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We’ve all heard of chicken elbows or flying elbows. Well, a lot of where that comes from is down to where people sit their forearms at address.

The consequences of that fault come from the idiosyncrasies of your set-up. In Pic 3 (below left), which is quite a common position, you’ll see my elbows pointing directly out. Ben Hogan always believed that the forearm should point forwards. He felt that your elbows should point towards your hip.

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And here’s why. When your forearms are facing each other, it affects how the joints fold. In fact, they actually can’t fold because they are facing each other. The result is that when you turn away, your right shoulder lifts and your right elbow pops out, which doesn’t give you a very efficient turn.

Craggs Collage2

I run through a little drill that opens your forearm up. Place your forefinger on top of your forearm (top left). This is the poor forearm position, with the inner forearm pointing towards the target. Pic 2 (top right) shows how the forearm is more turned underneath, with the elbow pointing more towards the right hip.

Now rotate your hand back to the normal address position (top right). 

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Immediately, you’ll get the sensation that your right elbow is pointing directly towards your right hip. Your forearm will now come up the way (above right) rather than out the way.

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