Bent left arm for longer drives?

How many times have you been told to keep your left arm straight? But does it help you hit longer drives?

The answer, maybe. A straight left arm is thought to increase the width of your swing, which creates a larger arc resulting in higher club head speeds. This all sounds like a good thing, but many golfer’s tend to lock their left arm which creates tension that will slow your swing speed down.

So what would happen with a bent left arm?

I went to the range to find out. Similar to lifting your left foot, you should only bend your left arm when you have maxed out your natural flexibility. For me, I tried bending my left arm when I was slightly past a ¾ swing. Because to be honest, I am not that flexible.

I took 6 swings with a straight left arm and 6 swings with a bent left arm. The results in swing speeds were as anticipated. Club head speeds with a slight left arm bend increased by 1-3 mph depending on the swing. As a general rule, 1mph = 3 yards. Many factors effect overall distance, but this will give you an idea of how much distance you can gain based on club head speed.

I say anticipated, because I have done similar testing in the past and found that a slightly bent left arm allowed me to relax tension in my arms. This allowed me to swing fast and freely. Because you can’t swing fast without swinging loose.

Remember, don’t make your left arm bend, but allow your left arm to bend. This mindset and a relaxed arm state will allow you to generate slightly higher club head speeds without hitting the gym.

Have fun and hit longer drives!

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