How to Build Serious Lag in Your Golf Swing: Drills for Effortless Power and Precision
Introduction: Why Lag Matters in Your Golf Swing
Lag is one of the secrets behind effortless power in golf, and mastering it can make a world of difference in your game. PGA Tour players are able to generate incredible speed and distance, thanks in large part to their ability to create and maintain lag. But what exactly is lag, and how can you use it to your advantage? In simple terms, lag is the angle formed between your lead arm and the golf club shaft in your downswing. It's not just for the pros—any golfer can improve their power, control, and accuracy by learning how to harness lag properly.
This guide introduces several drills to help you achieve lag, stop casting, and build power while protecting your body. From basic wrist hinges to advanced practice techniques, we’ll cover ways to build lag into your swing and transform your game.
The Science of Lag: Why It’s Essential for Power and Precision
Lag is like a stored-up spring in your swing, waiting to release at the perfect moment. When done correctly, it creates a whipping effect at impact, where maximum speed and energy are transferred to the ball. Lag allows you to generate speed effortlessly, without excessive force, and the club does the work for you. This results in straighter shots, longer distances, and less strain on your body.
Here’s how to build lag into your swing with drills that emphasize feel, control, and timing.
Drill #1: Exaggerate the Feel of Lag
We need to get you feeling what it is like to have lag stored at the bottom of the swing. In this drill, all you need is an alignment stick, or another club. What you are going to do is lay the alignment stick on the ground to your left, as you’re addressed to the golf ball.
The alignment stick needs to be pointed down the range, and aligned on your heel line of your stance. You will not be taking full swings while doing this drill, but only taking your arms to about waist height. Make sure your wrist is hinged, and a decent angle is being created between your lead wrist and the club.
Now, while holding that angle, drag the handle through the hitting area, and keep the angle until it’s aligned over the alignment stick on the ground.
What this is doing, is forcing you to maintain lag through the hitting area, as well as getting you used to the feeling of it. This is an exaggerated move, but it will translate over to your swing in a less exaggerated way.
While you are hitting balls during this drill, expect them to be very low shots, with a tendency to be pulled. This is because you have extreme forward press at impact, as well as a strong clubface.
To start, it’s essential to get used to what lag feels like at the bottom of your swing. For this, an alignment stick or a spare club can be helpful.
Set Up: Place an alignment stick on the ground along your heel line, pointing downrange.
Positioning: Address the ball, taking your arms to about waist height in a mini-swing. Hinge your wrists to form a decent angle between your lead wrist and the club.
Feel the Lag: Now, as you move forward, focus on dragging the handle of the club through the hitting area without releasing your wrist hinge too early. Aim to keep the club shaft parallel to the alignment stick on the ground.
This exercise reinforces the feeling of holding lag through impact, which translates to more power and better ball striking. Expect lower shots initially, as the extreme forward press at impact exaggerates the lag angle, helping your hands lead through the strike.
Drill #2: Stop Casting with the Swing Drill
Most players lose the angles they create during their backswing as soon as they start their downswing. They unhinge the wrists, and try to “help” the ball get in the air instead of hitting down on the golf ball.
For this drill, I want you to hold the club out directly in front of you, with your arms completely extended. Now, move your hands back, then pull them forward.
What you are going to see, if you keep your wrists loose, is the angle between your hands and the club is going to become very small.
So the club head is going to get behind your hands, then whip forward as you finish pulling through. What this drill is showing you is what it feels like to create lag at the start of the downswing.
The wrists need to be loose while performing this drill, as that’s the only way to witness the lag being created.
If this is done right during your swing, it should feel as though your club shaft is getting closer to your body during the downswing, compared to being “casted” away from you.
Many golfers cast—releasing the angle between their lead arm and the club too soon—which reduces power and consistency. Casting generally results from overly tense wrists or a misunderstanding of the downswing transition. Here’s a drill to help you avoid casting and feel lag naturally.
Hold the Club Out: Extend your arms in front of you, holding the club directly out from your shoulders.
Feel the Angle: Move your hands back, then pull them forward without tightening your wrists. As you do, the angle between your hands and club should become smaller, storing energy.
Swing Without Tension: In your downswing, maintain loose wrists so that the club head naturally lags behind. This mimics the feel of a well-timed release, avoiding the urge to “help” the club through impact.
Practice this drill regularly to build muscle memory for a lagging downswing. You’ll find that the clubhead naturally trails your hands, delivering a more efficient, powerful impact.
Drill #3: The Towel Drill to Encourage Lag and Downward Strikes
Lag works best when your weight shifts properly onto your lead side, allowing a clean, downward strike on the ball. This drill helps reinforce the proper ball contact by adding a feedback mechanism.
