Do you intentionally roll your hands?

[bames]

I've read various times that some golfers find themselves in trouble with hooks when their hands are too quick to roll over. I put absolutely NO thought into my hands when I swing a driver. Am I missing out on clubhead speed? How many of you are cognizant of your hands rolling through on your drives - or how many intentionally whip your hands through to square the face or gain clubhead speed? Just wondering if I've missed the boat on something here.

[Rockford35]

Great question.

I think of it as being "fast" with my hands. I feel as tho I'm going into my follow thru before I've hit the ball. In actuality, it's your hands being late, where the head meets the ball and your hands aren't out front a touch to keep the face square.

It's really more a timing thing than "rolling your hands over", literally. I think that's the "right hand heavy" analogy. It makes sense that your right hand turning over would pull the ball left (for a righty), but if you reallly rolled your hands, you'd hit a smother hook about 40 yards.

R35

[ezra76]

Absolutely not. I don't even think of rolling the arms. I let my body release the club. I used to use my hands actively but that's a good way to snap the $hit out of it and that's about it. Think of this way maybe. What has a better chance of creating more distance? Your quadraceps moving the club through the ball on "straight line" or your hand muscles (aren't they all tendons, lol) taking over at impact to create "more speed".

[bames]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

Great question.

I think of it as being "fast" with my hands. I feel as tho I'm going into my follow thru before I've hit the ball. In actuality, it's your hands being late, where the head meets the ball and your hands aren't out front a touch to keep the face square.

It's really more a timing thing than "rolling your hands over", literally. I think that's the "right hand heavy" analogy. It makes sense that your right hand turning over would pull the ball left (for a righty), but if you reallly rolled your hands, you'd hit a smother hook about 40 yards.

R35

So for you Rock, you are aware of the fact that your hands are "whipping (for lack of a better word) through" the ball. You must have spent some time working on the timing of this action. Just curious, because I swing similarly to what Ezra described - my swing thought is to hit the ball with my right hip pocket. I'm not even I have hands when I swing. I might be missing out on some clubhead speed though and it might explain why I prefer S- or R+ shafts on my clubs.
OR - maybe I do it but just am unaware of the action.

[Rockford35]

When I come over the top, it's obvious that I'm bringing my hands through slow. My hips fire, but my hands lag and the clubhead turns over after impact. This means left. LEFT. I hit a draw, and my miss is a pull draw and deep. My timing is off with my hips firing early, which lags my hands. But, my clubhead speed is fast, so I end up pulling it over.

I've work very hard to correct a push. I worked 2 summers to get to the point now where I can hit a draw with any club in my bag. If I hit a slice/push, it's because I'm lazy.

When my driving is on, I can almost swing blindfolded. Pick a spot, hit it, pick up the tee. But when i'm off, it's because my hands are slow. Not rolling over as much, but more that the clubhead is ahead of my hands when the face meets the ball. And I know it instantly.

My cure for this is to intentionally hit a fade. I come accross the ball and hit a low cut. Then, I know how far off I am and meet inbetween.

I use a really stiff shaft, so I don't have much "NV" lag. I like to feel the entire club through the swing. I hate - HATE - losing the clubhead on the way down, so the rebar shafts appeal to me. But, if you're slow with the hands, you're done.

R35

[bames]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

When I come over the top, it's obvious that I'm bringing my hands through slow. My hips fire, but my hands lag and the clubhead turns over after impact. This means left. LEFT. I hit a draw, and my miss is a pull draw and deep. My timing is off with my hips firing early, which lags my hands. But, my clubhead speed is fast, so I end up pulling it over.

I've work very hard to correct a push. I worked 2 summers to get to the point now where I can hit a draw with any club in my bag. If I hit a slice/push, it's because I'm lazy.

When my driving is on, I can almost swing blindfolded. Pick a spot, hit it, pick up the tee. But when i'm off, it's because my hands are slow. Not rolling over as much, but more that the clubhead is ahead of my hands when the face meets the ball. And I know it instantly.

My cure for this is to intentionally hit a fade. I come accross the ball and hit a low cut. Then, I know how far off I am and meet inbetween.

I use a really stiff shaft, so I don't have much "NV" lag. I like to feel the entire club through the swing. I hate - HATE - losing the clubhead on the way down, so the rebar shafts appeal to me. But, if you're slow with the hands, you're done.

R35

Interesting. I think I'm going to toy around with this next time at the range - which should be soon - yeah right, I live in North Dakota. Right now I hit a very predictable fade. I must say that it is so predictable that driving has become my strongest point. But I've always wondered what I'm missing out on because I would never consider myself long off the tee. A good drive for me is 285. And I mean really good.

[Rockford35]

There is nothing wrong with a fade. It's much, much easier to control.

