Ben Hogan's Magic Elbow - The Best Ball Striking Tip I've Ever Received
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In today's video I'm going to share the BEST ball striking tip I've ever received. It's inspired from a tip in Ben Hogan's classic, Power Golf.
The trail arm plays a crucial role in the golf swing, yet many amateur players get it completely wrong.
The proper action of your arm get your club on plane, creates forward shaft lean at impact, and ensures you rotate through the shot for maximum power.
In today’s lesson I'll show you a simple drill that will help you get the proper action in your right arm.
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▶︎ ABOUT ZACH ALLEN ◀︎
Hi I'm Zach, thank you for visiting my channel. My goal here is to help you play the best golf of your life while having as much fun as possible!
I'm a PGA-certified golf instructor and have been coaching since 1997. I've been named a Golf Digest "Best Young Teacher," a GolfTips Magazine "Top 25 Golf Instructor," and Southern California PGA's Teacher of the Year. I've worked with golfers of all ages and levels, from 4-year-old beginners on up through touring professionals. My students have included nationally-ranked juniors, touring pros, celebrities, and CEOs, but wherever you're at on your golfing journey, my goal is always the same... to help YOU play your best golf!
I started playing competitive golf at a young age, ultimately reaching #3 in the California junior golf rankings - just behind another promising young golfer named Tiger Woods. I also played collegiate golf at the University of Southern California and professional golf on the Omega Asian Tour.
I work with students in-person at my studio in Valencia, CA, and teach golfers all around the world through my KZhead channel and on my website: ballstrikingblueprint.com. Thanks for stopping by and drop me a comment if you have any questions or would like to get in touch!
An invaluable swing tip. How on earth the majority of golf teachers don't mention this is unbelievable. This keeps the path of the takeaway constant and stable.
these videos are a tremendous help, especially how you break the feel down. A lot of channels fly thru their instructions and it’s hard to see how they do what they do
This may be the best thing I've ever seen. Well said and explained. You're a savant. You're changing lives!
One of the best descriptions of how the right arm moves i ever heard. Thanks!
This tip ,i read it in hogan's book, really is important. It is so important for good golf. Ty for covering it.
Great Video, As a college golfer it’s always simple things that can change major things in the golf swing. I was too worried on my grip and i started implementing a wrong elbow set up. Now i start hitting the ball straight again!
I have been using your right elbow/arm set-up for about 6 months because of a rotator cuff issue. I learned how to hit my ball straight again and with much more power and distance. After many months of worse and worse pain, finding a rotator cuff was now completely detached, I had surgery on January 16th, a couple of months before my 74th birthday. I am in the healing process and soon to be more and more into the physical therapy part. I can't wait to get back in shape and out on the golf course. I WILL STRICKTLY ADHERE TO YOUR TIP as I get back ready to hit my age. Thank you for the great Video.....only wish I had seen it a year ago Jeff
Great explanation!
Once again awesome instruction
Excellent tip and drill!
Love the tip, I knew exactly what you was talking about and how that feels. With that move it also keeps you from hitting it fat. Thanks again
great lesson Zach, thanks👍
Zach. This is beyond belief. The downswing and release are now grooved and automatic. Thanks a million!!!
That’s what I want to hear! 👏
I love this technique! Thanks and Aloha from kaua'i
Fantastic video. Thank you so much for this. I have had so many different theories in my head and gone down so many rabbit holes working on trail hand action in the takeaway. I needed to see this to clarify my ideas. I've always known that I played better with this takeaway, but felt it got the clubhead behind me. Conversely, just tilting ky shoulders and lifting my hands looked good on video but caused me to hit hooks and hold off blocks from fear of pulls and hooks. It's actually a combo. I do need to tilt/sidebend but also need to externally rotate my trail (right) hand as well. Thank you so much!!
Simply gold, thanks Zach. A softer trail arm and the softer I try is key. Anything that prevents the right shoulder from spinning out early aids flusher contact
%100 correct, if the wrong muscles never get too active will definitely help in the right side not taking over.
I've watched hundreds of videos and few have delivered results like keeping my elbow facing UP! MAGIC!!
great advice...so important in the golf swing to get the trail arm open at address. makes the swing so much easier and can feel natural right away.
