What is lag and how does it affect your swing?
Properly lagging the club will create extra club head speed through impact and improve your angle of attack. So, if you’re looking for extra distance off the tee and straighter shots you need to learn how to lag the club.
What is lag?
Lag illustrates the state of the club head constantly trailing the body, arms, hands, and club shaft right up to impact.
Imagine a fisherman preparing to cast his rod. He moves his hands and arms backward, and then quickly thrusts them forward toward his desired location. At this moment, there is split second when his arms are moving forward while the tip of the rod is still moving backward. This is lag.
Imagine a right-handed baseball pitcher going through his full wind up. There is a point during his windup when his left leg begins to move forward and his right arm is still moving backward. This is how a pitcher stores power in his body and creates lag.
In golf, the purpose of lag is to store power. Delaying the release on the downswing does this. The longer you can delay the release the greater the stored power your swing releases into the ball. Keep in mind you never want to interfere with physics, so never consciously release the club. Centrifugal force naturally uncocks your wrists and releases the club through the ball.
How does lag help your angle of attack?
Golfers come over the top because they do not properly lag their club behind their lower body on the downswing. Instead, they cast the club down with their hands in their anxious effort to hit the ball as hard as they can. Such bomber mentality leads to premature uncocking of the wrists and crossing the line to the outside. Lag helps you set the club from the inside for a better angle of attack.
Remember, you will only create lag with soft hands. So, don’t grip the club too tightly and don’t allow any tension in your wrists. So bomb it by lagging it!
Long and Straight,
Adam
