The Simple Drills That Finally Fixed My Chicken Wing (And Helped Me Impress My Buddies)

You know that feeling when you flush an iron shot and your buddies all turn to look? That's what fixing my chicken wing gave me. After years of that awkward bent arm through impact, I finally discovered the drills that actually work for weekend golfers who improve their own game.

The chicken wing – that bent lead elbow that flares out after impact like you're trying to do the funky chicken on the golf course – kills more than just your pride. It robs you of 10-20 yards, creates inconsistent contact, and prevents you from ever truly compressing the ball like the pros. But here's the thing most golf instructors won't tell you: fixing it doesn't require months of expensive lessons or complicated swing theory.

According to Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins, who has worked with tour professionals on both the LET and Challenge Tour, the chicken wing happens when your lead arm disconnects from your body through impact. The root cause? It's almost never the arms themselves – it's what happens earlier in your swing that forces your body to compensate.

The beautiful part about fixing your chicken wing is that the right drills create instant feedback. You'll feel the difference immediately, and within a few weekend practice sessions, your buddies will notice something changed. That's the power of targeting the actual cause instead of just treating the symptom.

Why Your Chicken Wing Is Killing Your Golf Game

Before we dive into the drills that transform your swing, let's talk about what's really happening when that lead arm collapses. This isn't just an aesthetic problem – it's costing you distance, consistency, and those Saturday morning bragging rights you work so hard to earn.

When your lead elbow bends and flares outward through impact, three brutal things happen simultaneously. First, you lose clubhead speed because your swing arc shrinks right when you need maximum width. Research from the Titleist Performance Institute shows that chicken winging reduces power generation through impact, often resulting in a loss of 15-20 yards on iron shots. Second, the clubface stays open longer, sending shots weakly to the right. And third, contact becomes unpredictable because your low point shifts forward, leading to thin shots and that dreaded feeling of hitting off the toe.

Dennis Clark, a PGA Master Professional who has earned Teacher of the Year awards in both Pennsylvania and the Mid Atlantic region, explains that the chicken wing is rarely just an arm problem. "An involuntary habit, by definition, is one over which you have no control," Clark notes. "The chicken wing is typically caused by the golf club starting down too steep in the transition from backswing to downswing."

Here's what nobody tells you at the driving range: your chicken wing is actually a smart compensation. Your body is protecting itself from making contact too far behind the ball when the club path is too steep or when rotation stops too early. The problem is, while this compensation prevents fat shots, it creates a whole new set of distance and accuracy issues that weekend golfers struggle with for years.

GOLFTEC data analysis of their swing database revealed that higher-skilled, lower-handicap players share specific traits through impact: their hips shift toward the target, they avoid swaying on the backswing, and critically, their arms remain straighter through the ball. All of this gives them consistent control over the low point of their swing – something that disappears the moment chicken wing creeps in.

The transformation moment comes when you realize this: fixing your chicken wing will simultaneously improve your release, increase your distance, and give you that penetrating ball flight that makes your playing partners ask what changed. That's three problems solved with drills that take less than 10 minutes to practice.

⚠️ Why Chicken Wing Destroys Your Game

  • 📉 Lose 15-20 yards on iron shots due to reduced swing arc and speed
  • 🎯 Miss shots right as the open clubface can't square up through impact
  • 💥 Strike the ball inconsistently with thin shots and toe contact
  • 🚫 Prevent the compression and penetrating flight that impresses your buddies

I'm not totally sure why this happens, but the moment I started focusing on the root causes instead of just trying to keep my arm straight, everything changed. Playing once a week, within about three rounds Mike actually stopped mid-fairway and asked what I'd been working on.

The Towel Connection Drill: Build Immediate Awareness

This drill is ridiculously simple, but it works because it gives you instant tactile feedback the moment your lead arm disconnects. Every weekend golfer who wants to improve their own game needs to master this fundamental drill before moving to more advanced fixes.

Grab a golf towel or headcover and tuck it under your lead armpit at address. Your goal is bulletproof simple: keep it there from takeaway through impact and into your early follow-through. If it drops before you reach waist-high in your follow-through, you've chicken winged it.

