HAND PATH EXPLAINED 

Freaking EXCELLENT explanation! I have been confused by this "hands out" advice since Dylan went electric.

As always, a brilliant explanation by the best golf coach on RU-vid

Your coaching videos are the best on RU-vid. Keep them comin.

Probably one of the most informative videos I’ve seen. Very precise topic most amateurs may not comprehend but those who do will see great results. Thank for posting!!

Thank you Chris for explaining this part of the swing. I am that golfer you mentioned that allows the right hand to take over at last parallel and the club head swings out early towards the target line with the terrible results of a cut across at impact. Your explanation along with the graphics I believe are going to help a lot of us golfers who have a poor impact position. I really never understood why I kept doing this. With much practice I hope to remove that part of my swing and apply this proper technique that you have shown us. Thanks again.

Top notch dude. Really promotes the shallowing of the downswing and keeping the hands ahead of the ball at impact.

Thanks for the clarification. Tried it on my last round and my ball striking definitely showed improvement. First time a video instruction really explained hand path where I could really understand it. Great job!

To me, this is the missing link in golf instruction. Wish I was taught this 10 years ago, or I understood if I was told this. Thanks, this really helped me.

Thank you again ChrisRyanGolf! Had a lesson, instructor strengthened my grip, which I needed, and a couple other tweaks. After a few rounds, something was off, couldn’t find sweet spot, no clubhead speed. Just had a range session, remembered this video and boom, sweet spot found, had easy power, and the sound and trajectory was much better. Please keep breaking down the mysteries of the golf swing for us regular folks, it’s the hardest sport I have ever played. Thank you!

Well done Chris, the guys and girls that got a bit confused with the earlier video, obviously haven't seen your videos where you explain about the but of the club and left shoulder come up and in after last parallel, you've obviously understood not everyone has seen all of your videos, and it's a credit to you for reading and reacting to the comments were people have misunderstood, good man. Keep up the good work, love all your vids. Peter Atherton

DeWayne here. I'm an Engineer and love your videos...best at explaining the critical mechanics of the swing that I've seen. I had first viewed the other hand path video and found it helped me, especially with my driver. To keep from coming over the top, ANY, I also added a closed stance, like my ole baseball homerun swing...it worked! Got my full power back, adding 30 yards of carry (I have about 95-100 mph driver swing). I'm 62, 5'6", play two day competitive tournaments and still blessed with the ability to make a real complete swing (I study my own swing videos). Correct Mechanics must be maintained for everything to work! Thanks again for the guidance.

As so many others have said: exceptional videos coupled with clear explanations. I know this video is all about the path of the hands, but until I saw your video I had not realized the importance of making sure the trail (right) elbow is in close AND in front rather than at your side as you come through the impact zone. Thanks for showing this.

you are a unbelievable golf instructor-----never seen anyone even close to you !!!!! you have a supreme talent in being able to dissect the many parts of the swing and explain them in a manner of extreme clarity!!!!!!

You demonstrate ball striking with such ease. Made me understand that I was trying wayyy to hard to hit the ball. This was a critical piece of the puzzle that I was missing! Great stuff thank you Chris!

Nice explanation! I love the feeling of creating power by pulling the butt end of the club towards my body after last parallel rather than hitting at the ball for speed.

Love this type of in-depth swing analysis, helps me visualise what I need to be doing at each point of the swing itself.

I used this technique on the range today after having a horrible day the day prior. This really worked well for me. It seemed to keep my hands from getting too far away from my body and helped square the clubface at impact. I hit the ball longer and straighter than I have in a long time. Thanks. I really enjoy your vids

Perfectly understandable. I will focus on this. You've got a new student here! I really appreciate the way that you explain the swing.

Wish I'd seen your instruction videos years ago! I watched a fair few last week and hit 320 balls on the range over a few days, not trying to incorporate all the changes in one go. Took it out on the course yesterday and had a great time, improved by a few shots but know I have a lot more work to do to make the changes seem natural. Great work, Chris, I'm looking forward to next year when it all starts to come together!

