Lag for power...

[TigerWoodz]

Ive been trying to learn about lag in the swing,ive read the more lag you can generate the more power you will produce in the swing with less effort....just how do you add lag to your swing,im not quite understanding this,,,can anybody explain this in a way i can understand it and are there any good drills i can practice to get the feeling for lag...

[shortstop20]

First of all, lag shouldn't be produced conciously. What I mean by that is you should not try to hold your lag. Lag comes from the proper sequence of movements(ie. start downswing from ground up). This chain of movements automatically creates lag.

Many people have little to no lag because they cast the club, swing over the top, have a faulty pivot, etc.

If you try to consciously hold lag, you will be hitting the ball all over the place most likely.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Its not something you do, lag is something that happens. When players go out and try to manufacture lag they just end up messing up their swings. They just end up tring to time it or hold off the clubface for too long. If you sequence your downswing correctly, hips/shoulders/arms etc.. it just happens. I cant really explain it mechanically.

[iacas]

I agree with the sentiments expressed already. Your swing has to be good enough in all other areas before you work on "adding lag." Additionally, some people are sweep releasers while others are snap releasers... neither is bad.

You can work on drills to create or add lag, but they're almost always never gotten to because they are either unnecessary (i.e. you get it by improving something else) or there are always bigger fish to fry than increasing your lag by 5%.

Without seeing your swing nobody can say whether you're at the stage where you should even consider thinking about lag or not. But I'm 99% certain you're not there.

[Fatphil]

I started to have a better lag when I realized that I lost the angle about 3/4 into the backswing NOT the downswing. The word casting implied that the error occurs on the downswing...which to me is misleading. If my angle is set by the 3/4 point then it becomes a matter or hand strength to hold it thru transition.

[TigerWoodz]

It looks like ive completely misunderstood lag...??...

[MikeLowry5]

As I understand it, too much is bad as well potentially causing you to keep the clubface open at impact.

[GolfLove]

What's lag, if I may ask?

[TigerWoodz]

What's lag, if I may ask?

Keeping the right angle of the club to the left arm as long as possible on the downswing ,then on release of the club through impact the club has to accelerate to catch up with the hands,giving power and distance to your swing...without much effort..at least thats what i thought it meant..but i think i may be wrong..lol....golf eah,who said it was easy..??

[GolfLove]

Keeping the right angle of the club to the left arm as long as possible on the downswing ,then on release of the club through impact the club has to accelerate to catch up with the hands,giving power and distance to your swing...without much effort..at least thats what i thought it meant..but i think i may be wrong..lol....golf eah,who said it was easy..??

You mean releasing wrists late? I know that gives you power.....

[Zeph]

Lag is the hinging of your wrist, or hinging of the left and bending the right.
Here is an example of a player with lots of lag, Sergio Garcia:



Here is Steve Stricker, who's got less lag.



Normally, more lag will give you more distance, which is why Sergio is a very long hitter. You also got a sweeping release, which can also be powerful, but not so often seen.

[shortstop20]

I started to have a better lag when I realized that I lost the angle about 3/4 into the backswing NOT the downswing. The word casting implied that the error occurs on the downswing...which to me is misleading. If my angle is set by the 3/4 point then it becomes a matter or hand strength to hold it thru transition.

Why does it take hand strength to hold the lag set on the backswing?

As I understand it, too much is bad as well potentially causing you to keep the clubface open at impact.

Unless you're consciously holding it, you really can't have too much I don't think. Look at Sergio, and his miss is a pull, not a block or slice.

[nevets88]

How does Garcia do that? When he first came out on tour, it was slightly more extreme.

[TigerWoodz]

Here is an example of a player with lots of lag, Sergio Garcia:



Sergio is awesome..

can you explain the sweeping release..

[Zeph]

can you explain the sweeping release..

This thread should cover it:

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/threads....-Snap-Release

[shortstop20]

A sweep release is a player that typically starts the release earlier than most players, but also releases it slower than most players. It's a release that takes place during a greater amount of time in the downswing.

A snap release is just that, the player keeps their lag more through the downswing and then releases pretty much all of it at once, they "snap" the club, but not consciously, it happens because of physics.

Sergio would be a snap release player.

[jamo]

Unless you're consciously holding it, you really can't have too much I don't think. Look at Sergio, and his miss is a pull, not a block or slice.

You can have too much lag. Every club has an ideal launch angle and spin rate, and if you have too much lag you can create too much lag at impact, which changes the lauch angle.

[saevel25]

things at offect lag,

Grip, baseball grip produces most lag, then the overlap, then interlock. So if you have an interlocking grip your lag will be less than a baseball grip, if all things remain the same.

Not casting at the ball, dead hands, you don't want to bring your hands into play. The hands are along for the ride. The only thing hands do is dictate the type of swing by the grip type and grip pressure because the smaller muscles in the hands will affect the larger muscles we use to hit the ball. IE we hold the club tight with the left hand the ball will be pushed to the right, because we are tightening the muscles in the left arm which restricts its rotation. Really forearms are the key to the golf swing accurecy. Gary Player said the perfect golfing body would be like Pop eye, big forearms, small chest, small bicepts. He emphasizes forearms as the driver for accuracy in the gofl swing.

Good waggle will increase lag, any sort of tension in the body will decrease lag.

So i say, don't worry about it, just be relaxed and drive the swing with the forearms.