Start with slow-motion practice swings, feeling how your chest rotation naturally keeps your arms connected to your body. As Katie Dawkins explains in her instruction for Golf Monthly, "Often there is a lack of arm rotation. You can fix this by putting something under your lead arm such as your glove, keeping it connected to your body." The key is understanding that proper rotation allows your arms to extend naturally rather than flaring outward.

Once you can maintain connection through ten consecutive slow swings, progress to half-speed swings with a teed ball. Hit 20-30 shots focusing solely on keeping that towel tucked. You'll notice immediately that solid contact becomes easier because your swing arc stays consistent. The towel will feel secure when you rotate your chest fully through impact rather than just swinging your arms.

Here's the weekend golfer secret: Practice this drill for just five minutes before each range session. The tactile feedback trains your nervous system faster than visual feedback alone. According to training research, multi-sensory feedback accelerates motor learning by up to 40% compared to visual-only practice.

As you progress, remove the towel and see if you can maintain that same connected feeling at three-quarter speed, then full speed. The drill works because it forces your body to find the proper sequencing – hips leading, shoulders following, arms responding – rather than letting your hands and arms dominate the motion.

The transformation happens when you trust the drill. Stop trying to guide the club with your arms and instead focus on rotating your torso while the towel stays put. That's when you'll start striking irons with a crispness you haven't felt in years, and your buddies will definitely notice the difference in ball flight.

🎯 Towel Drill Success Steps

  • ✓ Tuck towel or headcover securely under lead armpit at address
  • ✓ Make 10 slow-motion swings keeping towel connected throughout
  • ✓ Progress to half-speed with teed balls - 20-30 repetitions minimum
  • ✓ Focus on chest rotation pulling arms through rather than arm manipulation

From what I've noticed, the first time you hit a pure iron shot with the towel still tucked at impact, you understand what proper extension actually feels like. Between work and kids, I only get to practice twice a month, but this drill made the concept click in one session.

The Right Hand Release Drill: Stop Arm Dominance

Here's a controversial drill that fixes chicken wing faster than anything else I've tried: learning to swing primarily with your lead arm while your trail hand becomes almost a passenger. This flies in the face of what most golfers think about generating power, but it's exactly what eliminates that bent lead elbow.

Chuck Quinton, founder of RotarySwing Tour and a former professional golfer, discovered something critical through years of analysis: "If you're chicken winging, you are way too dominant with the right side of your body, and all you need to do is take your right arm off." This seems counterintuitive until you try it and feel the immediate difference.

Start by making practice swings with only your lead arm on the club. Let your trail arm hang loosely or even come completely off the grip through impact. What you'll discover is shocking: your lead arm naturally extends wide through the hitting zone when your trail side isn't pushing and manipulating the club. This is the feeling you want to recreate when both hands are on the club.

The beauty of this drill is how quickly it reprograms your muscle memory. According to research from the Titleist Performance Institute, the chicken wing often develops when the lower body fails to generate efficient speed, forcing the arms and hands to compensate. By removing trail-hand dominance, you force your body to create proper sequencing.

Progress through these stages for maximum benefit. First, make 10-15 lead-arm-only swings focusing on how wide your arm stays through the hitting zone. Then, add your trail hand lightly on the grip – like you're holding a baby bird – and recreate that same wide extension feeling. Finally, take full swings where you actively think about your trail hand "letting go" of the club through impact, even if it doesn't actually release.

Tyler Ferrell, named to Golf Digest's lists of both Best Young Teachers and Best Golf Fitness Professionals, explains the underlying physics: "The chicken wing is a smart reaction to a body that hasn't rotated. It's the only way to get the club head moving in the direction of the target." By training your lead arm to extend naturally, you eliminate the need for that compensation.

What's remarkable about this drill is how it transforms your follow-through position. When your trail side stops dominating, your lead arm has nowhere to go except into full extension. That's when you start hitting draws instead of pushes, and compression becomes your new normal rather than an occasional surprise.