However, a draw will gain you considerable distance. (I know this is debateable, but I won't argue, a draw will go farther). With your irons, you stick them better on the green and can move the ball with more confidence, generally. Well, at least I can.

I worked hard - really hard - to get to the draw that I have now. But if my swing goes south with the driver, I can hit the highest, longest draw pulls you've ever seen in your life. Hello 3 wood!

I try and equate it to a baseball bat. Think of seeing that fat one over the middle of the plate and you wanna crank that beatch to left feild. You turn your hips to get open and get that bat into the strike zone faster with your hands just ahead of the ball and follow through. A draw is very similar. Timing is the key. Try playing around with the ball in your stance too. Makes a huge difference.

R35

[Pa Jayhawk]

This last year I made the effort to go from a draw to a fade as my primary ball flight. It just set up better for my home course and better keeps me in play. As a result I am even happier that more times than not it results in a straight shot.

Just as when I started playing, my tendency with my driver is a straight starting fade. If it tends to get to be more than I really care for, I use the same process I did to fix it when I started playing. That being what you mention in concentrating on releasing my wrist properly. A good swing thought I read when I started playing was to imagine a finish where your left palm (right handed) is facing the sky as though to catch raindrops. Works for me, and when my fade starts to lean towards more of a slice by doing this will usually result in a straight shot.

I also read the Rotella book in the beginning of the year (2007) and really try and stay away from swing thoughts, so this is on of the few that I will ever use on the course when the fade gets a little out of hand and away from my liking.

[ezra76]

A fade can go just as long as a draw, no problem. Twofast and I both hit fades now, he used to hit a draw. I don't know if my influence had anything to do with his switch but he's more consistant now and long as a ba$tard off the tee. The thing I like about a fade is I can just hit the ball with the back of my left hand as hard as I can, I don't have to worry about "turning it over" and it not only take the left side out but also can eliminate the push right of the "draw" that isn't turned over.

If you want to hit it longer, work on the mechanics to do so. More width in the backswing, hands as far away from the head as possible, big shoulder turn and uncoiling of the hips though impact so hard and fast you almost come off the ground. No "wrist rolling" can compete with that.

[figjam]

I seem to be stuck with the draw for my irons, and straight to draw most of the time with the driver, but I would take a fade in a flash if it could be my natural shot. I think big power fades are far more reliable and impressive than a draw. I think the important thing is to stick with your natural shape and not try to change it. When I'm playing my best I usually hit pretty dead straight, but if I miss it's usually left, or like most people whichever side the OOB is on .

As for rolling the hands, when I get everything going properly I don't feel the hands at all through impact, as the arms and hands just react to what the rest of the body has done and follow the body through impact. I think the key to getting distance is getting the lower body moving first. Hips rotate left, legs follow hips and get all the weight over the left foot, chest and shoulders follow the legs, and arms and hands catch up at the end to whip the clubhead through ipact. Or at least that's how it feels to me.

[par5in4]

How many of you are cognizant of your hands rolling through on your drives - or how many intentionally whip your hands through to square the face or gain clubhead speed? Just wondering if I've missed the boat on something here.

I don't know about you guys, but I just like the word, "cognizant"! Not a word you hear everyday.

[dave.]

I hit hard with BOTH hands, the left hand must NOT collapse so the right can hit hard, in reality you hit with both BUT FROM ABOUT WAIST HIGH. The 'whip' of the hands is created by other things, not from the hands themselves, and I have no concept of them turning over, but of course they do.

[eli_yates]

a guy by the name of aj bonar actually says that the best way to hit the ball and get more distance is to roll your wrists. but you have to time it perfectly... he says lay the club face open until you find the position that works best for you and rotate your wrists as soon as you get to impact... hes pointed out numerous pros that do this without even knowing they do it... but they are pros... i tried it and had some good results but the timing thing throws me off... its basically just a draw shot but you could theoritically add 15 mph of clubhead speed. some teaching pros say its a bad idea but aj bonar actually seems like a pretty credible source... he used to coach at wake forest and worked at a taylor made technology place of some sort... he has his own school and is apparently pretty successful they did an article on him in a recent golf digest or golf magazine i forget which one specifically... but either way... i recommend just trying it... the guy that wrote the article actually pointed out that the first few shots will be ian baker finchian style hooks but once you work the timing out... you should be blasting the ball fairly far at least further than you were... but its definitely a theory... maybe a good one maybe a bad one... seems legit to me..

[West Coast Duffer]

This reminds me of watching Gary Sheffield swing a baseball bat. he whips his wrists so fast and generates a tone of speed.

[warbirdlover]

I do not (want to) think about it!!! Just go through with the shoulder turn and it happens on it's own.