No doubt you’ve heard about lag in the golf swing, and the place where you can see how much lag a golfer has in the golf swing is when their left arm is parallel with the ground on the downswing. Here is a picture of Sergio Garcia at this point in his downswing:
Notice that the club shaft is almost touching Sergio’s right shoulder!
Another golfer that was well known for great lag in his downswing was Ben Hogan. Here is a picture of Ben Hogan at the half way point in his downswing:
Again, like Sergio, the shaft is almost touching Ben’s right shoulder!
OK, so you know you need to retain the angle of your wrists in the downswing to hit the golf ball further….but how can you do it?
Well, today we are going to give you the best drill we know of to help you learn lag in your golf swing.
To do this drill setup with a driver as normal. Then swing to the top of your backswing and stop. Once at the top of your backswing then slide your right hand down the club and loop your right index finger around the shaft so it’s about a third of the way down the shaft. From this position swing down with your left hand while trying to increase the lag with your right hand.
When you move the club down you can move it back and forwards a little bit to get the feeling of retaining the lag in your downswing. Also, when you get down near the hitting area it is important that you feel as though your hands are a long way in front of a position where a ball would be while you are still holding the club back with your right finger.
When your left hand is about a foot in front of where a ball would be then release the club with your right finger and swing through with your left hand to a full finish. Here is a video of one of Alex’s clients demonstrating this drill….
Finally, here is a good video showing you Ben Hogan’s swing and the way he used lag in his golf swing for great distance.
With the drill we have given you today you too can increase the lag in your golf swing for longer drives. Ben and Sergio have proven you don’t need to be big to hit the ball a long way. Improve your lag and you’ll increase the distance you hit the ball.