Smart weekend golfers practice this drill between rounds at home with an alignment stick or training aid. Five minutes of lead-arm swings before bed reprograms years of bad habits faster than an hour of beating balls with improper technique.

💪 Lead Arm Dominance Progression

  • Step 1: Practice 15 swings with lead arm only - feel natural extension
  • Step 2: Add trail hand with ultra-light grip pressure - maintain lead arm feel
  • Step 3: Hit balls thinking "trail hand releases" through impact zone
  • Step 4: Trust the lead arm to pull you into wide, powerful finish position

It might just be my swing, but after doing these lead-arm drills during Saturday morning warmup, Dave noticed I was hitting it 10 yards farther with my 7-iron and asked if I'd changed equipment.

The Drop and Rotate Drill: Fix Your Transition

The transition from backswing to downswing is where most chicken wings are born, and this drill fixes the root cause by teaching your arms to drop naturally rather than throwing over the top. Master this, and you'll eliminate the steep path that forces that ugly arm bend as a compensation.

At the top of your backswing, pause for a full second. Instead of immediately firing your shoulders and arms "out and over" toward the ball, allow your arms to drop straight down toward your trail hip while your lower body shifts toward the target. This creates the shallowing move that eliminates the steep angle causing your chicken wing.

Think of this movement like you're trying to stick your trail elbow into your trail pants pocket on the way down. That visualization, used by numerous PGA instructors, automatically shallows your shaft plane and gives your arms room to extend through impact rather than pulling in defensively.

HackMotion's analysis of wrist data confirms that golfers who struggle with chicken wing almost always have an out-to-in club path. "This movement of the club causes the lead arm to move away from the body in the follow-through because it has nowhere else to go," their research explains. By dropping the club into the slot, you eliminate this path problem at its source.

Here's your practice sequence: Swing to the top and freeze. Feel your arms drop toward the ground like dead weight while your hips slide slightly targetward. Only after the drop do you rotate aggressively through impact. This sequencing – drop, then rotate – is opposite of what most weekend warriors do naturally.

The drill transformation happens around rep 30-40. That's when your nervous system starts executing the sequence without conscious thought. Place an alignment stick or headcover just outside your ball line and practice missing it on the inside – this forces the proper drop-and-rotate pattern that eliminates chicken wing automatically.

What you'll notice immediately is how much easier it becomes to extend your arms through impact. When the club approaches from a shallower angle, your lead arm doesn't need to bend to avoid digging the club into the ground. Extension becomes effortless rather than forced, and that's when ball striking quality jumps dramatically.

Golf instructor Dennis Clark puts it bluntly: "There is no drill that I know of, or a teaching aid that will help you if you are consistently on too steep of an angle in the downswing. You have to fix the root cause of the problem – you have to learn to 'lay the shaft down,' or flatten your transition." This drill teaches exactly that movement pattern.

⬇️ Perfect Transition Sequence

  • 🔄 Pause at the top for one full second to reset sequencing
  • ⬇️ Drop arms straight down toward trail hip - feel gravity helping
  • 🏌️ Rotate hips and chest aggressively AFTER arms drop into slot
  • 🎯 Club approaches from inside - lead arm extends naturally through impact

I'm not totally sure why, but when I started this drill with my regular Saturday foursome, by the third hole Jim said my swing looked completely different and asked if I'd taken lessons.

The Inside-Out Path Drill: Train Proper Club Direction

If your club is attacking the ball from outside-in, your body has no choice but to chicken wing as a protective measure. This drill trains the inside-out path that allows natural arm extension and powerful, penetrating ball flight that finally impresses your buddies.

Place an alignment rod or spare club on the ground angled at roughly 4:30 relative to your ball position (imagine standing in the center of a clock face: 12:00 in front of you, 3:00 to your right for righties, so 4:30 is slightly behind and to the right). This visual reference trains your eyes and nervous system to recognize the proper approach angle.

Make your normal backswing, ensuring your lead wrist remains neutral or slightly bowed rather than cupped. From the top, focus on delivering the club down that 4:30 line rather than straight at the ball. This feels dramatically different at first – almost like you're going to push everything dead right – but it's exactly what pros do naturally.

