My Awful Backswing Wrists Ruined My Game
Man, my drives were going sideways last month – like hitting way more slices than I ever had before. Felt like I couldn’t connect properly. Started filming myself at the range – honestly made me wince watching the footage back! My lead wrist (left wrist since I’m righty) looked like it was collapsing right at the start of the backswing. All bent and weak, kinda like trying to hold a coffee cup with a limp hand. No wonder I couldn’t control it.
Here’s what I did wrong:
- Let my left wrist bend backwards right when I started taking the club back. Made it feel floppy.
- Gripped way too hard, tensing everything up, actually forcing that bend.
- Focused only on power, yanking the club back fast, letting the wrist flop instead of turning properly.
- Let my right hand get super involved way early, messing up the left wrist position even more.
The “Dumb Mirror Drills” That Actually Worked
Forget hitting balls for a few sessions. That just frustrated me worse. I went basic. Like, embarrassingly basic. Took my 7-iron, stood in front of the bedroom mirror, and just practiced taking the club back slowly, maybe hip high. Kept staring at that lead wrist. The goal? Keeping it way straighter, even slightly bowed or flat – like trying to hold the shape you’d make if you were gonna karate-chop something (not the motion, just the wrist firmness!). Felt super unnatural and stiff at first. Couldn’t believe how much I had to think about it.
Key adjustments I had to force:
- Started the takeaway by feeling the shoulder turn moving the club, not my hands or wrists.
- Concentrated hard on letting the knuckle of my left index finger lead the way back, keeping the back of my left hand flat.
- Paid zero attention to my right hand – just let it relax and come along passively.
The Lightbulb Moment & Taking It to the Course
After maybe a week of daily mirror work (like, 5 boring minutes a day!), I felt a tiny bit of muscle memory starting to form. That “karate chop” position felt less forced. So, back to the range, but with zero expectations. Started with half-swings, focusing ONLY on that initial wrist position taking the club back. Forgot about distance completely. Just “take club back, firm flat wrist, follow through.”
Big difference! When I got that wrist flat in the backswing, the club felt way more connected through impact. Wasn’t magically bombing it 300 yards, but the ball flight was straighter and felt like I was actually compressing the ball. Less slicing nonsense, more of that sweet little draw I like. It translated to my irons too – way more consistent contact.
The fix wasn’t sexy. It was slow. It felt mechanical. But honestly, just stopping that weak wrist bend right at the start changed everything else downstream in my swing without me even trying to fix those other parts. Simple foundation stuff finally clicked. If your drives suck, grab a club and check that mirror – your wrist might be the silent killer.