Glad you like it, definitely makes more sense to set it and forget it. Most will set it incorrectly, then go around chasing the right backswing position. Makes it very difficult.
Brilliant !
Great reminder
Fantastic advice and instruction, AS ALWAYS..
Enjoy your tips immensely! They have helped me so much.
Love it! Could not agree more At every set up and on every golf swing I simply lastly twitch my right elbow inward and then immediately swing my club. I call my routine: Aim, Twitch and Swing. At at age 76 my swing is now priceles. Cheers👍🥂😊
Oh man😂 that is all time!
I took this to the driving range today with dramatic results. Only playing about 2 yrs. Started hitting balls with the usual inconsistencies, but I really concentrated on this one thing and it absolutely turned my ball striking around. Single biggest tip/change I’ve ever had so far. This game has been extremely difficult but I feel like I made some serious progress. I’ll be following along. Thanks
Wow, that is awesome to hear sounds like it really simplified your swing. Great job
I like what you're saying. I've studied golf for too long. I bought the golf machine book too long ago. Very complicated. But I would have to say that but I had studied before I watched your video they were talking about how you would want to lose your arm wrestling at the top of your backswing thereby creating the right elbow to lead and a little bit flatter swing. But what you're saying is to take that right hand and grip it so your elbow is in to begin with. That way I don't have to concentrate on losing the arm wrestling match at the top of my backswing. And this will help me a lot with when I flatten the swing out too much. Ultimately it has to be all natural so if I set the hand to begin with I won't have to figure it out at the transition from the top to the start of the downswing. Is that right? downswing.
Thank you. Very helpful
Greetings Zach and thanks for the excellent video. You have established yourself as an excellent striker , teacher and You tubesman. Homer discusses the SECRET of golf as the ability to sustain lag pressure all the way from start down to finish. The secret is to MAINTAIN THAT PRESSURE ( inertia ). As you know the principle of golf is the LINE OF COMPRESSION. THE magic in the golf swing has to do the left forearm participation in the swing and its relation to the plane line. The elbow position as part of the magic reveals the TYPE of swing being employed : pitch , punch or push. Swing or hit. Thanks for the excellent video. Cheers
absolutely correct
Thanks again Zach!
For sure
Great instruction!! I worked this change into my swing over the last 3 months and have gained a great amount of strike consistancy. Result, my handicap index has dropped from 12.5 to 9.5 in 2 months. A word of advise, practice half swings from left arm parallel until you want to scream. IT WORKS!! Thanks Zach for an outstanding video.
Wow that is some impressive improvement.
Whoa! Best. Tip. Ever.
My swing coach showed me this last week went from picking the ball to striping dollar bills sometimes partially behind the ball but i'll get used to the feel. This is sooo good
Thank you! Great tip!
You are so welcome!
Superb input coach! You are generous!
I appreciate that!
This and the LH grip change has completely transformed my swing, for the better
Zach.... wow unexpected awesome simple tip....my inside to out ball striking has never been better
Great to hear!
Thank you, very helpful
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Zach. Many golfers may already have this movement in their muscle memory from childhood without knowing it. Attempting to skim a flat stone on surface of water with underhand throw mimics exactly the trail arm (and hip!) action in golf downswing.
Great analogy, I guess you would keep the trail elbow in close even before you threw.
I second that, I will pretend I am a kid on the shore of a lake with many stones available for skimming when I am on the range...😊
I was so screwed up this actually even helped my putting stroke
By far the best TIP I have come across and I have seen a lot. This tip makes the golf swing very easy and automatically puts the club in the right swing pattern time after time. Thanks for posting
I also read Homer Kellye's book, The Golfing Machine. To say that it was a tough read is putting it mildly. You don't start at page 1 and read it in order. I can't locate my copy at the moment, but I do recall that the model for the book is a young lady who appears to be wearing penny loafers, a blouse and a pencil skirt that goes well below her knees. Those of you who have read it know what I mean. Do you grip the club normally with your right hand and then set the right elbow? It looks like that's what you do. I notice that if I set the elbow before taking the grip, my right hand is in a very strong position.
That was his wife. Guess he wanted a model that was not an accomplished golfer. Yes I would grip first then adjust the arm or just what you said will occur.
