Left Hand in the Golf Swing (Complete Overview)

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

The left hand plays a rather important role in the golf swing.  For many golfers it helps provide stability and controls the club face through the hitting zone.  The left hand releases past impact as the club passes the hands in the follow through. This provides some extra speed as golfers are not holding the release, but instead letting the club and hands go with the momentum of the swing.

The golf world is filled with different swing theories from rotation in the golf swing, to positioning of the weight in the golf swing and how the hands work in the golf swing.

You can find instructors that teach a variety of methods.  We hope to help simplify what the left hand does in the golf swing for you and give you some great resources from the best instructors we have found on this topic!

Your hands are a vital part of the golf swing as they are the only part of the body actually touching the club. 

The hands end up playing some important roles:

  • Providing stability
  • Controlling start direction
  • Creating additional speed

At the end of the day, the best golfers are able to do the following:

  • Control the low point of the golf swing
  • Control the start line and curve of the ball
  • Generate enough speed/distance to play the course
Striking the ball solid is a major key to advancing your game. Get to work today on controlling your low point.

Left Hand in the Golf Swing

My Journey: There have been times when I have felt more left hand in the swing and times when I have felt more right hand. With my current swing, I feel more left hand and feel the speed from waist high in the backswing through the ball to above my left shoulder in the thru swing. The left hand and arm can provide quality speed and yet help you keep the ball on the golf course through controlling the club face.

The stability in the golf swing starts with a grip that matches your swing. There is no perfect left hand grip, as a great deal of your grip depends on what else is taking place during your swing.

Below, I will dive in and answer the following questions about the left hand in the golf swing:

  • What does the left hand do during the golf swing?
  • Does the left hand provide power and speed?
  • Should the left hand lead the golf swing?
The more difficult the shot, the more importance the stability through the hitting zone becomes.

What does the left hand do during the golf swing?

The left hand helps start the golf swing by pushing in somewhat of a straight line back.  The golfer is working on keeping the clubface at a 90 degree angle to the swing arch.  This gives the golfer the stability he or she needs in the downswing and into impact (moment of truth).  

Should I roll my hands in the golf swing?

Ultimately, both hands must work together to provide the greatest level of stability (accuracy) and speed (distance) to produce a repeatable swing that leads to consistent ball striking.

I find the left hand to provide great stability and helps me square the clubface up through impact.  At address, I ensure that the back of my left hand and the clubface are square and pointed in the direction I want the ball to start.

Through impact the left hand will release, but not roll.  For many years, instructors taught golfers to roll the hands through impact.  First the golfer was taught to open the clubface on the back swing and then close it through impact. 

In today’s modern instruction, most instructors are focusing on providing clubhead stability through impact which can be created by keep the left hand stable and releasing it vs rolling it over.

Here is a great video by MIke Malaska on the role of the left hand in the golf swing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35me0WITwSw

Common mistake?

When the golfer flips the left hand back and tosses the club inside.  Ths often puts a golfer in a bad position at the top of the swing and can lead to an over the top motion.  Another common mistake is rolling the left hand over vs letting it release similar to to a backhand slap.  This matches up with the underhand tossing like motion with the right hand.

Does the left hand provide power and speed?

Yes, the left hand plays a role in providing some extra speed through the impact zone.  Golfers who try to eliminate their hands, might have great stability, but will struggle to create their maximum speed.

Let the left hand release as the clubhead moves past the hands shortly after impact.  Make sure you aren’t trying to hold your release in an attempt to maintain lag or create stability.  Instead let the hands release naturally without creating a rolling motion through impact.  This rolling motion would make timing difficult, leading to a lack of consistency in the golf swing.

Here is an excellent video on the releasing of the hands and how your arms work to maximize speed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnGeCX-Yjgk

Common Mistake?

Some golfers get stuck dumping out all of the speed too early leading to early extension with the body.  The golfer is trying too hard to release the club and ends up dumping all the angles way too early.  From the start of the downswing, remain patient, let the arms go and the hands will respond in a more natural release vs a forced release.

Should the left hand lead the golf swing?

Some instructors will teach the pulling of the left arm and letting that lead arm be the dominant force in the golf swing.  We believe in both hands working together and letting the momentum of the swing and the athletic motion being made to create speed and stability in the golf swing.

Common mistake?

Too many golfers pull hard from the top, creating a lack of width in the golf swing.  This results in poor contact or too steep of a swing.  If this is your swing fault, I would highly recommend checking out Monte Scheinblum and his video series called Broom Force.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX-Gi_05ZAc

Which arm is dominant in the golf swing?

Both arms play a vital role in the golf swing.  Both are required to control your low point, your start line and curve and produce enough speed to play the course.  

I have heard the golf swing described as taking a shower.  Sometimes you need more hot water, sometimes you need more cold water.  Too much of hot or cold and you are in bad shape and have an uncomfortable shower.  The golf swing is similar in that too much of either arm or not enough of one, will lead to some poor results.  It might feel good int he short term, but overall, it can lead to inconsistency.

Common mistake?

Too much of anything usually leads to issues.  This is the same thing you force one arm to be dominant.  I often think of my left hand being the stabilizing force in the golf swing and the right hand providing a bit more speed at the bottom.  My swing issue centers around when my body stops moving and my right hand takes over.  I have to be aware of this and try to keep everything in synch and working together. 

Tip #1: Educate Your Hands

One tip I would like to share is that you have to train your hands to have a feeling of squaring the club up through impact.  Work on making sure you use a consistent grip and make your grip stronger or weaker depending on the flight of the golf ball after impact.  Read the ball fly in your practice sessions and educate your hands based on the feel and the result of the shot.

Tip #2: Former Athlete/Baseball Player?

As a former baseball player myself, one way I train my hands is to think of hitting to different parts of the baseball field. Here are some of the shots I try to hit.

  • The right center shot that draws towards center field.
  • The left center shot that fades towards center field.
  • The ball that starts right of center field and fades to right center.
  • The ball that starts left of center field and draws to left center.

When you can get yourself out of golf mode and start trying to hit something familiar to you, your instincts take over and allows the game to be more target focused vs position focused like many golfers fall in the trap of.

Related Posts:

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently.  About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.  I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer.  I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day.  I can practice or play rounds of golf.  I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

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