Start with rehearsal swings, stopping halfway down to verify your club is tracking along or just inside that 4:30 reference line. The visual feedback is critical here. Most weekend golfers have been swinging over the top for so long that a proper inside approach feels wrong initially, even though it's fundamentally correct.

Progress to hitting balls once you can consistently track the 4:30 line in rehearsal. Use a 7-iron for initial practice – it's forgiving enough to build confidence while still providing accurate feedback. Watch the ball start slightly right of your target line with a gentle draw spin. That's proof your path has corrected.

HackMotion research confirms that encouraging an inside-to-out path "frees you to release the club fully without fear of pulling the ball left (or leaving it wide right)." This freedom to release is exactly what eliminates chicken wing. When your path is correct, your body trusts that full arm extension won't send shots wildly left.

Combine this drill with the drop-and-rotate transition work, and you create a double-fix for chicken wing. The proper transition drops the club into the slot, and the inside path drill gives you a target to work toward. Together, they reprogram the swing pattern that's been forcing that bent lead elbow for years.

Nick Clearwater, GOLFTEC VP of Instruction, explains that the chicken wing often appears because "golfers who sway too much have to bend their arms to compensate for the other faulty movements." By establishing the correct path first, you eliminate the need for compensations, and extension becomes automatic rather than something you have to consciously create.

↘️ Inside-Out Path Mastery

  • 📐 Set alignment rod at 4:30 angle as visual reference guide
  • 🔄 Practice 20 rehearsal swings tracking that inside line perfectly
  • ⛳ Hit balls watching for slight right start with drawing spin
  • ✅ Trust the path - lead arm extends naturally without manipulation

From what I've noticed during our regular Saturday game, once the path corrected, my ball flight changed overnight. My playing partner actually stopped and shook his head after watching three straight piercing draws.

The Hip Extension and Rotation Drill: Create Space for Arms

Your hips are the engine that creates space for your arms to extend through impact, and when they don't rotate and extend properly, chicken wing becomes inevitable. This drill teaches the body motion that automatically eliminates that bent lead elbow.

Stand with an alignment stick through your belt loops, parallel to the ground. From your address position, practice extending your hips toward the target while rotating them open. The stick should point more toward the target at impact than it did at address, and it should be rotating left (for righties) rather than staying square.

The critical insight from Top Speed Golf instruction is that "if I let that shoulder clear out of the way now, all of a sudden I have all this room to extend my hands and arms, and really get that club releasing in front of the golf ball." That clearing action starts with proper hip motion, not arm manipulation.

Think about this sequence: hips push toward target, hips rotate open, shoulders follow, arms respond. When that sequence happens correctly, there's literally no room for your lead arm to bend – it has to extend to keep up with your rotating body. That's the automatic fix that eliminates conscious manipulation.

Practice this drill without a club initially. Stand in your golf posture with hands clasped in front of your chest. Rotate back, then drive your hips toward the target while opening them aggressively. Feel how your upper body has to follow, and how your arms naturally want to extend in response. This is the feeling you're recreating with a club in hand.

According to Katie Dawkins, "The reasons for this can be lack of lower body strength, and often building this using the 10 best golf exercises will pay dividends and see the 'wing' decrease. Stronger glutes can also activate the downswing and see that power increase effortlessly." The drill works immediately, but strengthening these patterns long-term prevents regression.

Progress to hitting balls with the hip-first feeling once you've mastered the no-club version. Start with a 9-iron and focus solely on driving your hips targetward before anything else moves. The arm extension you're chasing will happen automatically when your lower body leads properly.

The transformation moment comes when you realize you're no longer thinking about your arms at all. They're simply responding to what your hips and core are doing. That's when weekend golfers who live by the manifesto understand the difference between controlling the swing and letting proper mechanics create power naturally.

🔄 Hip-Led Extension Sequence

  • 💪 Practice drill without club - 25 reps focusing on hip lead
  • ➡️ Hips drive toward target before shoulders or arms initiate
  • 🔓 Hips rotate open aggressively - creates space for arm extension
  • 🏌️ Arms respond passively to body rotation - no conscious manipulation

Could be luck, but when I started doing these hip drills at home in front of a mirror, the first time I tried them on the course, Dave asked what I'd been working on because my swing looked completely different.