FIRST hold the club in your LEAD hand. THEN mate the TRAIL hand to the lead hand. The key is You MUST RELAX the trail arm so that the elbow can be tucked close to the trail side... as Zach demos but note how his right elbow is more IN FRONT of his rib cage and also not on or behind his shirt's right side seam. Your trail hand does NOT rotate into a strong grip... BUT your trail wrist may bend back a bit. Hope this helps.
Just tried that on my homemade range here in the Philippines, love it Zach!
Sweet!
One of your best tips ever. Makes a lot of sense to me. I can see the over the top move disappearing, Thanks
I’ve seen it really help some bad over the top swings.
Great session Zach. That backhand drill is very interesting-Russ
It is a very good way to get that trail arm to behave and cooperate.
Great lesson! Lee Trevino spoke of something similar, pointing out that most people who can keep the right harm tucked and the inside forearm facing up typically are the ones who can hit farther and have a tendency to hit more draws.
Great insight there
I went to golftec for nearly a year and never received any information that helped me as much as this simple video. Thanks Zach!
Glad it helped
I kinda stumbled on tucking my right elbow in last season on my own. My swing was just to wide open and I wasn't generating any power. I can't remember what tipped me off to try tucking my elbow in, but whatever it was has now been confirmed by your video that I am onto somthing game changing. I'm very excited to get my 2024 season underway after my shoulder surgery gets fully recovered. Thx for the help!
Go get it, sounds like you are on to something good.
He speaks truth. For most of us we all hit better when the left arm dominates the swing. If the right arm dominates its going to be a mis-hit. A sage golf coach I had one time said left is right, right is wrong. But its easier said than done when you are very right handed.
Yep, pretty good tip and drill right there. I reckon set-up and grip is 90% of the golf swing. You put people in a different position at address and suddenly a number of problems they've been battling for months, disappear overnight.
this is true !!
That is crazy good ❤
Hope it puts you in the slot
That is funny I felt that right elbow... I hadn’t played in months, finding that power again was all in that elbow... I golf regularly always trying to tweak the swing
Excellent advice bro
Glad you think so!
100 awesome video and this is exactly what you need to do
Yes! Thank you!
Great illustration of right side dominance (for right handers). Question- where should the left elbow be pointing at address? Thanks. 👍
you sir are correct. I've been playing golf for three years and just broke 70.
Perfect tip, Hogan talked about the ‘cups ‘ of both elbows pointing up at the sky.(5 lessons…) Spent a week at golf school doing just that. Heaven.
Absolutely
Great
well, you are clearly one of life's good guys and 100% genuine; and, there is a lot of good stuff here; and you do position your right elow in the perfect position at address. one thing i would say is that your right elbow would rotate, exactly as you demonstrate, if you just simply waggle the club at address. when the heel pad of the left hand presses forwards, to waggle the club back, it pulls on the left side of the right forearm, which rotates the elbow. and, this is key, as the heel pad of the left hand does exactly the same thing at the point at the point of propulsion- when the club is parallel to the target line- in the backswing. hogan talked about the "crossroads" of the golf swing; and, the point of propulsion is a key cross roads position. and, if you don't mind me saying, you journey in the wrong direction at this particular juncture. and, it is a lack of propulsion, at this point, that causes you to swing up outside the arc. and, you can prove this to yourself quite easily. as a drill, grip the club with just your left hand; point it out to your right, at parallel to the target line; and, then just wait a while. the pressure that the heel pad of the hand applies onto the club, to take the weight of the club, will actually set the club in motion; and, it will move on the perfect arc. put your right hand on the club when you get to the top of your backswing and you will be in the perfect position at the top. you may feel as though you are in a flat position; but, you will be in the perfect position at the top. and, you will never feel the need to do the cross handed drill- which serves only to disable swing propulsion- ever again.
Wow that is a lot of info right there. Gonna have to come back to that one tomorrow when I’m more awake.
@@ZachAllenGolf ok, i'll give you swing drill of all swings, when you have got that one down
Despite what Hogan books say Hogan never had his right elbow inside the left elbow when viewed down the line, also it was easier for Hogan, and Booby Jones to have such a bent right elbow at address, because both had long arms for their height.
True but you know he practices and taught it in both of his books. I think there came a point where his trail elbow was so well trained that he didn’t need to preset it.
How I know my baseball coach was a golfer. made me keep that back elbow below parallel. Now when i do that it golfing it just works out to a better shot.
