Golf Myths

Just the other day I was on the range working out a few misdeeds that my swing had slipped in to. When I noticed a youngest fellow ( I live in Florida under 60 is young) on the range with what appeared to be a very nice golf swing. One that appeared that golf instruction and him were not strangers.

A very smooth well balanced swing. Not something you would normally see on our range. At least not from a person you had never seen before.

So I watched.

I knew he hit it well, but couldn’t quite see the trajectory or the distance. So I wandered over that way. I never interrupt someones practice so I stayed well back from him.

I was almost shocked to note that he was so slight of build I thought perhaps he was sick. But, I relaxed that thought as I continued to witness the smooth and repeating transition that he was making in his golf swing. No body could be anything but healthy with that move. So I suppose he was just a skinny kid.

The one thing that began to stand out now as I watched not 20 yards away, was that he had tremendous “pop” in his swing. This provided a crisp hit and a pro like trajectory. In addition it proved that a slight of build golfer can hit it a long long way. Which, by the way, was just what this young fellow was doing.

What was it that he was doing that you don’t? There is an easy answer.

LAG…

Yep, it’s lag. It’s the same lag that Sergio Garcia does so well. It’s the same lag that Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Ben Hogan and your club pro has.

It’s the same lag that most high handicap players are not even aware of. It’s the lag that you are about to learn how to do.

Excited?

Let’s try to get you to see and feel the lag first and then we’ll get to how to get it in your actual swing.

Grab a club and a ball. Take your really great grip, no weak left hands, no super strong right hands, please. You cannot do this with a compromised grip.

Now set up to the ball, with your right hand push against your left hand enough so that your right hand begins to bend back toward your right forearm. Allow this to happen. Now moving your shoulders only, no conscience movement of the hands or arms, just let them go along for the ride.

Take the swing just far enough so that the shaft is straight up and down and your left arm is parallel to the ground. Stop right there.

Note the angle between your left arm and the clubshaft. It should be about 90 degrees.

This angle is the lag.

But only if you maintain or increase this angle on the move down toward the ball. So try it. Very slowly move this angle down toward the ball without losing it. Maintain this lag all the way to the ball. At some point your hands will not allow this angle to exist any longer and you will release the club. But this happens without conscience effort. It’s one of the things in the golf swing that you have to trust to happen.

For some, moving this angle down toward the ball without losing the angle will not be easy. I know that. So no worries try anyway. And keep trying. This will show you how the lag is supposed to look and feel.

Now just for the heck of it, let’s see what most golfers really do in the downswing.

So back to the position where the shaft was straight up and your left arm was parallel with the ground.
Without moving your arms, release the club out away from you with your hands so that the club is now in a straight line with your left arm. And pointing straight back along the target line. Not out in front of you.

Hold it.

This is an early release. A major power drain. And a very tough position to get the club back to the ball.

This position requires a huge effort with your body to get to the ball with any power. It can be done. But it is not something that normal people can do.

So the early release is exactly the opposite of the ” Lag”

The early release is exactly what it says, an early release of your power angles.

To prevent this, you must be totally aware of the angles, but first you must create them.

Good players create them, but only after much practice.

So here is a great drill.

Take the club into your backswing. Make sure you have good angles. Now bump your left hip laterally,while at the same time drop your right elbow to your right hip.

Do not go to the ball and do not release your angle or your lag. Do this several times. Each time do it a tad faster.

Bump and drop. Bump and drop. Feel the angles, feel the lag. A very very powerful position.

This is not two moves it is two things done at exactly the same time. A great drill if you do it right, and very simple.

It will teach you how to start the swing down on the correct plane and how to feel the lag that creates so much power.

This is where your distance lives. Lag.

Now you know.

A simple move, and you will hit it like magic.

By: Paul Macleod

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