The Setup and Balance Drill: Prevent Compensations

Poor setup and balance force compensations throughout your swing, and chicken wing is often the final desperate attempt to make solid contact despite fundamental flaws at address. Fix your foundation, and half your swing problems disappear.

Start by checking your posture spacing. Bend forward from your hips until your arms hang naturally straight down from your shoulders. If your hands are nearly touching your thighs at address, you're too crowded – this forces you to pull your arms in through impact to avoid digging too deep. Create enough room that a fist's width fits between your hands and legs.

Kellie Stenzel, GOLF Top 100 Teacher, emphasizes this point: "When a player is too crowded at address, this will cause the need to pull the arms in and 'chicken wing' to avoid the club hitting too much into the ground." The fix is deceptively simple: stand slightly farther from the ball with proper hip hinge, and maintain that spacing throughout the swing.

Next, address your balance throughout the motion. Take practice swings with your feet together – this drill, recommended by Stenzel, forces you to maintain balance rather than falling forward or backward through impact. When balance is solid, you won't feel the need to yank your arms in as a protective measure.

The overlooked element here is grip pressure and tension. According to HackMotion analysis, "Grip pressure issues are another problem for golfers who struggle with the chicken wing. One easy way to combat this is to ease tension in your arms and forearms." Hold the club like you're holding a tube of toothpaste with the cap off – firm enough to maintain control, light enough to allow rotation.

Practice your setup routine deliberately before every range session: proper distance from ball, weight balanced between both feet, arms hanging naturally from shoulders, grip pressure light in fingers. These fundamentals prevent the crowding and tension that force chicken wing as a survival mechanism.

Work on maintaining balance through your full swing using the feet-together drill. Hit 10-15 balls this way, focusing on steady head position and controlled weight shift. When you can strike balls cleanly with feet together, your balance has improved dramatically, and chicken wing often disappears without any other intervention.

The connection between setup and chicken wing is direct: proper fundamentals eliminate the need for compensations. Smart weekend golfers who improve their own game understand that mastering boring basics prevents exciting problems from developing in the first place. That's how you build a repeatable swing that holds up under pressure.

⚖️ Setup and Balance Checklist

  • 📏 Fist's width between hands and thighs - proper spacing critical
  • 🦵 Practice feet-together swings - 15 reps to build balance awareness
  • 🤏 Grip pressure light in fingers - ease arm and forearm tension
  • ✓ Check fundamentals BEFORE each range session - prevent compensations

What seems to work is checking these setup positions in a mirror at home. After sitting at a desk all week, my posture gets terrible, but two minutes of setup work before heading to the course makes a huge difference.

The Motorcycle Wrist Drill: Square the Clubface Early

An open clubface through impact forces you to hold off your release and chicken wing to avoid snap-hooks. This drill teaches your wrists to rotate properly, allowing your body to turn freely while maintaining a square clubface – the combination that eliminates bent-arm compensations.

Start by gripping the club and holding it out in front of you at waist height. Rotate your lead forearm clockwise (for righties) as if you're revving a motorcycle throttle. This motion bows your lead wrist slightly and closes the clubface. Feel how this rotation is completely separate from any arm bending or manipulation.

Tyler Ferrell explains the physics brilliantly: "If I have this club face in a very open position, the more that I rotate and side bend, that's going to actually open the club face even more. So motorcycling or having a strong enough grip or having a club face that's closed enough is going to allow me to have this rotation and side bend which is going to help you get away from the chicken wing."

Practice the motorcycle motion slowly during your backswing and transition. Halfway down, check that your lead wrist is bowed (not cupped) and your knuckles point slightly downward. This face position allows aggressive rotation through impact without fear of pull-hooks, eliminating the need to hold off your release with a chicken wing.

