Lag and the Moment of Impact

[kbradb]

Whenever I try to create lag I feel like at impact that I am holding the club off and not rotating my arms through the ball. At the moment of impact should I feel like I'm slapping the ball and rotating my forearms? That may sound odd but I don't know of a better way to describe it.

Thanks.

[Neil18]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Blimey that's a hard question! Your lag, release and impact will differ depending on how you swing it and grip it.

I can only say what I feel when I'm swinging well. If I've left the club alone from the top and get my lower body working correctly then I feel like I can't do anything through impact. It's too quick. What happens at impact is preset at address. I went through the phase of holding it off to keep my hands infront of the clubhead, but all that did was make me over-use my upper body. And to get lag an that illusive "late hit" means doing entirely the opposite. Minimal upper body action, plenty of lower body action and let the club do what it will.

Much experimentation and many sleepness nights to be had on this one mate!

[BrianW]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Please read the page in the attached link. It should clarify how lag is released correctly:

http://www.newgolfswing.com/newgolfswing08.php

[boaxel]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Hi,

my limited experience with regard to the issue of the lag, is that after a lot of experimenting with using the right side as well as the left side as well as the right and left side in the downswing, the correct movement is starting with your lower body moving to the left and focusing on the left side the weight will shift to your left leg and your hips will turn to the left then firing your right side, if you only focus on your right side, it will from time to time get you in trouble mostly hitting fat shots. Solution to the problem a. starting downswing with your lower body focusing on the left side b. when the shaft is parallel to the ground and the weight moved to your left foot and your hips moved to your left C. fire the right side,

Good luck !


boaxel

[ubizmo]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Whenever I try to create lag I feel like at impact that I am holding the club off and not rotating my arms through the ball. At the moment of impact should I feel like I'm slapping the ball and rotating my forearms? That may sound odd but I don't know of a better way to describe it.

Thanks.

It shouldn't feel like you're slapping the ball, I think. That sort of thing could indicate that you're breaking the left wrist and swatting at the ball, which is unlikely to work well

The lag through the impact zone helps to keep the bottom of the swing arc in front (closer to the target) of the ball where it belongs. This is important (with an iron) because it means you are swinging down into the ball.

The feeling should be that the club is whipping around, catching up to the hands, because this is exactly what is happening. With irons this catching up doesn't actually happen until an instant after impact. With a teed ball, depending on the kind of shot you want, it happens right at impact. With a teed ball, the swing and feel are the same, but the ball is positioned forward, where the divot would be with an iron.

[kbradb]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

So at impact, my hands should be in position similar to address and Greg's right hand drill? The fact that I hold the club off (not rotate my forearms after impact) during follow through should not matter? Sorry if I seem a little dense but several rum and cokes and a general frustration with my golf game has certainly clouded my thinking!

Thanks!

[cyc53870]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Try practicing solid shots first with half swings and 3/4 swings to get the right feeling...

[GreeBoman]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

I've recently "found" lag by trying to have dead hands.
I cock my wrists earlier in the backswing so they are fully cocked when my left arm is paralle to the ground.
From the top I try to feel like my hands are dropping straight down (I guess ringing the bell) and nothing else.
When I do it its effortless, divot is in front of the ball and it goes straight with the proper trajectory. When I try to do it I usually release the wrists at the top and its not pretty.

Im now struggling a little bit with trying to have the same feeling with my driver, it feels like Im going to hit the ground way behind the ball (and I have done!)

[jbrunk]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Lag should be created by a powerful pivot and a set of hands that have been taught where to go. Most amateurs need to use the hands in learning a proper realease as they poorly control the face. For this reason, I am not sure the 'dead hands' approach is great advice.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Lag should be created by a powerful pivot and a set of hands that have been taught where to go. Most amateurs need to use the hands in learning a proper realease as they poorly control the face. For this reason, I am not sure the 'dead hands' approach is great advice.

possibly, but for me "dead hands" means "dont start the downswing by reversing the backswing"
i.e previously I had a late wrist cock, this seemed to promote a cast from the top on the downswing. Now I try to leave my hands out of the first part of the downswing, effectively holding onto the lag that was created on the backswing.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

your problem sounds like you are not releasing, that has nothing to do this lag.

no, my problem is the exact opposite; I am releasing my wrists too early, in fact its often the first thing that I do.

what you need to work on is releasing the club. most amateurs think they are releasing too early when i fact most aren't even releasing at all.

I can see it on videos of my swing, and even feel it in my swing, my first move from the top is to uncock my wrists.

[vp27519]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Kb,

Perhaps think of hands forward of the ball prior to impact or ahead of the clubhead at impact.

VP

[bahamaman]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Check out Ben Hogan's pump drill. This will put you in position to fire the hips and release the club. I use dead hands all the way down until right before impact. Then I use my right index finger as a "trigger" to close the clubface at impact. 10.1.

[Jeff Mann]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

I have written a detailed review paper on how to maximize lag and avoid casting.

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/casting.htm

The major factors affecting the club release phenomenon are the i) shape of the hand arc; and ii) the hand speed at different time points during the movement of the hands along the hand arc.

A late release occurs when a golfer has an U-shaped hand arc, and where hand speed is only maximal at the time point when the hands are going around the tightest curve (smallest radius) of the Ushaped hand arc.

Casting (early sweep release) occurs when the hand arc is more circular and when hand speed is maximum in the early downswing (due to over-acceleration of the hands).

Jeff.

[bahamaman]

Re: Lag and the Moment of Impact

Your post tell the physics behind the lag, not the technique and muscle groups involved to attain it.