By B.J. Tomashi
Universal Press Syndicate
Every good player must have it, yet they’re happy when they lose it. And nobody who can play tries to actually do it, but they get it done. What is this thing called lag?
There are three key angles in your position at the top of your swing, and only one of them remains at impact, so it’s snap, snap, pow: snap (the trail elbow straightens), snap (the trail wrist uncocks), pow (the lagged clubhead creams the ball).
But this snap, snap, pow is absent in most golf swings. More often it’s slap, flip, wrap where the cup of the trail wrist is broken with a slap, the club flips past the hands and the arms wrap around the body.
When you retain the trail wrist cup until just the right time, it’s called lag, and it’s one reason tour players hit the ball so far. A lever saved for impact not only multiplies clubhead speed, but it also preserves the true loft of the club, guaranteeing correct trajectory.
But here’s a consideration: As important as lag is, it is the result of a good swing, not the cause. So how do you promote lag? You keep the cup in your trail wrist all the way through impact.