Avoid This Trail Arm Fault That Kills Your Lead Arm Position

Ged Walters demonstrating the common trail arm mistake that prevents many amateur golfers from getting a straight lead arm in the golf swing, with the trail arm folding and the wrist angle lost at the top of the backswing which ultimately causes the lead arm to bend, and an inset image of Ged Walters demonstrating his armband drill to promote effective folding of the trail arm — A common mistake related to the trail arm could be killing your lead arm position, but this armband drill will quickly fix that!

(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

As we head into the 2026 golf season, plenty of amateur golfers will be going through their preparations to tune up the swing and nail their fundamentals - but which are the commonly overlooked aspects which could hold the key to success this year?

Understanding how to get a straight left arm in your golf swing is a crucial lesson for golfers of all abilities, but many amateurs make one common mistake... failing to understand the relationship between the lead and the trail arm in the golf swing.

Avoid This Trail Arm Fault That Kills Your Lead Arm Position

Your lead arm will only be straight if the trail arm is folding at an appropriate rate. If the latter folds too much, the lead arm has to bend as both hands have hold of the grip.

If you imagine the lead shoulder is the centre point, the lead arm controls the swing radius.

If you fail to control the radius, and the lead arm has to extend in the downswing, you’ll lose the wrist angles early, which can lead to a number of common faults as you scramble to make decent contact.

If you keep the lead arm straighter throughout the swing, it simplifies everything down the line.

Ged Walters demonstrating the correct position of the trail arm which by cause and effect leads to the correct position of the lead arm in the golf swing — Ged Walters demonstrating the correct position of the trail arm at the halfway stage of the backswing which by cause and effect leads to the extension of the lead arm

The golf grip also plays a crucial role in controlling the radius. If the club is too much in the palm of your hand, it will restrict your wrist angle and shorten your effective arm length, forcing the lead arm to bend in compensation.

The grip trainer in the image below is an inexpensive way to master this crucial area of the game by educating club golfers about the correct hand placement on the club.

Scottie Scheffler uses a very similar tool in practice. If it’s good enough for the World No.1, maybe you should give it a try.

Ged Walters showing an inexpensive training aid that can help golfers to improve their grip on the golf club which in turn improves trail and lead arm positions — World No.1 Scottie Scheffler uses a similar training aid to work on his grip

In the image below, demonstrating an incorrect position at the top of the backswing, you can see that the wrist of my right arm is overly flexed and the lead arm is far from straight due to too much hinge in my trail elbow.

This is all linked to cause and effect, as the lead arm being bent is a result of the trail elbow position and the wrist position in this image.

If those particular areas were in a more textbook place (first image), my lead arm would have a much better chance of still being straight.

Ged Walters demonstrating the incorrect trail arm position, with a common mistake where the trail arm is overly bent and the wrist angles have been lost at the top of the backswing — This incorrect position at the top of the backswing shows the collapsing of the trail arm and the loss of wrist angle, leading to bending of the lead arm, which is a common amateur mistake

Armband Drill To Fix Your Trail Arm

This is a great drill for visual feedback. Place an inflated armband on your trail arm just above the elbow.

When you get into the backswing position, you’ll notice the forearm and bicep can’t get too close together due to the armband. This helps groove both a better position and better feel for the correct lead arm position.

Ged Walters demonstrating a drill to improve trail arm position by using an inflatable water wing or armband to show how the trail arm should fold in the backswing — This drill is super easy to set up and gives instant feedback on the correct folding rate of the trail arm in the backswing

Try a few swings with the armband on, then take it off and try to replicate the feeling. Go slowly at first and go back to the armband if things don’t improve.

Remember, practicing without a plan is one of seven things never to do at the driving range, so go in armed (pardon the pun) with this great drill.

To take things further, place the armband between your forearms and make a slow swing. If it falls out before impact, your forearms have separated and you haven’t achieved the correct position.

Tips by...

Ged Walters

Using different styles, teaching aids, technology and games to measure improvements, Ged is keen to make the learning process educational and fun. He's worked with a number of top local, national and international instructors, including Adrian Fryer and Jeff Ritter, one of the most prominent golf instructors in America. He's also working hard on his own game with the aim of playing on the Senior Tour in the future.

Baz joined Golf Monthly in January 2024, and now leads the instruction section across all platforms - including print and digital. Working closely with Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches, he aims to curate and share useful tips on every aspect of the game - helping amateurs of all abilities to play better golf. Baz also contributes weekly to the features section, sharing his thoughts on the game we love and the topics that matter most. A member at Sand Moor Golf Club in Leeds, he looks forward to getting out on the course at least once a week in the pursuit of a respectable handicap.

Baz is currently playing:

Driver: Benross Delta XT

3-Wood: Benross Delta XT

Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 4 Hybrid

Irons: Benross Delta XT 5-PW

Wedges: TaylorMade RAC 60, Callaway Jaws MD5 54

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

With contributions from

Ged Walters Top 50 Coach

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