One thing. That is all this comes down to.
Not a complete swing overhaul. Not ten new positions to find at ten different points in the swing. Just one thing that almost every golfer underestimates, undervalues, and allows to break down somewhere in the backswing without even realizing it is happening.
Keep the lead elbow completely straight. Through the entire backswing. Into the initiation of the downswing. Not mostly straight. Not almost straight. Completely straight.
At Berman Golf, this single detail is one of the most consistently overlooked keys to generating real club head speed, and fixing it produces results almost immediately.
Why Arc Size Determines Club Head Speed
Here is the physics behind it, kept simple.
Everyone knows that a bigger arc and a farther backswing create more potential for club head speed. That part is not new information. What gets underestimated is what actually keeps the arc big once the swing is in motion.
The lead elbow.
When the lead elbow stays completely straight through the entirety of the backswing, the hands maintain their distance away from the chest. That distance is the radius of the swing arc. The bigger the radius, the faster the club head can travel at the bottom of the swing.
The moment that elbow bends, the radius shrinks. The hands move closer to the chest. The arc collapses. And no matter what happens in the downswing, the club head cannot travel as fast as it could have with the full arc intact.
Add the core and glutes staying engaged on top of a big arc, and there is a real chance at delivering the club head to the ball with maximum speed.
The Split Grip Drill, Train the Extension
Here is the drill that makes keeping the lead elbow straight trainable instead of just a thought to chase.
Take the trail hand and slide it way down the grip into a big split grip. The two hands now have significant separation between them.
From that split grip position, go into the backswing with one specific focus. Push the knuckles away from the target. Not up. Not wrapping around. Directly away from the target
That pushing away sensation is what naturally keeps the lead elbow from bending. When the knuckles push away from the target, the arm has to extend to allow that motion. Wrapping, which is what collapses the arc and bends the elbow, becomes much harder to do when the focus is on pushing out instead of rotating around.
Do the split grip drill repeatedly until that pushing away sensation feels natural and automatic. Then take that exact feeling and replicate it into a normal grip swing.
The Chicken Wing Problem and How to Fix It
Here is a common issue that comes up when golfers first start focusing on keeping the lead elbow straight.
The chicken wing. The lead elbow flares out away from the body through impact instead of staying connected and tracking correctly through the swing.
The fix is simple. Place a towel under the lead elbow and keep it tucked against the body through the backswing and into the downswing.
The towel drill and the split grip drill work together. The split grip trains the extension and the pushing away. The towel trains the elbow to stay connected instead of flaring out. Both are addressing the same issue from two different angles, keeping the lead arm in a position that maintains the arc rather than collapsing it.
What the Numbers Prove
Here is proof from an actual swing using this drill.
An 86 mile per hour ball speed. A 110 mile per hour wall speed. A 128 efficiency ratio. That came from a swing that was a slight miss hit and still produced those numbers because the arc was maintained and the elbow stayed straight.
That is the point. Even an imperfect strike with a maintained arc and a straight lead elbow produces better numbers than a perfect strike with a collapsed arc. The arc is doing work that most golfers are giving away without realizing it every single time that elbow bends.
The Full Sequence
Here is how to put it all together.
Split grip. Big separation between the hands. Address position with core engaged and glutes ready. Go into the backswing pushing the knuckles away from the target, keeping the lead elbow completely straight the whole time. Push. Push. Push. Then let the swing release and go.
If the chicken wing keeps appearing, add the towel under the elbow and do the drill again. The goal is an elbow that stays straight and connected, maintaining the biggest possible arc all the way through the backswing and into the start of the downswing.
Get a Free Swing Analysis
Want to know whether the lead elbow is staying straight or collapsing somewhere in the backswing right now?
Set the camera or phone up at two angles. One from the front, face on. One from behind, down the line. Film in slow motion. Swing.
Send both videos to gaindistance.com and Dr. Berman will give a free swing analysis. The first one is on him.
See exactly what the camera shows, not what the brain thinks is happening. Then there is clarity on whether the arc is being maintained or given away somewhere in the backswing.
Want a Step-by-Step Blueprint?
If this resonates and the advice out there feels designed for 25-year-old tour pros, there is a simple blueprint built specifically for senior golfers.
It breaks down:
How the aging body changes Which muscles actually produce power How to gain distance without swinging harder How to improve consistency while reducing aches and pains
It is written at a fifth-grade reading level with clear visuals and practical drills that can start immediately.
A FREE digital copy is available at: 👉 gaindistance.com
No gimmicks. Just clarity on how the body should move to play better golf for years to come.
Bringing It All Together
One straight lead elbow. One split grip drill. Push the knuckles away from the target, not up and not wrapping around, and the lead elbow stays straight naturally. A straight lead elbow keeps the hands away from the chest. Hands away from the chest keeps the arc big. A big arc means a faster club head at the bottom of the swing.
Add the towel under the elbow if the chicken wing keeps creeping in. Add core and glute engagement to give that big arc a powerful engine behind it. Then replicate the same pushing away sensation into a normal grip swing and watch the numbers follow.
At Berman Golf, the focus is biomechanics first. Not cookie cutter swings. The goal is teaching the body how it should move, especially as it ages, so power can be generated safely and repeated under pressure.
The in-house and online coaching programs are built specifically for senior golfers who want more distance and better consistency without beating up their bodies.
For anyone tired of advice designed for tour pros and ready for a blueprint built for their body, help is available.
Because when the lead elbow stays straight and the arc stays big, club head speed goes up and the ball has no choice but to go farther.
And when the ball goes farther, the game gets soooooo much easier!
If you enjoyed what you read and want to see it in action, watch the video below where Dr. Berman demonstrates the split grip drill and the towel fix!
