What causes flying elbow at top in a golf swing?

At the top of the backswing, the trail elbow flares away from the body — often pointing skyward or behind the player instead of down toward the ground. Connection is lost and the downswing typically starts with the arms. Common causes include: Lifting the arms instead of turning the chest in the backswing; Trying to make a wider arc by extending the trail arm away from the body; Limited thoracic mobility forcing the trail elbow to compensate.

How do I test for flying elbow at top in my own swing?

Film face-on or down-the-line. At the top, the trail elbow should be bent roughly 90 degrees and point down at the ground. If it is flared out away from the rib cage or points behind you, it is flying.

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Flying Elbow at Top: How to Fix Flying Elbow at Top in Your Golf Swing

Backswing·Reviewed April 20, 2026·By Coach Harvey - AI Golf Coach

At the top of the backswing, the trail elbow flares away from the body — often pointing skyward or behind the player instead of down toward the ground. Connection is lost and the downswing typically starts with the arms. To fix it: at the top, the trail elbow is bent roughly 90 degrees and points down at the ground, with the upper arm staying near the rib cage. The classic position popularized by tour-pro 'connection' teaching.

A flying trail elbow at the top means the elbow has flared away from the rib cage — typically pointing skyward or behind the player rather than down at the ground. The arms have disconnected from the body, and the downswing has to compensate.

The classic visual is the elbow well off the rib cage in the backswing, often paired with an across-the-line position at the top. Power can be high but consistency suffers because the body and arms arrive at the ball on different timing.

The fix is teaching the trail elbow to stay close to the rib cage during the backswing — the 'connected' position taught across most modern instruction.

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Reference Form

Reference diagram showing the correct golf swing form to fix flying elbow at top — At the top, the trail elbow is bent roughly 90 degrees and points down at the ground, with the upper arm staying near the rib cage. The classic position popularized by tour-pro 'connection' teaching.

What Causes Flying Elbow at Top

01Arms-Led Backswing

When the arms drive the backswing instead of the chest, the trail elbow tends to flare. The body finds the easiest path to lift the club — letting the elbow swing out.

Players whose backswing 'feels like arm work' often have flying elbows. Switching to a chest-led backswing usually pulls the elbow back into place.

02Limited Thoracic Mobility

Insufficient torso rotation can force the trail elbow to compensate — the player can't turn enough, so the arms travel further. The elbow ends up flying as a side-effect of needing to get the club to the top with limited rotation.

The fix here is mobility work, not technique. Two weeks of daily thoracic rotation drills often closes the gap.

How to Fix Flying Elbow at Top — Step by Step

Diagnose — Mobility

Sit in golf posture and rotate your shoulders. If you cannot reach 80-90 degrees of rotation, the flying elbow may be compensating for limited turn. Address mobility first.

Train — Connected Takeaway

Towel-under-trail-arm drill: tuck a hand towel between your trail upper arm and rib cage. Make slow backswings keeping the towel in place. The drill from the pickup-takeaway fix applies here directly.

Feel — Elbow Down at Top

At the top, the trail elbow should bend roughly 90 degrees and point at the ground. Practice the position without a club — get the feel before adding the club.

Do I Have Flying Elbow at Top?

Answer these questions based on your most recent range session or video review.

When you film face-on at the top of your backswing, is your trail elbow clearly flared away from your rib cage?

Does your backswing feel like arm work — the arms swinging the club back rather than the body turning?

Are you also across the line at the top (shaft pointing right of target)?

Drills

01Towel Under Trail Arm

Equipment: Hand towelReps: 3 sets of 15 reps daily

1.Tuck a folded hand towel between your trail upper arm and rib cage.
2.Make slow backswings — the towel should stay in place to the top.
3.If the towel falls, the elbow has flared. Restart slower.
4.Build to full-speed swings with the towel still in place.
5.The position you are training is 'trail elbow connected to the body.'

What to feel

Trail elbow with light contact to the rib cage — connected but not pinned. The chest does the work; the arm rides along.

What to avoid

Forcing the elbow against the body. It should rest naturally. Squeezing creates tension that disrupts the swing.

Watch on YouTube →

Take These Drills to the Range

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Common Misdiagnoses

You think you have a chicken wing at impact., Chicken-wing is lead-arm bend through impact; flying elbow is trail-arm flare at the top. Different arms, different phases. Both can exist, but they're separate faults.

Film the top of your backswing and check the trail elbow. Then film impact and check the lead arm. The two findings are independent.

Read about Chicken Wing →

How You Know It’s Fixed

At the top, the trail elbow stays bent and points at the ground. The upper arm hangs near the rib cage, maintaining connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Jack Nicklaus had a flying elbow and was the greatest of all time. Why is it bad for me?

Nicklaus made the flying elbow work because his timing and lower-body coordination were exceptional. Most amateurs cannot compensate for the disconnection his swing required. For tour-level athletes, flying elbows are a personal style decision; for amateurs, they are usually a fault to fix.