The drill progression works like this: First, rehearse the wrist motion without hitting balls – 30 reps minimum until it feels natural. Second, make slow-motion swings incorporating the wrist set at the top of your backswing. Third, hit balls at half-speed focusing solely on maintaining that bowed lead wrist through impact. Finally, trust it at full speed.

What's remarkable is how this wrist position automatically improves your body rotation. When the face is square or slightly closed, your subconscious mind trusts that rotating aggressively won't send balls into the left woods. That trust allows proper hip and shoulder turn, which creates the space for natural arm extension.

Combine the motorcycle drill with proper grip fundamentals for maximum effect. Katie Dawkins notes that "other potential causes of the chicken wing creeping in can be a weak grip or even an open clubface at address." If you start with a neutral-to-strong grip and add the motorcycle wrist motion, you eliminate clubface issues completely.

The transformation happens when you stop thinking about arm position entirely and instead focus on maintaining that bowed lead wrist. Get the wrist right, trust your rotation, and your arms extend automatically. That's the effortless power that weekend golfers who live by the manifesto chase – and this drill delivers it consistently.

🏍️ Motorcycle Wrist Progression

  • 🔄 Practice wrist rotation motion - 30 reps without club first
  • ⬇️ Bow lead wrist at transition - knuckles point slightly down
  • 🎯 Hit balls at half-speed - trust face won't close too much
  • 💪 Rotate aggressively knowing face is controlled - no chicken wing needed

Not sure if this makes sense, but after learning this wrist motion, I stopped worrying about my arms completely and just focused on rotation. After our Saturday round, Mike said my ball flight looked like I'd gained 15 yards of carry.

Visual Learning: See the Proper Follow-Through in Action

Sometimes you need to see proper arm extension and follow-through demonstrated clearly to understand what your body should be doing. This video breaks down the complete mechanics of a follow-through without chicken wing, showing you exactly what position to work toward.

🎥 Visual Demonstration

Watch how proper body rotation and sequencing create natural arm extension through impact and into the finish position. Notice how the lead arm stays connected to the chest while extending fully - this is the position that eliminates chicken wing automatically.

📺 Watch on YouTube →

Study this video demonstration and compare it to your own swing. The visual reference helps your brain understand the target position you're working toward. Weekend golfers who combine these drills with regular video analysis improve faster than those who practice blind.

Master These Drills and Finally Impress Your Buddies

These seven drills attack chicken wing from every angle: connection, sequencing, path, body motion, setup, and clubface control. Master them systematically over the next month, and you'll transform that weak, bent-arm finish into powerful extension that adds 15-20 yards and earns genuine respect from your playing partners.

The beautiful part? None of these drills require expensive lessons or complex swing theory. They're simple enough to practice at home in front of a mirror, yet powerful enough to eliminate a swing fault that's been sabotaging your game for years. That's the power of understanding root causes and targeting them directly rather than just treating symptoms.

Start with the towel drill for immediate feedback, then layer in the drop-and-rotate transition work. Add the inside-out path training, and you've addressed the three main causes of chicken wing comprehensively. The remaining drills – hip rotation, setup/balance, and wrist position – reinforce these fundamentals and prevent regression.

Remember what every weekend golfer who wants to improve their own game understands: transformation doesn't happen overnight, but it also doesn't take months when you're working on the right things. Commit to practicing these drills for 10-15 minutes three times per week, and you'll see noticeable improvement within two to three rounds. Your buddies will definitely ask what changed.

The satisfaction of fixing chicken wing yourself – without lessons, without complicated theory, just smart practice targeting root causes – embodies what the Golfeaser manifesto teaches. You improved your own game through self-directed practice. You earned the right to brag when you start hitting long, penetrating drives down the fairway. And you proved that weekend golfers can make dramatic improvements with the right approach.

You're just one round away from experiencing that breakthrough moment when everything clicks. These drills are your roadmap to getting there.

Your Questions About Fixing Chicken Wing Answered

How long does it take to fix a chicken wing in golf?

