Blog: Slocum's surprise all about the forearm

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Condon/PGA TOUR

Heath Slocum has long had a reputation as one of the PGA TOUR's most accurate players.

Round 1 of the FedExCup Playoffs is in the book and Heath Slocum has stunned the star-studded field at The Barclays. After missing the cut a week ago at The Wyndham Championship, Slocum didn't even know if he would make the Playoffs. Only after the championship concluded, Slocum learned that he just squeaked in capturing the 124th spot out of 125.

After making the trip to Liberty National, Slocum took full advantage by getting his third PGA TOUR victory by holing a 20-footer on the 72nd hole for the one-shot victory. This win jumps Slocum to third in the FedExCup Standings with the potential to win the whole thing if his hot play continues into September.

If Slocum hadn't made the putt on the 72nd hole, he would have fallen back into a five-man playoff that would've included Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els. Now that would have been a playoff for the ages.

What Can You Learn
Slocum is another one of those players that just finds a way to get it done on the PGA TOUR. Not a real flashy player that wows with great length and shot-making ability, but rather a tactician that relies on accuracy and hitting the right shot at the right time.

Slocum is certainly one of the more accurate players on the PGA TOUR. Currently, he is ranked 12th in Driving Accuracy and 32nd in Greens in Regulation. Both are very impressive.

One of the reasons for this ability to keep the ball in play is how Slocum uses his right forearm at address and during the swing. I have alluded to this component of the swing in previous blogs before, but feel that with Slocum winning we should dive a little deeper into the relevance of the right forearm.

Like his Sunday playing partner Steve Stricker, Slocum positions his right forearm on the same plane as the club shaft at address. Although not every PGA TOUR player sets up this way, it does give a significant advantage to moving the shaft on-plane throughout the swing. Here is how you set-up like Slocum to achieve an on-plane right forearm and add more accuracy to your shots.

Set-up
Left wrist level -- To achieve a level left wrist take your left arm and extend it in front and in-line with your left shoulder so that the entire left arm is horizontal. Point your index finger straight ahead maintaining this in-line relationship to the shoulder with your thumb pointing to the sky -- this will feel like you are gesturing with a gun with these two fingers pointing it straight ahead. At this point, the top of the left wrist is level.

If you were to point the index finger to the sky, this would be cocking the left wrist; where if you were to point it to the ground, this position would be un-cocking the left wrist.

Right wrist bent -- To achieve a bent right wrist take your right arm and extend it in front of your chest. Take the right hand and bend it back at the wrist so the palm is facing away from you.

Left arm straight -- We have all heard this before and it becomes even more important with the left wrist now level. At this point, feel the straight-line relationship from the clubhead through the level left wrist all the way to the left shoulder.

Right elbow soft -- Allow the right elbow to soften towards the ground. When doing this it will feel as if the right elbow lowered slightly and is pointing towards your right thigh. At this point you will see that the right forearm and shaft are on the same plane.

At the TOUR Academies, we encourage golfers to set-up this way. Not only does this set-up mirror the actual preferred condition of impact but it gives a player a better chance to move the shaft on-plane.

With the right forearm on-plane at address, Slocum does a great job of using his right arm to lever the club to the top and then down into impact. You see him and countless other players -- Stuart Appleby and Chris Dimarco among them -- rehearse this right arm action during the backswing before they actually hit it. This focus on the right forearm not only achieves an on-plane shaft but will encourage the left arm to move properly and encourage the proper body pivot. Here is how to put your swing on-plane like Slocum's.

Swing

Fold then straighten your right elbow -- Take the setup as I described above and stand straight up pointing the shaft horizontal. Make sure the right elbow is soft and the right forearm is pointing down the shaft. Imagine there is a table directly under your right forearm and shaft so everything is in-line and "on the table". Fold and straighten your right elbow using the table as the plane so everything is touching as the right forearm and shaft move along it. This is called "tracing" the right forearm and is critical to an on-plane motion.

After you ingrain this feel, bow forward from the hip sockets and create a golf posture taking the shaft from horizontal to vertical. Fold and straighten your right elbow in the same manner. Notice that the clubhead will respond moving up and back during the backswing and then down and out during the downswing. Again, the right arm motion is very much a conscious action during this time and will automatically raise and lower the left arm and encourage the proper pivot.

Bent right wrist -- As you fold and straighten the right elbow make sure you keep the right wrist bent. This is absolutely mandatory when setting the shaft on-plane at the top and delivering the clubhead to the ball. A bent right wrist keeps the shaft tilted forward at impact assuring the clubhead is descending and accelerating through impact.

At the TOUR Academies, we spend a lot of time on the proper motion of the right forearm. We like to encourage players to start with little swings first so they can educate and feel how the right forearm should move. From here a player gains full control of the impact condition and can grow it into bigger swings. Slocum is another great example of how the proper right forearm at address and on-plane movement during the swing will lead to tremendous accuracy.

Just Because
Well, the fall season is almost here and I am very excited about not only the conclusion to the Playoffs but you guessed it -- the NFL season. Don't look now but the Seahawks are looking awfully good with a 3-0 record in the preseason. One more win this Thursday against the Raiders and the preseason will be perfect. Now I know it's only the preseason, after all the Detroit Lions did go 4-0 last year and, well, let's just say the regular season was a different story.

Brett Farve is back and I know you are all excited. I can't figure out if Brett Farve actually frustrates me more than the BCS in college football. Speaking of college football, it kicks off its season this week with some great week 1 matchups - none bigger than the Montana Grizzlies taking on Western State. I am actually on my way now to the Pacific Northwest to take in this match-up in Missoula, Montana before I venture on to Seattle for the following week, where the Seattle Seahawks open up against the St. Louis Rams -- should be fun.

Yes, I am on vacation but couldn't leave you hanging for a week. Besides, I am actually going to play golf now - even on vacation. Crazy I know.

Go Seahawks!