the rate of rotation very constant through the ball, as shown in the bottom right graph above. Notice how close the lines are to being on top of one another. Thats means that each individual stroke that was measured had virtually the same rate and amount of rotation through impact!

Instruction

How to play your best golf when the temperature drops

Published

3 months ago

Feb 3, 2026

Brendon Elliott

The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.

“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.

If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.

Understand What Cold Does to Your Game

Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.

Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.

Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.

Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing

Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.

Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.

Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.

Take More Club Than You Think You Need

This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.

The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.

Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.

Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens

Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.

Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.

Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.

Embrace the Mental Challenge

Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”

That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.

Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.

Warm Up Longer and Smarter

This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.

Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.

The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

Instruction

3 lessons from Brooks Koepka that’ll actually lower your score

Published

3 months ago

Feb 2, 2026

Brendon Elliott

Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.

What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.

So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.

Stop Overthinking Every Shot

Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.

This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.

How to actually do this:

On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.

Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.

If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.

This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.

Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)

Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.

Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:

Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.

Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.

Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.

Save Your Best for When It Counts

Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.

How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.

Here’s what actually works:

Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.

Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.

Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.

The Bottom Line

Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.

You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.

Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.

Instruction

What we can learn from Blades Brown’s impressive American Express performance

Published

3 months ago

Jan 29, 2026

Brendon Elliott

Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.

Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.

Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee

Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.

Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.

Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.

The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.

Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens

This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.

How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.

Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.

Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.

When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.

Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient

Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.

He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.

Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.

Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.

Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.