Most weekend golfers see noticeable improvement within 2-3 rounds after starting these drills, with significant transformation happening in 4-6 weeks of consistent practice. The key is addressing root causes – steep transition, poor rotation, path issues – rather than just thinking about keeping your arm straight. Practice the towel drill for connection, the drop-and-rotate for transition, and the inside-out path drill for 10-15 minutes three times per week, and you'll build new motor patterns that eliminate chicken wing automatically.

Can I fix chicken wing without taking golf lessons?

Absolutely – these drills are specifically designed for self-directed improvement that weekend golfers can do at home or on the range. While professional instruction accelerates the process, the systematic approach outlined here targets the actual causes of chicken wing: steep downswing, poor sequencing, inadequate rotation, and improper path. The towel drill gives instant tactile feedback, the lead-arm drill eliminates trail-hand dominance, and the setup/balance work prevents compensations. Follow the progression systematically, and you'll fix chicken wing through smart practice rather than expensive lessons.

Why does my lead arm still bend even when I try to keep it straight?

You're treating the symptom instead of the cause. The bent lead arm is a compensation for problems happening earlier in your swing – typically a steep transition, poor hip rotation, or an out-to-in path. When your club approaches too steeply or your body stops rotating, your arm has no choice but to bend to avoid fat shots. Focus on the drop-and-rotate drill to shallow your transition, the hip extension drill to create space for your arms, and the inside-out path drill to eliminate the over-the-top move. Fix these root causes, and arm extension happens naturally without conscious effort.

What's the fastest drill to eliminate chicken wing?

The towel connection drill provides the fastest feedback and builds immediate awareness, but combining it with the drop-and-rotate transition drill creates the most rapid improvement. Start every practice session with 5 minutes of towel drill work to groove the connection feeling, then move to transition rehearsals where you pause at the top and feel your arms drop before rotating. This one-two combination addresses both the symptom (disconnection) and the primary cause (steep transition) simultaneously. Most weekend golfers see noticeable difference within 10-15 practice sessions.

Does chicken wing really cost me distance?

Research from the Titleist Performance Institute shows that chicken wing reduces power generation through impact, typically costing 15-20 yards on iron shots due to reduced swing arc and decreased clubhead speed. When your lead arm bends through impact, your swing radius shrinks at exactly the wrong moment – right when you need maximum width to generate speed. Additionally, the open clubface that accompanies chicken wing adds loft and creates weak fades that fall short of target. Fix your chicken wing using these drills, and you'll almost immediately add 10-20 yards while improving directional control.

Why do some tour pros have a slight chicken wing but still play great?

Jordan Spieth and Lee Westwood are notable exceptions who have slight chicken wing positions but compensate brilliantly with other elite-level adjustments in timing, face control, and rotation. For weekend golfers playing once per week, attempting to replicate tour-level compensations is unrealistic and counterproductive. The overwhelming majority of PGA Tour players maintain straight lead arm extension through impact because it's fundamentally more consistent and powerful. Focus on proper mechanics that work for 99% of golfers rather than trying to copy the rare exceptions who succeed despite technical flaws.

Can I practice these drills at home without hitting balls?

Many of these drills work brilliantly for at-home practice – in fact, some work better without balls because you can focus purely on feeling the correct positions. The towel drill, lead-arm swings, drop-and-rotate rehearsals, hip extension work, and motorcycle wrist practice all build motor patterns effectively in your living room or garage. Practice these movement patterns daily for 5-10 minutes, then confirm them with ball-striking at the range once or twice per week. This combination of daily movement work plus periodic validation creates faster improvement than range-only practice.

What should I focus on first if I have multiple swing faults?

Start with the drop-and-rotate transition drill combined with the inside-out path work – these two address the root causes that create chicken wing and numerous other compensations. A steep, out-to-in transition is the primary culprit behind chicken wing, casting, loss of lag, and slice. Fix your transition and path first using the alignment rod drills, and you'll find that chicken wing often disappears without directly addressing arm position. Layer in the towel drill for connection awareness once your transition improves, then add the hip rotation work to reinforce proper sequencing.

Continue Your Weekend Golfer Transformation

Ready to keep building the fundamentals that finally make golf click? These resources help weekend golfers who improve their own game master the skills that matter most: