Golfers, you want to hit the ball further? Eliminate fat shots? Are you a lady golfer who hits most of her irons the same distance? Just learning the game? Well this is what you need to learn and ALL good golfers do this…they create and maintain a “lag” in their golf swing. Even the pros have a different level of lag but they all have a good level of lag on the downswing. Golfers with exceptional lag are Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Phil Mickelson. All of them hit the ball a long way. Sergio and Louis are not very big and Phil is 46 years old but because of this lag, they create tremendous club head speed, which gives them their exceptional distance.
What is Lag?
Lag is the angle created between the golf shaft and the right forearm. We create this angle by cocking the wrists on the backswing. This is very important! A large number of golfers never fully cock their wrist at the top which is what sets the lag process in motion. Holding this angle for as long as possible on the way down is your lag. The longer you hold this angle the more lag you have and of course that leads to a greater club head speed as you release the club at impact. Clubbed speed gives you your distance.
Why Do Players Not Have Lag?
If having lag is so important why wouldn’t everyone have it or at least be working on it? First off, many players have no idea that they lack lag in their swings. Once they see their swings on video and this is pointed out, the light comes on and they realize why they do not hit the ball as far as they should or would like to. Second is tension. If the arms, wrists and hands are too tight you will not have a good lag or release. You must be loose. If you have anxiety on the downswing and can’t wait to hit the ball, you will release the lag angle early trying to hit the ball with the right hand from the top of the swing, which is also known as casting. This results in a power drain as you lose the lag angle and quite often fat shots and slices or shots to the left. Finally, many people, and often ladies, who have never played sports, such as baseball or racket sports have never learned how to create power out of the wrists.
Can We Learn Lag?
Luckily yes. There are many drills such as the pump drill where you hold the lag a couple of times coming down and then on the third pump strike the ball. The nine o’clock to three o’clock hitting balls drill is also a good one. One arm drills, alternating arms, are also great. When bringing the club down feel like the left hand is pulling it down and the right hand is along for the ride until impact. Getting your swing on video to see where you are at with your lag and your progress, would also be a pretty good idea.
So, if you want to get more distance, hit crisper shots and lower your scores…then create more lag in your swing and you will enjoy the game more and be on your way to playing YOUR best golf!
