Downswing and TransitionSpeed, Power, and Distance All clubs Intermediate ⏱ 2 min 🇫🇷 Video in French

Hold Your Wrist Angle in the Downswing: Marchildon

Name: Hold Your Wrist Angle in the Downswing: Marchildon
Uploaded: 2012-07-28T12:00:00+00:00
Duration: 2 min 29 s
Channel: Charles Marchildon
Description: Do you swing with your arms and lose all your clubhead speed? Charles Marchildon, a PGA of Canada professional, explains that the club’s whiplash—the angle of the wrists maintained during the downswing—cannot be forced: it arises naturally from the sequence of movements.

Do you swing with your arms and lose all your clubhead speed? Charles Marchildon, a PGA of Canada professional, explains that the club’s whiplash—the angle of the wrists maintained during the downswing—cannot be forced: it arises naturally from the sequence of movements.

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Charles Marchildon · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

7 minSame problemA Stretch Feeling at the Start of the DownswingPadraig Harrington · Intermediate / Expert 12 minSame problemStart the Downswing with Your Legs: Unscrew the LidDanny Maude · Intermediate 2 minFrom the same proSleeve in front of the hip at impact: MarchildonCharles Marchildon · Intermediate / Expert

What the lesson shows

For Charles Marchildon, the golf swing is a sequence of three movements: weight transfer, hip rotation, and then the club's whipping motion. This whipping motion—the ability to Maintain an angle in your wrists in the downswing, is one of the most important factors in generating speed and distance. To illustrate this, he slides a piece of pool noodle—cut open—onto the shaft, with a small white ball representing the energy of the whip.

Most golfers use the wrong movements at the wrong time: when they swing, they rely on arms and hands first, which causes you to lose wrist angle and all your clubhead speed. The secret isn't to hold back your hands and wrists. On the downswing, he first shifts his weight, then rotates his hips, and during that time The hands and arms wait their turn and follow. The whisk comes in third: it's all about timing and coordination.

The Exercise, Step by Step

Slide a piece of pool noodle cut open at one end and shaped like a small ball onto the handle to visualize the whip's energy.
Set up the club as usual.
Initiate the downswing by shifting your weight forward.
Follow through with a hip rotation, keeping your arms and hands relaxed.
Let the club strike last.
Repeat this while saying to yourself, “I transfer, I turn, I whip.”.

Key Takeaways

The swing is a sequence: weight transfer, hip rotation, and follow-through.

The whip is the angle of the wrists as they are lowered.

Using your arms and hands to swing causes you to lose that angle and speed.

We don't hold the wrists; we follow the correct sequence of steps.

The arms and hands follow; they do not initiate the downswing.

Mistakes to Avoid

Hit the ball with your arms and hands first.
Losing the angle of the wrists right at the start of the downswing.
Try to hold your hands and wrists in place to maintain the angle.
Rotate your hips after your arms.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

A pool noodle and a small ball slipped onto the handle
Slow swings: “transfer, rotation, whip”
Same sequence with a ball, without straining

Your Questions

What is a club in golf?

For Charles Marchildon, it's the ability to maintain an angle in the wrists during the downswing. It's one of the most important factors in generating speed and distance.

Why am I losing the angle of my wrists?

Because most golfers rely primarily on their arms and hands to make contact. As a result, the angle is lost early on, and clubhead speed goes with it.

Should you hold your wrists to maintain the angle?

No. The secret, he says, isn't to keep your hands and wrists still, but to follow the sequence: weight transfer, hip rotation, then the whip.

What is the purpose of the pool noodle on the handle?

It is used to visualize the energy of the whip: the small ball slid onto the handle represents this energy, which must be released at the right moment.

Learn More

All “Downhill and Transition” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you All “Speed, Power, and Distance” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Left-handed grip and loss of distance: MarchildonPoor left-hand form: open palm, wrists straightened too early, path toward the left. Four steps: palm, heel of the hand on top, three knuckles, thumb. Viktor Hovland's Ball Striking: Height and TriggerOn the driving range, Hovland explains how he gained speed, how he gets the ball higher or lower with his 7-iron, and what trigger sets off his swing. Use the Ground to Hit Harder: Pavon's DrillPavon gains speed without changing his swing: he learns to push off the ground at the right moment using a weight-transfer exercise. Charles MarchildonAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Charles Marchildon). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons, without hosting them.