By Robin All, PGA Life Member<\/i><\/p>\n
When analyzing the major components of the backswing — body rotation, arm structure, and wrist hinge — the most common technical fault among senior golfers is improper arm motion.<\/p>\n
The arms should function primarily in a vertical (up-and-down) plane<\/strong>, not excessively around the body. Many players allow the swing to become too flat, which restricts both leverage and clubhead speed.<\/p>\n With age, many golfers improve their wrist cock and become more conscious of shoulder turn. However, a common misconception is that a lack of distance is caused solely by insufficient rotation. In many cases, the real culprit is a flat, abbreviated backswing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A flat swing tends to:<\/p>\n Limit width and extension<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Reduce stored energy<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Create inconsistent low-point control<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Lead to accuracy issues<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n If you study elite players, you’ll observe:<\/p>\n An upright swing plane<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Hands positioned high above the trail shoulder<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Strong extension through both backswing and follow-through<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n At the top of the swing, their hands are elevated near the back shoulder and neck area — not wrapped low and behind the torso.<\/p>\n For senior players seeking regained distance and improved consistency, focus on one simple cue:<\/p>\n Think “high hands” on both the backswing and the follow-through.<\/strong><\/p>\n This promotes:<\/p>\n A fuller, more efficient backswing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Better sequencing on the downswing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Increased swing arc and potential speed<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Improved directional control<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The arms work up and down — not excessively around. By restoring vertical structure to the swing, you create more room for rotation and better impact conditions.<\/p>\n A high-handed, upright motion increases both distance and accuracy<\/strong>. If your swing feels flat or short, prioritize elevation of the hands over additional shoulder turn. The adjustment may be subtle, but the performance gains can be significant.<\/p>\n Small structural improvements often yield the biggest results.<\/p>\n For personalized instruction, you can reach Robin All at (803) 238-1655 or via email at robinallgolfpro@icloud.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Robin All, PGA Life Member When analyzing the major components of the backswing — body rotation, arm structure, and wrist hinge — the most common technical fault among senior golfers is improper arm motion. The arms should function primarily in a vertical (up-and-down) plane, not excessively around the body.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[52],"tags":[992,955],"class_list":["entry","author-john-griggs","post-8106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-golf-tips-for-seniors","tag-robin-all"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/High-Hands_2026_630x350.jpg?fit=630%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Core Issue: Flat Backswing<\/h3>\n
\n
What the Best Players Do<\/h3>\n
\n
The Key Thought: “High Hands”<\/h3>\n
\n
Bottom Line <\/h3>\n