Is A Common 'Lag' Misconception Stifling Your Strike Consistency?

Ged Walters demonstrating how to release lag in the golf swing, with two inset images of common misconceptions made by many amateur golfers.

The term 'lag' will probably be familiar to most golfers, but how many of them actually understand what it is and how it works?

According to Top 50 Coach Ged Walters, who has more than two decades experience coaching golfers of all abilities, a common misconception around when and how you should release lag in the golf swing is holding many players back.

When trying to cut their handicap and shoot lower scores, many chase the 'lag' holy grail, based on what they think they see from the best golfers in the world, but all is not as it seems.

Below, Ged shares his wisdom on the topic and offers a great drill to help you utilise lag in the golf swing and improve your ball striking...

Lag In The Golf Swing: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Lag in the golf swing is a byproduct of the wrists hinging at an appropriate rate in the backswing.

The best players are then able to unhinge that lag at an appropriate rate and point in the downswing rather that trying to hold onto it, or releasing it too soon. Many golfers try to retain lag long into the downswing and this will cause problems.

There are reasons why many players fail to deliver the club with any forward shaft lean at impact and it's mainly down to a poor body pivot, the wrists and arms overloading in the backswing or no weight moving forward in the downswing.

It could be a combination of all three.

The key is to unhinge lag at an appropriate rate and point in the downswing (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

A drill that I see great success with when coaching is for pupils to hit shots with a yoga wedge behind the ball.

All you have to do is not hit the wedge in your downswing. If your wrist angles unhinge too early, your club will strike the wedge.

Remember, you're not trying to hold onto the angles; you're just trying to miss the wedge.

The yoga wedge drill is a great way to help you understand lag and it also provides useful instant feedback (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

In the image below, the wedge is highlighting the angle of the club through impact if the wrists unhinge too soon. The club travels beyond the full radius of the swing before impact, which can result in fats, tops and thins.

The poor impact position if the wrists unhinge too early (Image credit: Kevin Murray)

The connection between arms and ribcage is something most golfers would benefit from working on, to help create the ideal impact factors.

If the arms are swinging optimally, the wrist angles will unload at a more functional rate to help you deliver the correct amount of shaft lean through impact.