Drills to Maintain your Arm Structure

Maintaining your arm structure throughout the golf swing is very important.  The thought you want to have is to keep your elbows approximately the same distance apart from the very start of the swing to well past impact.  At the finish, the elbows may then come apart as the club completes the journey.

This is a sample of the arms separating at the top of the backswing, after impact and the finish.

DRILL 1

In the first drill, I am utilizing a small ball between the arms.  This particular ball is a small blow up plastic soccer ball.  You don't want a ball so big you can't grip the club properly.  I recommend using a short iron and start with small swings to get the feel.  In fact, I would start with chipping length swings and then move on the a half swing with some wrist hinge.  If your elbows separate at any point, you will drop the ball.  This will take several reps for you to get comfortable with the ball in place.  Stick with it and the payoff is huge.

DRILL 2

In drill number two, I am using a bungee cord around my upper torso.  You can adjust for size by simply tying a few knots in the cord.  The bungee should be tight enough for you to feel the resistance but not so tight you can't swing.  The bungee keeps the upper arms more connected to your torso throughout the swing.  If your elbows do separate the bungee will slide off your shoulders.  I recommend beginning with a short iron and after you have successfully hit some good shots, move on through the set.

Here is a short video of me using the small ball and bungee cord.