That sounds like a great feel.
This confirms my theory: Right handeds should play as left handed do, and viceversa. It just make sense, and many stars of golf actually did it, starting from Moe Norman. Too bad I realized this after 10 years playing golf and reaching 2 hcp. Not willing to do it all over lol, but the book I'm writing will explain everything. By the way, I read the yellow book. A must !
Just watch Patrick Welsh, recent Oklahoma U. graduate and playing on the Korn Ferry Tour. He’s played “crosshand or left hand low since the beginning. Great young player.
Was thinking of that myself. Was wondering if some who really struggle with the golf swing just completely changed to cross handed, how would that go? We see it all the time in putting.
Very nice. My right arm was so out of kilter that it made me have a weak grip for decades. Great explanation.
Great insight there. That can definitely influence you to take weak grip.
nice video.... i realizer that the golf swing is just a hinge. That is why machines with hinges hit it perfectly every time.
Great point
Would it matter regardless of grip? Thanks for this
Does the right arm in the downswing start to straighten from the top all the way down through impact I've noticed when the club is parallel to the target line, in the downswing my hands are still waist high and not mid thigh like the pros
Moe Norman called it sunny side up for the trail arm.
Never knew that
How do you stop the backswing being "flat" when adopting this elbow position?
Is it the same for driver?
............. This is great if your goal is to hit close to the green or if you have hours to practice on each Iron.
Jack’s T shots went flying over everyone else too!
Miller Barber, John Daly, Fred Couples, Jack Nicklaus all other examples of flying right elbows, however, considering their talent level, and taking golf up at a very young age, might be difficult for the average golfers to replicate.
Good nuggets! How about the left arm now? I see Adam Scott (Tiger, etc.) lock that lead side arm and the elbow (Olecranon*) *points out towards the target.* What's the consensus there?
Bryson does it also, some like this because they believe it takes the left side of the golf course or a big hook out of play. However, for the average player setting your arm like this at address can have some bad consequences in the takeaway, like disconnection, or the lead arm helping to roll the club inside.
I hold the club left had bottom so how should I hold
That right elbow position worked great for Jack, what happened today? Did Jack not do it correctly? LOL
Hogan had (by description of his mentee Ken Venturi) very long arms. Could his bending of the Right elbow have been caused by these knuckle dragging arms? What is you have short arms? To keep the trail elbow bent would require a Will Zalatoris like bend. We all know what that did to his back.
It’s true
Wow 😊
Glad you liked it.
Bombs.
I have always thought that your dominate side should be closer to the target than your weaker side. Right handlers would play “left” handed and vice versa. I think Mickelsen and Spieth are examples. What do you think?
Might make sense for a select few, however, the majority are so use to throwing a ball, baseball, tennis, other racket sports, hockey, things they played in their youth, that it usually makes more sense to stay with that side. Usually more power also.
Interestingly enough my daughter is right handed, but plays golf lefty, just from watching me hit balls and mimicking what she saw. She was good enough to play in college and has a great swing.
What is the right hand position on the club at address? Where should the V be pointing? Should the forearm be pronated or supinated?
Thats a complicated question, many variables at play, and matchups that can be effective.
Was that Mac that was having you work on your right arm?
I agree with you completely and I have incorporated this swing habit into my swing with excellent results. However, have you ever watched the swing of Jack Nicklaus? His right elbow is flaired out….just saying.
Jack Nicklaus’s flying right elbow has been talked for years
Most amateur golfers would be better served with a simpler backswing position.
I agree with you on the right arm but I don't agree with the baseball analogy...good hitters do very similar action as a good golf swining...
I tried to ridden it.
hi, i cant seem to find the thumbnail image of hogan used on this video. Can you help me find out where it originates? thanks
It’s a screenshot from Ben’s power golf book
@@ZachAllenGolf yes indeed it is, thanks for your reply . . . mike
So what changes if I'm right handed (right dominate) but I play golf left handed?
Would still totally apply, I actually can shoot in the low 80's playing left handed, and it's alway's a very good conscious though for me to set my trail arm correctly.
