Straight Arm, Head Down is Bad Advice!

You’ve probably heard it on every driving range: “Keep your head down. Keep your left arm straight.” Cute… but incomplete. A locked lead arm often creates tension, stalls your turn, and gets you “stuck” at the top. Elite players don’t lock it—they keep structure and width, with a touch of natural bend that matches their body. The goal is width without rigidity. Athletic Motion Golf’s analysis of Tour swings shows the answer isn’t “ram-rod straight” or a collapse—pros live between the extremes.

What the evidence actually says

• Pros have some bend—structure beats stiffness. Side-by-side Tour vs. amateur comparisons show elite players maintain width with a comfortably extended lead arm, not a locked elbow. Too straight = tension; too bent = collapse. The sweet spot is “comfortably extended.”

• There’s no one way to swing. TPI’s core principle: there isn’t a single “model” swing—there’s one efficient swing for each body. So if your mobility, lats, or thoracic rotation are limited, forcing a poker-straight lead arm can make things worse.

• Quantified: a little bend is normal. GEARS/3D-based instruction and multiple coaches note a slight lead-arm bend at the top is common; what matters is that the arm is organized and regains extension by impact (structure through the strike). Think “mostly straight, relaxed,” not “locked.”

• The real villain is often the trail arm. Many players “collapse” because the trail arm over-folds and pulls the lead arm in. Fix the trail arm and turn, and the lead arm usually behaves.

• While we’re myth-busting: “Keep your head down” is lousy advice. It restricts rotation and speed; better players rotate through with natural head movement. Even the PGA has published myth-busting on this.

Width and rotation create consistency and speed. You don’t need a statue-straight arm—just a connected, relaxed one that extends through impact.

Why a locked arm gets you stuck

• Tension kills turn. Locking the elbow makes the shoulders and ribcage fight the club, shortening your turn and narrowing your arc. That “stuck, arms-behind-you” feeling? Classic locked-arm side effect. (TPI’s mobility screens—especially the lat test—show how limited shoulder flexion encourages compensations.)

• Matchups matter. Slight lead-arm bend with a properly folded trail arm and full body turn can keep the club on plane and deliver speed. The matchup beats the mantra.

How to coach it (what I teach on the tee)

1) Cue width, not “straight.”

Feel your hands “push away” from your chest as your chest turns—soft elbows, long radius. If you feel biceps tension, you’re overdoing “straight.”

2) Manage the trail arm.

Let the trail elbow fold naturally to ~90° at the top rather than over-folding behind you. That keeps the lead arm from being yanked in and losing width.

3) Build mobility where it matters.

If lats and T-spine are tight, you’ll fake turn by collapsing the arm. Add lat/T-spine mobility and scap control so you can turn without yanking the club in.

4) Structure through impact.

The non-negotiable: extend through the strike. Bobby Jones himself emphasized a straight lead arm at impact (you can gain it during the downswing even if you had some bend at the top).

5) Retire “keep your head down.”

Replace it with “rotate through.” Let the head move naturally as the body turns—more speed, better low-point, fewer chunks.

Quick range routine (5 minutes)

• Width & Turn Swings (10 reps): Cross your trail hand over your lead wrist at address and make waist-high backswings feeling the hands away from your chest while your chest turns.

• Trail-Arm 90 Drill (10 reps): Make backswings stopping when the trail elbow reaches about 90°. If your lead elbow starts to hinge more than “a touch,” you’ve gone too far.

• Impact Extension Swings (10 reps): Half-speed swings focusing on extending the lead arm through the ball. Film two angles to confirm.

• Message: “Structure beats stiffness.” Promote a clinic on width & rotation instead of “straight-arm” dogma.

• Injuries & retention: Over-tension increases elbow/shoulder complaints; better movement = happier, pain-free golfers who stick with programs. (TPI’s body-swing model backs this.

“Don’t lock the left arm—earn width with turn. Structure through impact beats statue-straight at the top. And please—rotate, don’t ‘keep your head down.’”

Sources

• Athletic Motion Golf on lead-arm bend vs. Tour patterns (GolfWRX).

• TPI: “There is no one way to swing—only an efficient way for your body.”

• GEARS/Sports tech coaching on slight bend being okay if relaxed and organized.

• TopSpeedGolf explaining measured small bends (context for students who love numbers).

• PGA.com + GOLFTEC: why “keep your head down” is a myth that kills rotation.