Every golfer I have ever met wants to hit the ball longer. They know they need more club head speed to do that and believe that getting the club to the ball as soon as possible is the answer. But the reality is that they should be trying to get the club to the ball later. In other words they need to create lag in the golf swing.
When players start the downswing with the arms and club and the club moves away from the lead arm too soon, we call this casting the club. The opposite of this move is when the club actually gets a little closer to the lead arm as the swing transitions from back swing to downswing and we call this club lag.
The goal of every player who wants to move the club faster and thus hit the ball longer should be to create lag in the golf swing. In this video I outline some of the reasons I see players cast the club during the swing and show you a series of drills that you can use to create more lag and thus club head speed in your own swing.
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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always comments are welcome and appreciated
Good Golfing
2 Responses
Hello Derek.
Consistency is my biggest issue. One day it’s a 75…the next an 85. Unfortunately I tend to hit shanks which destroy my round. If it isn’t shanking, then it’s just poor shot making..i.e. 20-30yds off my target left or right.
I just can’t feel myself coming over the top but I’m sure it’s happening. Anyway, my specific question regards the “lag”. I cannot grasp this move. When I attempt it I usually hit a nasty slice. I think I just don’t have a natural wrist move that allows proper release.
My question is this: I’m a left handed golfer. But I write and throw a frisbee right handed. However, I throw, bowl and bat left handed. Played tennis right handed as well. So as you can see, I’m somewhat ambidextrous. But I’ve been golfing on and off since about 10. Years old and right handed just feels terrible awkward and unnatural to me.
Could this ambidextrous situation cause me to have a faulty grip in general? I’m desperate to play consistently. My ultimate goal is to break 70. But for my overall satisfaction I’d just like to shoot low to mid 70’s consistently. I love your teaching and your videos. I hope you have a chance to respond. It would be extremely appreciated.
Thank you so much!
Kevin
My stats:
44 yrs old
6’3 245lbs
Left Handed golfer
Ping G25 irons 4-U wedge
58 sand wedge 60 lob wedge
Ping G25 driver 9.5 avg. 270-290yds. (Pretty consistent fade, slice if anything else)
Dreaded shot is a shank, one per round…maybe more. Usually occurs with 8-PW.
Hi Kevin
Thank you for the kind words. I am glad my videos are helping you.
I don’t believe your ambidextrous ability is hurting your golf game. From your description it sounds like it is m ore a case of not being able to sequence the downswing correctly and thus the swing path is too much out to in through impact. You have done a nice job explaining your situation, but it is difficult to pin point the exact causes without seeing you swing the club.
Essentially you need to get the club to travel more from in to out. This video would be a good starting point – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0jARxGKS6U , but a lesson with a qualified coach would be the best thing you can do. I would love the opportunity to work with you if you are in the North East USA.
I hope this helps and all the best with your golf game.
Derek