Beautiful, Chris! Right up there with Troy's explanation on Hitting it Solid Golf! He adds the bowing of the wrist and squatting of the knees in the downswing! What I like to call, "Squat, Shallow and Bow"! Great explanation nevertheless!

A very clear explanation and very humbly done. This shows signs of a very good professional at work, keep up the excellent work!

Great video. I have been trying to keep my hands in and close to my body. As a result I was coming in to steep club head was going out to the ball and I was shanking. I can testify if you follow what Chris says you will not shank.

you are the very best, anybody that watches and does what you teach, can't help but get better

Very insightful video Chris :) I've been working on hand path especially on takeaway setting the club face up correctly through the back swing (without getting super technical!) & then on through the downswing and follow through - this video is after making the visuals of that motion exceptionally easy! Thanks again!

Thanks Chris, the last several comments (newest first) say just about everything I would have said so I won't be redundant. That said, thanks again for clearing up a handful of concepts I just haven't been able to come to terms with. I am in my second cycle of watching your videos and this subject has been my biggest struggle lately. It is amazing how many thoughts should go along with any change in your swing. I appreciate the way you don't do the "change this one thing and you'll have it" tips. There is a month of work in this one video. It is definitely going into the "saved" file and the thoughts are going out to the range with me.

You’ve gained a new student here... I’m a handsy player so explaining handpath resonates with me better than just club path.

Excellent Chris. Ill admit i was a bit confused with the first video but explaining that you are talking about last parallel really makes sense especially with the right elbow which i have a problem with. Thanks heaps.

This makes perfect sense to me. Thank you for that explanation. It took me a while to get my backswing corrected but I'm still struggling with the downswing. I'm trying not to come over the top by trying to keep my hand path on the downswing in the same path it took on the backswing. Having the hands going away from the body on the downswing seems counter intuitive, but your explanation makes perfect sense. Thank you!

Agree, this is not an easy concept to understand, but once I did, it was an eye opener that's for sure. This and "feel the correct delivery" makes a world of difference. Great instruction vid.

Brilliant mate … I’ve never heard hand path explained this way or should I say, I way that finally makes sense to me. I now understand why I flipped, get stuck and could never get the club back on plane at impact. Truly appreciate the lesson. Cheers

All the instructional videos suggest the same thing in regards to the hands, but this is the only video that made me understand why. CR, your efforts are greatly appreciated! In my personal experience, you don't actually have to consciously bring your hands in toward your body through impact (from last parallel). Doing it consciously would tend to make your swing more steep and across your body, which more likely than not, would result in a slice or make your slice problem even worse. If your swing is right hand dominant (which a lot of videos recommend that for right handed golfers), just swinging naturally (during down swing) would bring your hand path inside of the last parallel position because that is the natural right arm arc. The lowest point and furthest point of the right arm arc is at last parallel, past that, your right arm would start to rise and come inside naturally, giving you the desirable position at impact shown here in the video.

Hi Chris, this is a game changer. I saw your Downswing Spear Golf Drill video from 15/2/16 only last week, and this really gave me correct motion required, and increased my range of movement as a result of trying the Spear drill with a broken golf shaft.

has anyone mentioned more than a 1000 times that you are a freaking teaching genius? I'm 63 and hitting my pitching wedge a whole club longer.. yesterday a one of the toughest courses in my tri-state area in the states, I hit a pitching wedge 150 yds , bringing the ball to a stop on a rock hard green. I'm hitting my drives up to 270 yds.. I hit a 3 wood 250 yds! My primary problems has become, that I can't quite believe the distance the ball is going to go. My short chips are jumping with perfect contact.. Suddenly, I can't wait for next season. A thousand thank you's from a grateful hacker .. I expect to be single digit handicap before the end of the year.

Thank you Chris, was looking for a refresher. This current video is easier to understand than that of your original. Big Fan of your videos.

I've not seen any such explanation of the relationship between the hand position and trailing elbow position in the downswing before. Very helpful, Chris.