Set Up a Towel Behind the Ball: Fold a golf towel a few times for thickness, and place it on the ground about a club head’s distance behind the ball.
Strike Without Hitting the Towel: With this setup, your goal is to make contact with the ball without disturbing the towel. This will only happen if you lead with your hands and maintain your wrist hinge until impact.
This drill reinforces lag by demanding a forward-leaning shaft at impact. Another variation of this drill is to place a tee a few inches in front of the ball; focus on driving through the tee. Both drills will force you to strike downward, creating a cleaner, more consistent ball flight.
Drill #4: Wrist Hinge and Release
A strong lag angle begins with proper wrist hinging. This drill trains your wrists to hinge naturally and lets you hold that hinge until the correct point in your downswing.
Set Up with a Hinge: During your backswing, let your wrists hinge naturally as your arms reach parallel to the ground.
Pause and Feel the Angle: At the top, hold the angle momentarily, then slowly bring the club down without “throwing” the club out.
Release Naturally: Focus on the sensation of maintaining the hinge through the downswing, only allowing the club to release near impact.
This drill teaches your wrists the timing of a delayed release, allowing you to preserve the stored energy until the ideal moment. Practice this regularly, and you’ll develop a habit of holding the lag angle, resulting in more powerful shots.
Drill #5: Stop Helping the Ball in the Air
Many players have the wrong idea when it comes to contacting the golf ball. They will try to help the ball in the air, when in reality that’s the last thing you want to do.
Swinging like this will result in weak ball flights, loss of distance, and very inconsistent contact. We need to start hitting down on the golf ball, as a result from shifting our weight to the lead side, which in return will create lag for us.
In this drill, all you are going to need is a golf towel. Fold the towel a few times so it’s a bit thicker, and lay it on the ground about a club head away from the golf ball.
Having the towel behind the ball does two things: One, it will give you immediate feedback to whether or not you are hitting shots fat/helping the ball in the air, and 2, it will force you to get your hands in front of the ball at impact as a result from lag.
This drill will give you the feeling of proper contact and hitting down on the ball.
Another variation of this drill, if you don’t have a golf towel, is to place a tee a few inches in front of the golf ball. Instead of focusing on hitting the ball, focus on hitting the tee. This will have the same benefits for your swing as the towel drill has.
Lag creates SPEED. Lag creates POWER. Take these drills to the range, and in no time, you will be producing SERIOUS lag.
Golf Lag Swing Trainer
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It’s even being recommended by top golf instructors like Adam Bazalgette (3-Time PGA Teacher of the Year), Andrew Rice (Golf Digest Top 50), and Mark Durland (Golf Magazine Top 100)
Using the Lag Shot Swing Trainer for Faster Results:
The Lag Shot Swing Trainer is an invaluable tool that helps golfers build lag by providing instant feedback. The weighted club in the Lag Shot Trainer helps ingrain the feel of lag as you swing. Its flexibility trains your muscles to stay relaxed, while its weight encourages you to maintain lag until just before impact.
Start with Half Swings: Use the Lag Shot Trainer with half swings, focusing on the feel of lag in your wrists.
Progress to Full Swings: As you grow comfortable with the weight and timing, try full swings. The trainer will promote a natural lag, ensuring that your wrists stay hinged until just before impact.
Monitor Feedback: If you cast or release too early, you’ll feel it immediately as the club loses its path. The Lag Shot Trainer’s design forces you to maintain lag until the ideal release point.
Highly recommended by top golf instructors like Adam Bazalgette and Andrew Rice, the Lag Shot Trainer can accelerate your lag-building progress and improve your overall ball striking.
Benefits of Mastering Lag:
1. Increased Distance and Speed
- The energy stored in the lag angle boosts clubhead speed, helping you hit the ball farther with less effort.
2. Improved Accuracy:
- With better timing and a more consistent release, lag helps to keep shots on target, leading to lower scores.
3. Protection Against Injury:
- Lag reduces reliance on muscle strain, protecting joints and muscles, especially as golfers age.
4. Consistent Ball Striking:
Better ball contact, with downward strikes and centered hits, leads to improved control and stability in all aspects of your game.
Conclusion: Build Lag, Transform Your Game
Lag is not just a pro golfer’s advantage; it’s a fundamental that can help golfers of all skill levels hit longer, straighter, and more controlled shots. The drills here, along with tools like the Lag Shot Trainer, provide a structured approach to building lag. By practicing these regularly, you’ll develop the muscle memory needed to retain lag and reap the rewards of effortless power and precision.
So, next time you’re on the range, take these lag drills with you, focus on building that lag angle, and get ready to crush your irons like never before!