The Hinge and Hold

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - Summer is almost upon us, and that means the Bermuda grass will be growing actively and harassing us around the golf course, especially around the green.  At the TOUR Academy we train a shot that will become a stroke saver for you in the rough around the green or even from the short grass around the green.

This swing technique is called "Hinge and Hold" because the backswing calls for an immediate hinging of the wrists and the downswing demands holding the angles through impact. 

The Hinge and Hold is a very useful shot and nobody is better at it than Phil Mickelson. Not only can this shot help your short game, it is a great building block to a better full swing as well. At the TOUR Academies, we often use the Hinge and Hold to help train the proper impact conditions before building the swing to its full motion.

The set up for this shot:

Open the face slightly with the shaft angled toward the target, the end of the grip just forward of the belt buckle.  Between 60 and 70 percent of your weight should be on your lead foot. There is very little if any weight shift during the backswing.

The swing:

Hinge your wrists immediately, getting the clubhead slightly higher than your hands, with minimal arm swing, this creates a steeper more V shaped swing than a U shaped swing, this is crucial to help extricate the ball out of those buried lies. When transitioning to the downswing there are a couple of characteristics you want to have to help you execute. 

Both characteristics are closely related. First maintain the angle or bend in your trail wrist, you created it when you hinged your wrists immediately to take the club away. If you maintain this angle it will allow your upper body to rotate toward your target, promoting a descending, accelerating blow. The wrists and hands are very quiet after their initial hinge.  Use your upper body to get the speed and stability you need and keep that trail wrist bent. 

Your finish position will be a short, low finish, telling you that the hands didn’t flip the club high up in the air. The clubhead should be below your hands in the finish.

The TOUR Academies are located at Port Royal Golf and Racquet Club and Shipyard Golf Club, (843) 681-1516.

Ed Brill, Head Instructor (904) 434-3488      This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hartwell Baker, Instructor  (828) 442-9000     This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it