Great to see you actually read the comments. Best golf instruction on RU-vid by a mile. Keep it up Chris 👍

This is a critical piece of the puzzle that I was missing too ! Thank you Chris!

Great video, my elbow was always behind and now using this tip the strike and rhythm are so much better

this is subtly one of the most helpful golf instruction videos on RU-vid.

Absolutely critical stuff, the only explanation ever on the web or teacher golf instruction. Brilliant Chris, thanks!

Excellent demonstration -- thanks!

I know this is an old video, but just watched it to help with hybrid pull hooks and...thanks. Helped the whole bag. Actually allows be to understand working the ball left and right now with much less effort too

Absolute Gold this video: thank you Chris!

Great explanation! I will try and work this into my practice routine!

Really enjoyed the clip and detail you went into, thanks!

Great information Chris, well put and easy to understand

Brilliant and illustrative.

Great video Chris your methods of instruction and explanations make perfect sense to me and have helped me a lot

Really enjoy this video. A lot of mechanic like this is needed to improve my understanding of a golf swing.

Great information there Cris good job this time thank you

My new favorite place to go on RU-vid for golf videos. Thank you

Hallo ChrisSince i watch your videos, my Glofplay has improved a lot. Special the Hand Path Explained was so much changing my game, it is great. Thanks a lotgreetings, Beat from Switzerland

Great explanation Chris, thanks!

As Mike Y says a missing link. I say a truly invaluable insight with respect to getting the club head or swing to work correctly. I give Chris credit for recognizing a true subtlety in the swing.

I didn't see the original video but this one is certainly excellent. Great work !

Totally agree Chris! Might be better to show this explanation with a "face on" view of the camera angle. To show that when the hands are pushed away, they are still far from being at point of impact -- they are more at or behind the rear hip. To me, your explanation is spot on. I love to feel a pushing away of the hands as part of transition along with a dropping of the shaft and clubhead below the hands. All with the shoulders still closed to the target line. Then you can really allow the rotational forces and wrist snap take over to generate the kind of tour level authoritative strike through impact. As the hands work to snap through and back around and closer (must start from a place far enough away from the body to move back in). And the clubshaft can then steepen (must start from a place sufficiently below the hands to do that effectively).

keep up the excellent content bro!!! love your channel man

Great video!!

Great video. Thanks.

Great stuff Chris. Taking the time to help with misunderstanding of previous hand path video. Elbow in front is where I keep tripping up. I have in the past had more SHANK errors when leaving elbow on right and early extending which pushes club head away from original start point.

Fantastic video. Key one

Chris, I’ve just come across this video of yours which could be quite transformational for me! In order to get the ball going straight I’ve always found that I’ve felt I’ve had to hit out 45° to the target line otherwise I end up coming over the top and pulling the ball left. It’s a constant battle! I often look at a spot 6 inches in front and about 3 or 4 inches right of the target line when I make my swing, which has helped. Just lately I’ve had improvements by thinking about bringing my hands straight down in the downswing, but I’m still thinking of past impact swinging out to the right of the target line in order to keep the ball straight. However I lack consistency. The other critical aspect I believe is keeping the head back. I find if the head moves forward at all, I get straight into an over the top swing and pull it left! What you say here is what I see the pros do - the swing goes left at/after impact. But this picture seems to play into my over the top tendency and I’m not sure how to implement it and leave my current focus on trying to hit in to out! Any more comments to help!?? Thanks, Pete

Very well explained...goes well with your iron videos I've been watching!

Perfect connection at all times. If you get it correct you get a beautiful whipping sound. Practice makes perfect.

Great explanation. Now I have to try and master it.

Yes, that makes sense. Thanks Chris.

Great explanation, thanks you 👍👍👍

This is also a really good demonstration for the shoulders and hand working to the left while the club head works inside to out.

Great video, I have been prone to hitting towards the hosel of the club for a long time and now realise that I have not been bringing the club in towards me at impact. I also fail miserably to finish the shot with the club exiting very high and not through the back on the same angle as at address and would love to see a video from you on the next stage after impact and getting the release to have the club finishing on plane.

