Armed and dangerous

I'm not armed or dangerous, but I do feel fairly confident that I have found the recipe (for me) to play decent, consistent golf.

The secret, which is no secret, is to keep the lead arm straight (not rigid) throughout the swing. And I mean 'throughout'. It is well accepted that a straight lead arm at impact is important for consistency, mainly through control of the swing arc, and also to reduce power leaks caused by flipping.

If you bend your lead arm at or near the top of the backswing there is a need to time the straightening in the downswing, not as easy to do as it might seem. Even a fraction of a second early or late with this can have a significant influence on the angle of attack and the release dynamics at impact.

Keeping the lead arm straight throughout the swing does of course have implications for those of us with less than great flexibility or mobility of the shoulders and trunk. The swing will be shorter, perhaps flatter and potentially slower when a less flexible person keeps their lead arm straight.

A shorter swing does potentially limit the amount of clubhead speed that one can generate. However, as players like Jon Rahm and Tony Finau have demonstrated, powerful leg action and efficient arm and wrist action can compensate considerably for this loss of backswing length.

The main challenge is timing a short golf swing. It's not easy. The lower body must engage earlier and the temptation to rush from the top has to be resisted. Any tempo will do, but the lower body, arms and wrists, etc. must move in accordance with currently accepted sequence theory.

In my case, it is taking some time to get this sequencing right. I have a tendency to hit from the top, but when I try to pause, I tend to lose all rhythm. Good players all seem to have great rhythm, varying mainly according to their stature and other physical attributes.

I'm very happy to have discovered the importance of a straight lead arm, particularly the help it has given me with my iron play. I am quite confident it is the foundation of a good swing. It's not a deal breaker of course; everyone is different. But for me it is very much looking like a good way forward.

Maybe after all I am armed and dangerous. Time will tell.