[EdZ]

Interesting segment yesterday on The Golf Channel's Champions Learning Center.

Lee Trevino was giving Jerry Pate a lesson on the practice tee of the Ford Senior Players Championship, and as Jerry addressed the ball, Lee had this to say:

"This elbow" -- Lee punched Jerry's right elbow with the butt end of a driver -- "should be broken a little...inside...just a tiny bit. Then you can go from there. That's where your power comes from."

Despite the focus on the subject on this site, very few students come to me with this alignment in place. It is given scant attention elsewhere, and most advice, e.g., "let the arms hang naturally," totally ignores it.

So, the handicap golfer labors on in the ignorance of either omission or misconception.

But not Lee.

As I watched Lee punch Jerry's right elbow, I was transported back to January 1982, a public range in Seattle, and the lesson I took from Homer Kelley. With me in my address position, Homer leaned over, took his hand and forcibly bent my right elbow.

"Your arm's too straight, Lynn. Put some bend in it."

Good advice then.

Good advice now.

It is basically impossible IMO to feel the proper plane, the 'slot', without this critical right elbow position at address.

When you get this correct, in combination with properly set flying wedges, the plane 'staying between your arms' feeling is very clear, as is the feel of straight up the plane, straight down the plane motion of a zero shift. The right forearm 'magic'. The left thumb becomes a very clear 'guide' as well.

As I write the Open is on, and I see that even the greatest, Tiger, has an issue here. In fact, the biggest thing keeping him from winning every single event is his right forearm postion and his grip. His current grip has him fighting his alignments, which he manages to 'save' often, but which fails him on his wild right shots (ironically, those have his right forearm in a better impact position, but due to his grip it goes wide right)