Knuckles down

[gophinmedic]

So I've been working on maintaining lag. As a result I started to "flip" my right hand at the ball. This brought my left shoulder high at impact and turned my 4 iron into a space mission flight. So, racking my brain, I started playing around with just having the thought of rotating my left knuckles down into impact. Thanks to the snow, I haven't been able to really try this out, but the practice swings feel good and I feel like I rotate better through the "ball". So is this a bad thought? Or am I on to something?

[nevets88]

IMHO, consciously trying to maintain lag is not the way to go. In the vid caps of me below, my thought was the opposite - almost go over the top. It's sequencing, not trying to hold anything off. I'm not getting Sergio Garcia lag, but I'm certainly not casting.

[gophinmedic]

I hear that. That was my problem though. I was releasing my hands back behind the right hip. I wouldn't say I'm trying to hold lag as much as get the hands leading the head. All I'm really thinking about is maintaining the angle created at the top till my hand reach my right thigh. That improved my distance and striking over casting, but I never dealt with squaring at impact so my right hand flips. It just creates crazy high ball flight and topped/fat shots.

[mvmac]

I hear that. That was my problem though. I was releasing my hands back behind the right hip. I wouldn't say I'm trying to hold lag as much as get the hands leading the head. All I'm really thinking about is maintaining the angle created at the top till my hand reach my right thigh. That improved my distance and striking over casting, but I never dealt with squaring at impact so my right hand flips. It just creates crazy high ball flight and topped/fat shots.

I think "knuckles down" can work for a little while but you're going to have to eventually fix whatever is causing you to flip it. We like to say "lag happens", so with a good pivot and the weight forward at impact, flipping is greatly reduced.

Check out this thread

[gophinmedic]

Great thread. I think what I get out of "knuckles down" is a want to rotate through impact. I think the flip comes because my core stops rotating and now my hand play catch up. When I think knuckles down, it keeps my left wrist flat, left shoulder down, and encourages me to keep rotating. Do you think this will lead to different bad habits going forward?

[mvmac]

Great thread. I think what I get out of "knuckles down" is a want to rotate through impact. I think the flip comes because my core stops rotating and now my hand play catch up. When I think knuckles down, it keeps my left wrist flat, left shoulder down, and encourages me to keep rotating. Do you think this will lead to different bad habits going forward?

Not bad habits, just saying it's probably not fixing the problem at it's source. Without seeing your swing I can't tell you what your piece is but I can say that the amount of weight forward at impact usually plays a role.

[amac]

Great thread. I think what I get out of "knuckles down" is a want to rotate through impact. I think the flip comes because my core stops rotating and now my hand play catch up. When I think knuckles down, it keeps my left wrist flat, left shoulder down, and encourages me to keep rotating. Do you think this will lead to different bad habits going forward?

The golf swing is an unnatural feeling motion.  I'm no pro, so I'll defer to mvmac for certified info, but I agree with what mvmac said about a good turn and weight shift.  If you are releasing early, there is a root cause.  You may teach yourself to hold the release longer, but you may not be correcting your swing.  At impact, your left shoulder should be raising, your right shoulder will be dropping and you should have a right arm/elbow angle around 145*.  If you've transfered your weight and cleared your hips, your hands should be falling into the release zone - fire through and release.

I'm an early releaser too and recently had a lesson to address the same thing.  My hips were moving into the hitting zone, I wasn't shifting my weight properly and not nearly enough to the left.  A little practice had me hitting down and through the ball.  "Knuckles down" may work today, but I think you're overlooking the real problem.  A lesson from a teaching pro is painless.  :)

[Ernest Jones]

A lesson from a teaching pro is painless.  :)

That depends. I did 10 hours with Erik on Saturday and my forearms were absolutely killing me by the end of the day. It was worth it though. :-D "Knuckles Down" sounds like it might be a feel synonym* for "revving" which can help with lag I suppose but will probably just slow everything down if it's too consciously done. I agree with Mike, lag happens, any conscious effort to produce it will likely end up being slow and contrived. *feel synonym :-) I like that term!