Excelkent and Very useful video.

Interesting concept: inward grip motion. The hands are the fulcrum point thru release.. good observation.. explains many professional impact positions

Only recently I have understood hand path and your explanations helps even further. It only took 25 years to understand this 😅

Awesome! That was what was missing in my swing. It makes such a difference to get that right elbow in front of your body. It supports maintaining lag, it prevents you from coming over the top and it keeps your club face square at impact. Thanks for the great video.

Aaaaahhhh....! The secret of the right elbow position is finally clear to me. I think you just saved my golf summer! Now I understand where both my increasingly worse release problems and pulls/pull hooks are coming from: I have been trying to stick the right elbow closer and closer to my side as a corrective measure and should be doing exactly the opposite.

Sensational explanation, first time I’ve understood this, thank you

This is PRECISELY what my swing looks like, with my right arm behind my body at contact. I feel my best shots are where I have a supremely exaggerated amount of body turn. Fantastic vid, now I know what to fix.

Amazing explanations!

my pro has been telling me for months to get my hands out to the ball in the downswing. I've been fighting it because i couldnt figure out how my hand's wouldnt be closer to the ball at impact than adress. This video clears it up perfectly!

Great Video Chris. Would help even more if you would consider drawing a line(s) actually depicting the optimal path the hands follow going back, through transition, impact and into follow through.

Fantastic explanation, went deep in detail.

On the money. Leadbetter drill had Faldo preset the club then swing. After 30 years I finally understand how left arm rotation moved the butt end outward and back inward. Along with pivot. Brilliant.

Really great video Chris. Really clears up a lot of things, except one, for me at least. Sorry if I'm not getting this. But how far should the hands move out? Is it different for different clubs? Should we always use the equidistance formula (hands are about equidistance between ball and toe line)? If so, does that mean for longer clubs, our hands move out more as we are standing further away from the ball?

Bravo!

Tried this on the range - it really works!

Brilliant! I love the way you make concepts understandable. Keep up the good work.

Great video Chris. Also a key reason to get the hands out is that is shallows the shaft as desired. The people who have been taught or else have the idea that they need to pull the hands down from the top of the backswing do nothing but steepen the shaft. Hands need to go down and also out not just straight down...

Excellent thanks - just need a drill now to help me get the hands in front (not to the side) in the downswing (trying to think about hands moving towards the ball rather than down from the top?)

Nice explanation Chris...off 3 and find this helpful, cursed with right arm behind and not in front

Focusing for a second on feel, should your hands feel like your hands are being pulled to the ball during the downswing? Thanks, you're great!

Very important point at 7:06, (at least for me) is the movement of the left shoulder to make room for the end part of swing. I used to have an awkward looking follow thru and this was probably the cause.

Hi Chris it's me again. Your teaching point about having the right elbow in front of one's right chest during the takeaway vs. moving it immediately to the right of the chest...keeping it in front, as you say, is only momentary right? Eventually the right elbow has to move back into a vertical position, right? Thanks again. Gerry

Now I understand what I think was missing: what happens in the downswing from club parallel to ground position to impact position and beyond. Thank you so much, Javier

Great Video. But do you have any drills to practise that?

Good

Great explanation Chris , hopefully this will help with the dreaded shank that has crept into my game 👍

Makes perfect sense, clear as glass. It is just very hard to do when you haven¨t done it for the first 25 years of playing golf. What training exercise should I do to convince my mind to allow my body to do this? :-)

brilliant...

the perfect way to cure a golfer who gets right elbow stuck or drops hand down in downswing. Just what I've been looking for thanks!

Yes this method really works. tremendous. Watch Chris' slow motion swing noting how his turns to his left foot and heel. Your hips have to rotate for your hands to get to the inside closer to your body. Watch it over and over, a lot in here.

Great explanation..strangely I have been working on grip position, particularly through release.. the old computer of mine relates to that far better than club face position, probably because its moving at a speed far less than the club head..funny old game eh