Homer Kelly was a Boeing aircraft engineer from Seattle and wrote the Golf Machine...It is a book of mathematical and geometric laws principals and theories which is for the most part unreadable as it relates to the golf swing...I bought the book as a junior golfer as well and after 2 or 3 pages I tossed it...When Homer passed away his most famous disciple (Bobby Clampett) had no one to explain the book and his career fell very far short of where it should have been...There are far easier books/theories/methods to follow than Homers book imho...With that said he was a very nice man...I met him and he never pushed his ideas onto anyone...But he left behind a very very difficult read...Good pointers though that you are giving here in your video...Best wishes and good luck to all...
Great info and tribute to a very smart man.
Left hand grip with right hand club???
感恩！预備动作時，左手肘比右手肘高，如果不常训练或去注意，是忽略或忘记这重奌！高球的技巧重奌最少是MON NOAMAN加拿大男球手，他学習他的人卻不多，而且他很会找合用的球桿，高球除了学技巧，要学会找合用球桿，可事半功倍呀！您提的右手肘的直角曲打球的技巧，許多的教練都會提的，可知这动作是重点之中重奌。但要学到自如熟練可能至少三个月呀！
True Moe Norman is a great example of this 👍🏻
Zach do you promote a Lead arm pull release or a trail arm push release? I believe with your lesson today a lead arm release would be lot more efficient.
We definitely cannot have the trail arm or side over take or over power the lead side. But make no mistake the trail side is working.
Perhaps it's your 'magic move'.. but I think this kind of right elbow discussion should relate the difference between delofting and closing the face. I think people don't 'get' it generally, because the instruction is always too biomechanical. I think people understand the 'why' better if they understand how the arms-movement affects the face through impact.. or even how much more they need to focus on that last link in the chain that they can control - the club face - in their interface with the ball. IMHO. And also - this is a great video, well articulated.
Those are good thoughts, hands, wrist conditions, and trail elbow positions are all really important during the impact interval for a successful shot.
Elbow Zyn boys
Can we use this for driver too?
For sure, really helps to to keep the setup and swing consistent thru the bag.
The most complicated book I’ve “ever ridden”. I’ve been doing books wrong.
Wait, you learned this in college and just telling us the best tip ever now??😂
Better late than never🤣
A medicine ball with the elbow tucked in the trail arm will turn over which takes the legs thru with it I noticed yesterday
Gotta play to the KZhead algorithm for views. While the title is silly, he’s just trying to ensure as many people see this as possible.
😂🤣😂
Wait, you didn't by the book? Yea, I didn't either. 😁
It’s one of the best kept secrets in golf,I believe 😂
Fred Couples and Jack Nicklaus flying right elbows called……and said….wait a minute
Homer Kelly - the golfing machine
In the US most boys swing a baseball bat or a hockey stick before a golf club and among my golfing cohort those who played hockey have much better golf swings that the baseball players because a slap shot down at a puck on the ice is more similar to the ideal biomechanics of golf swing, in particular the trail arm action, than swinging for the left field fence with a baseball bat. If golf instructors would put a machete in the hands of their student in a cane field and told them to cut cane with it they would understand immediately, intuitively, what the trail arm should be doing to create the most efficient triple lever action in a golf swing. Something I came to realize using temperament testing as a manger to place people in different jobs is that naturally intuitive types will make connections like that machete = golf swing but sensing types will not. Statistically 80% people who take temperament indicator tests are more sensing than intuitive. The intuitive logical types who are really good at figuring things out on their own - like Homer Kelley, Abe Mitchell (1930 instructor and author of 'Down to Scratch"), Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods - are actually small percentage < 10%. Hogan's Five Lessons which I've read many times, was so popular because by sitting down with his ghost writer and illustrator he was able to explain and illustrate in 'ducks in a row' steps for sensing types who relate to information that way what every part of the body should feel like (via the cut away drawings of tensed muscles) based on how he felt swinging based on intuition.
Ben Hogan was a natural hooker of the golf ball and worked tirelessly to adjust his swing accordingly. Keep in mind that the bane of 90 percent of all beginning golfers and weekend hackers is the slice. Using Hogan's fundamentals can and will tend to accentuate your fades and slices, since his techniques were designed for that very purpose. Unless you are a natural hooker of the ball, use caution when incorporating Hogan's techniques.
How come videos of Hogan swinging show his right elbow not tucked in at the start of his backswing?🤔
Teach me please