The Lead Arm Rule Golf Still Teaches (And Tour Pros Ignore)
Iron Play · Oct 13, 2026 · 12K views · 146 likes
In this video Mike Granato & Shaun Webb from Athletic Motion Golf start a new mythbusting series with the lead arm. "Keep it straight" is one of golf's most repeated pieces of advice, and they look at what 3D data shows at address, the top of the backswing, and impact. The lead arm starts with about 10 degrees of bend from dead straight with a 7 iron, even Rory McIlroy adds bend going to the top, and Bryson has over 40 degrees of elbow bend. They cover the "home plate" shape the arms make at impact (the Instagram post that upset the internet), why the best players aren't pinching a ball between their arms, and why locking the lead arm can pull you into a move they call "choking yourself out." They also look at what happens after impact, where good players show a bent lead arm in the follow through, and why the arms in general may be one of the worst taught areas in golf. Along the way they take on spinning your head to open up and the idea of a "stable" clubface. If you've ever worn a training aid to stop your arm bending, or locked it out at address, this one is for you. They also explain how the Arm Shark helps keep width in the trail arm so the lead arm can end up where it should be. Let us know in the comments which myth you'd like busted next. FREE Training Here: Unlock Tour-like Compression For Free Here 👇https://athleticmotiongolf.com/compression Chapters: 00:00 Mythbusting kickoff, the "arm straight" idea 00:41 Why locking the lead arm backfires 01:20 The training aids built to stop your arm bending 01:44 What the data shows in the best swings 02:03 The lead arm is bent at address 03:10 About 10 degrees of bend with a 7 iron 03:29 Nobody has a straight arm at the top 03:46 Bryson's 40 degrees of elbow bend 04:46 The home plate post that upset the internet 05:56 Drawing a ball between Rory's arms 06:43 Where the golf "machine" idea came from 07:35 Why pinching a ball between your arms isn't natural 08:51 Elbows separate in the backswing 09:08 Why this never happened in other sports 10:45 The average bend at impact is 24 degrees 11:25 Don't fix a scoop by locking out the arm 13:46 Straight arms in the follow through 14:37 The "pro chicken wing" 15:23 Why the club points up the plane after impact 16:03 Spinning your head makes you less open 16:59 Why arms may be the worst taught area 17:36 The "stable face" doesn't exist 18:21 Keeping width in the trail arm 18:38 Why the lead arm over-bends in the first place #golf #golfswing #golfpodcast #athleticmotiongolf
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