Avoid This Trail Arm Fault That Kills Your Lead Arm Position (With My Armband Drill)

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.

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.

Some of the best ball striking lessons for amateur golfers talk about the importance of ensuring a centred strike, which is only achieved when the trail arm works effectively to allow the lead arm to maintain its extension.

In this article, Top 50 Coach and PGA Pro Ged Walters uses more than two decades of experience coaching golfers of all abilities to share his top tips for understanding and improving your trail arm positions to help you get that crucial lead arm position....

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 at the halfway stage of the backswing which by cause and effect leads to the extension of the lead arm (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

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.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler uses a similar training aid to work on his grip (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

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.

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 (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

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.

This drill is super easy to set up and gives instant feedback on the correct folding rate of the trail arm in the backswing (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

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.