Many golfers are unsure of how to create lag in their golf swing, even though most golfers would benefit from more lag.
What is lag, and why is it essential for all golfers? Lag is the trailing of the golf club during a downswing. It is achieved when a golfer maintains the angle between the lead arm and the shaft.
Many golfers believe that lag is created when you maintain your wrist angle and tighten your wrist and forearm, but this is a misconception. To have a clear understanding of lag, you need to look at how a hammer works. Essentially, when you strike a hammer on a nail, you allow your wrist to flex back so that you create momentum that will increase your hammering power. The same concept is used in golf to create lag.
You only need to loosen your wrist muscles and let the club hinge backward. By tensing up your wrist muscles, you reduce the angle lag, which in turn lowers your shot power. Have you ever thought about the ways you can create lag? This detailed review contains all the techniques that will aid you in creating and maintaining lag in a golf swing.
Reasons Why Most Golfers Lose Lag
There are many reasons why many golfers are unable to create lag. The reasons for this include:
Having a Small Swing Arc
Swing arc is the width of your golf swing. Most golfers limit their ability to make good swing arcs by bending the left arm too early during a backswing and failing to turn their shoulders accordingly. A wider swing arc increases your potential of producing more speed in your swing, thus allowing you to make longer golf shots.
Casting the Golf Club
Casting occurs when your right hand is pushed against the shaft during a downswing. This causes the lag angle created between your right arm and the golf club to reduce. This eliminates the power source of the club, causing it to enter the impact zone with less power.
Inaccurate Shifting of Weight
Balancing your weight is mandatory if you want to increase your shot power. When you perform a golf swing, most of your weight should move to the right leg. On the downswing, you should shift your weight to the left leg. Failure to correctly shift your weight reduces lag and limits your ability to create power in your shot.
Incorrect Shoulder Turn
Many golfers go wrong and lose lag by insufficient shoulder turn during a swing. Essentially, your shoulder turn in a golf swing should be around 90 degrees or more. A shoulder turn angle which is less than 90 degrees, makes it difficult to bring the golf club down on a plane, thus reducing the speed and power of the hit.
Having a Dominant Right Side
You should avoid having a dominant right side as you take your golf swing. Using your right side results in a secondary axis tilt in the downswing. This results in a decrease in lag, causing a casting action. Dominant right sides also cause your chest to open up quickly during a downswing, thus throwing the golf club away.
Excessive Grip Pressure
Too much grip pressure reduces the lag angle. Favorable grip pressure allows the club to lag behind your hands, thus producing a powerful swing. You should aim to have a grip pressure of around 3 to 4, which will enable the head of the golf club to lag behind your hands, thus producing a powerful golf swing.
How Do I Create Great Lag?
Are you thinking of ways you can create lag and greatly improve your golf swing? Regardless of your age, sex, or skills, you can use specific techniques to develop effective lag in your golf swings. Try these techniques and improve your lag, speed, and distance.
Have a Lighter Grip
This enables you to maintain the crucial lag angle and effective release of the shot. You should strive to have enough pressure to control the golf club without compromising on the lag angle. This ensures that the lag is created and maintained throughout your golf swing, thus producing greater and accurate shots.
Create a Wider Swing Arc
The wider the swing arc, the more power you can generate from your golf swing. You should keep your right and left arm straight for as long as possible without hinging the wrists prior to the shot. Though the right and left arm will hinge eventually, it is important that you let this process naturally occur instead of speeding it up.
Have a Full 90-degree Turn
Hold a golf club with your left hand only and practice making full shoulder turns. Gradually add the right arm but continue to wield the club with your left arm. This is crucial if you want to produce greater lag and powerful shots.
Let Your Left Side Dominate the Swing
The lead side determines golf swings’ power. Research and recommendations from professional golfers show that the left side dominates powerful golf swings. As you make your backswing, ensure that you are able to get your hands to your right thigh with the club parallel to the ground.
The right side should ideally support the golf club during the entire golf swing. This helps you to create lag easily.
Lag Drills That Increase Shot Power and Distance
This guide also contains exceptional golf drills that are meant to assist golfers in creating more lag in their golf swing. Practice these drills for the best results
The 9-to-3 Golf Swing Drill
This technique can be performed with one or two arms. Start by holding the club with a light grip of about 2 or 3 (on a gripping scale). Gradually move the club slowly back to the waist height and let your hands hinge naturally. This causes the club to lag behind the hands of the golfer.
