A flying right elbow in the backswing is one of the most common swing faults — and one of the most fixable. PGA Golf Coach from Smash Factor Golf Coaching breaks down exactly what’s going wrong and offers two simple drills to get your arm, shoulder, and body working in sync. If your ball-striking or directional control has been letting you down, this could be the missing piece.
Smash Factor Golf Coaching – Game Improvement
This video from Smash Factor Golf Coaching tackles the flying right elbow — a fault that disconnects the arms from the body, opens the clubface at the top, and costs you both power and accuracy. The coach explains what the elbow should be doing at the top of the backswing and offers two hands-on drills to help you feel the correct position. Whether you’ve been told you have this fault or you’re simply losing shots to the right, this is a practical place to start.
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Key Takeaways Understand what the fault is doing
A flying right elbow causes the arms to dominate the swing, the body to stop rotating properly, and the clubface to open — making a clean, powerful downswing much harder to achieve.
Drill one — left hand on the bicep
Hold the club with your right hand only and place your left hand around the outside of your right bicep; as you swing back, the left hand prevents the elbow from pulling away and encourages proper shoulder rotation.
Drill two — resistance band
Loop a resistance band around your back and over your right elbow so that you have to work against it during the backswing, training the arm to stay connected to the body all the way to the top of the swing.
Take both drills to the range and spend a few minutes on each before building up to full swings — the “waiter holding a tray” feeling at the top is a useful image to keep in mind as you go. This video suits golfers at any level who have been told their elbow flies, or who are losing distance and accuracy without quite knowing why.
Welcome to Smash Factor Golf Coaching THE HOME OF NO NONSENSE GOLF INSTRUCTION. They specialise in coaching all levels of golfers to achieve their individual goals, in person at their studio or online via our one to one remote coaching programmes, online video programmes or webinars. Whether its learning to play, getting more enjoyment from your game or achieving a handicap goal we offer expert PGA advice to suit your needs.
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