Late or Early Wrist Set – Which One Is Best For You

By | on August 15, 2011 | 12 Comments |


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Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf and founder of Ignition Golf. Paul's golf swing technique is based on the Iron Byron swing machine. YouTube Channels: Paul Wilson Golf and Ignition Golf Tips. Please Join me on Google+

12 Responses to “Late or Early Wrist Set – Which One Is Best For You”

  1. December 6, 2013

    RaymondCHASTEL

    Paul ,several teachers advocate the early wrist set ,of whom famous JOE DANTE IN THE ’60’s :h

    • December 6, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Raymond,

      If this was the case Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Davis Love and many others would have never hit a good shot. Where do people come up with this stuff (mind boggling). If you set it early you will open the face and you will activate your hands and arms so I don’t want you to set it early.

  2. Coming back to this question of the ” early” vs ” late ” wrist set ,isn’t it related to the ” dragging back the Clubhead ” which was taught a long ,long Time ago :you were told to feel as if you were pulling a wet mop back : DAVID LEADBETTER ( and others ) had you pushing a soccer ball back as far as you could before starking the HINGE .
    An advantage of setting the wrists early is to shorten the backswing Time and therefore speeding up the swing ,in principle YOUR Clubhead Speed goes up !

  3. July 13, 2015

    DavidMoody

    Hi Paul
    you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve managed to get my handicap down a few notches (19). Your short game pieces are particularly good – so thanks for that!

    Very interesting topic because when I do the early break with my driver I hit it longer and am more consistent – not so sure about shorter irons though. Nick Faldo (with Leadbetter) made it a cornerstone of his swing and was successful with it; probably one of the best long iron hitters of his time . I think there are some others today who do an early wrist break.
    When I watched your wrist break in the video it was “later” than Faldo’s. Just an observation.
    I think the Joe Dante stuff has some merit but is way too complicated when he talks about right hand pressure on the left thumb……..
    Is this a false debate (semantics) or is there something real i.e. very different, in the OPT v Early break ??
    rgds
    David

  4. September 5, 2016

    RYDGJR

    I started as an adult so had been guilty of trying to ‘hit’ the ball for a long time. I had always had an early wrist set until you started to get through to me with your powerless arms concept. I have really worked hard to change to a late wrist set but I do occasionally slip back into old habits for a time. Eventually I wake up and realize what has changed and them my results start to get back to where I want them to be. I feel something when I really do make a ‘powerless arms’ swing and was wondering what you are feeling in your wrist set. What I sense is that my wrists do set because of the momentum of the club swinging slowly, but smoothly to the top. When I then use my lower body to initiate the downswing, it feels like that the force of that movement causes my wrist set to increase a little bit more all on it’s own. It is not something that I consciously strive for, just a feeling that I get in my wrists. I don’t think that my grip is loosening, just that my wrist set increases slightly. The results are usually quite good when this feeling is present so I’m thinking it is a good thing, but would like to hear your thoughts on this.

    • September 5, 2016

      Paul Wilson

      Gary,

      I do not feel my wrists until almost at the top. There I feel the club set meaning it cannot hinge any more than the bones in my wrists allow. This means it is going to set to the same spot every time.

      Not sure if I feel mine set more I just feel them being pulled along or down with the rotation of my body. If you are feeling this extra set I’m not sure if it will affect the swing or shots. Could you not be allowing it fully set?

      Fully setting the wrists is key so if this is what I takes for you to set them then keep doing it unless something is wrong with the position at the top.

  5. December 11, 2018

    CharlesWagner

    It seems that your right arm is touching your right ribs in your downswing. It seems to do so both on the early and late wrist break. Question: Since this is so, why would a late wrist break provide a wider arc? I would think that the arc on the downswing is what counts, regardless of the backswing. Secondly, I begin my backswing with the body & left shoulder, as you said to do, until about 8 o’clock; then set my wrists between 8 and 9 o’clock. This helps my right arm to touch the right ribs more naturally. I continue to coil while in that position. Again, since the right arm is touching ribs on the downswing, what does it matter when/how it get there? This also shallows my club some and helps to prevent outside-in swing. P.S. Love your teaching!
    Charles

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      December 11, 2018

      Paul Wilson

      Charles,

      Glad you like my teaching. I appreciate it.

      Wider arc going back which will increase the coil. It will also get you loading more weight. Just take a look at long hitters. They take it back with the later set. Nicklaus, Woods, Couples, Daly etc etc. Long drivers.

      Beginning the backswing with the left shoulders is perfect. This is exactly what I want you to do. It is the person hinging it right away is what I don’t like or want. I think you are fine doing what you are doing.

  6. December 12, 2018

    CharlesWagner

    I get it. Later set =wider arc=increased coil & increased load. The arc on the downswing may be the same. Many thanks!
    Charles

  7. April 18, 2021

    ihmpadre

    Thank you Paul, I play a really good game with your swing even before I saw this video which answered a lot of questions. It does seem like your upper arms are connected slightly, which is good

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