Your hands should comfortably reach your rear thigh with the club parallel to the ground. Follow through to your waist level and let your hands naturally cross over each other.
The 1-arm Golf Swing Drill
Grab a golf club with your left arm and practice making slow swings, executing proper shoulder turn, and move through to impact. This maneuver helps you keep your shoulders closed for a slightly longer period, which gets your swing on plane and maximizes your lag.
Throw the Ball Drill
In this type of lag creation drill, you will be taught how to properly use your lower body and right arm during a downswing. The player is able to release the club by the right side while hitting the golf ball with a lot of precision and power.
What to Look for in Practice
Now that you are equipped with the best techniques on how to create lag, you should practice these maneuvers. There are certain checks that you should look for in order to see improvements.
- Your chest should point the ball and avoid turning your body
- Loosen your muscles to maintain the lag angle and allow the weight of the club to pull back logically
- When using your right arm, the club should be vertical when it is in front of the left leg
- Practice longer swings one hand at a time while loosening wrist muscles
- Use both hands for the 9 to 3 drill while flattening your left wrist and extending your right arm
- Try shifting your weight with each swing as you keep your weight above the ankles
- When using your left hand, the club should be parallel to the ground when the hand is at the right thigh
- Keep your back to the target a bit longer, and keep your arms quieter. If executed properly, the clubhead will come more from the inside, setting up a better ball flight
Who Would Benefit the Most?
Any golfer can use these techniques, from professional, intermediate, and beginner. They can also be used by older golfers who have lost significant energy due to their old age. All you have to do is practice better body posture to create more lag. You’ll be amazed by the potential you have.
Benefits of Creating Lag
Every golfer understands the need to create lag during a swing. Some of the benefits that you get from creating lag are:
- You are able to increase the shot distance by many yards since the shots made are of a higher magnitude
- The accuracy of your shot greatly improves
- Through adjusting your body posture, you will be able to know your body position that produces optimum swing power
- You will be able to troubleshoot some of the problems that you experience as you take your swing, such as the slicing of the golf ball
- Unlike many techniques, creating lag isn’t accompanied by tedious exercises. You only need to improve your positioning and posture
- It is a safe way of improving your golfing skills
- You can easily track your golfing prowess since the results are achieved quickly
- It is a cheap option for improving your golf swing. You don’t have to go through the agony of hiring trainers and buying extra training equipment
- You can utilize these drills regardless of your age, sex, or physical ability, as it is a natural process of improving your golf swing
Bottom Line
The creation of lag is important for all golfers who need to improve their golf swing. Although many techniques are used to create lag, the ones contained in this review have assisted many golfers. Furthermore, these practices can be utilized by any golfer, regardless of your skills.
Golfers of all ages can use the maneuvers contained in this guide to improve their golf swing. Older people who have lost the strength to make powerful shots can also create lag and add a couple of yards to their shot distance.
Do you suffer from arthritis and want to play golf? You can also create lag and increase your shot power and accuracy.
People Also Ask
Can Beginners Also Create Lag?
The creation of lag can be executed by beginners who feel the need to improve their golfing prowess. The maneuvers are simple to comprehend and execute. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that you should continuously practice as it is not guaranteed that you will become a better golfer instantly.
Can You Use These Drills in a Professional Game?
The answer is yes! Professional golfers such as Tiger Woods invented most of the lag maneuvers we use today. These lag drills are according to the set regulations of the game; you will not receive any bookings or disqualifications by using these drills.
Can you Have Excess Lag?
This is possible. Too much lag may cause the movement of the angle of attack to a much lower position. This causes a decrease in the dynamic loft of your club. It is important to note that excessive lag may kill your chances of executing a good shot.
Are These Techniques Simple to Learn?
Fortunately, the lag creation drills contained in this article are simple to learn and execute. The steps are arranged in a chronological sequence allowing you to comprehend each task simply.
How do I Fix My Golf Slice?
You need to assess the reasons why you are slicing the ball and find a solution to your problems. Primarily, when the club’s face is exposed from the start of the golf swing, it produces sidespin when it gets into contact with the ball. You need to fix this if you want to have accurate shots in the future.
Conclusion
Creating lag in golf is not a complicated process provided you stick to the above instructions. You can learn how to do it in less than a day, whether as a beginner, a senior, or any other person, and the overall results are that your skills in the sport will drastically improve. So take your time to self-teach yourself or have a professional golfer help you learn the craft of gold and how to create lag in golf swing. And most importantly — enjoy your game. There is no one judging you on the speed at which you improve!
