Swing styles are as different as finger prints. All of the best players had their own swing style that worked for them. Thinking of that you need to have your own style but there is one big thing that you need to max out your distance. Just like all of the greats that special something is lag. You need as much as you can get to get the most out of what you have to offer as a player. Below are a few players who all have different styles.
Here we see them at the top of their back swing and they are all different. The one with the least loading of the club at the top is Jim Furyk. He is also the shortest hitter of the four players in this photo. Jim does create lag into impact but not as much as some of the other players her. The most is Dustin and Freddy. Lets look at Dustin who is known for his distance.
In the first photo we see a 90 degree angle between the lead arm and the shaft. This is ideal in the down swing to max out on power. We also see Dustin’s lead hand in front of his back leg at this point. As his hands get closer to his front leg we are seeing the angle between the lead arm and the shaft lessen. The is still a tremendous angle coming into impact. The next photo we see the ball has now left the club face and it has not yet caught up with the lead hand. The lead wrist is flat and facing the target. So how can you incorporate more lag and maintain it into and past impact? Most average players who try this have trouble keeping the ball on line. They loose it out to the right and hit a big push. That is because Dustin is doing one thing that these players are not. He is using his workhorse or torso and legs to deliver the club into impact. That is how he is able to square the club up and hit it a country mile along with maintaining the lag.
The best way to do this is to fell like you are holding the lag the entire way on the down swing and to a finish. The momentum of the club head will not let you do this. Centrifugal force will take over. The problem with most amateur players who try to hold the lag keep a tight grip on the club. This is what causes the push. Let’s keep our grip loose and still do our best to hold that lag down and through to the finish. Use your body to deliver the club on the down swing. Remember to let you head go with it once you reach impact. The worst thing you can do is keep you head down after impact. This keep the body back also and the arms fly through. The result is fat or thin shots. Work on keeping it all together and through. Below is a video of one of the best at releasing the head through impact. She is holding a ball between her arms during this drill that can help you understand and achieve this feeling of the body being the work horse to deliver the club.
Watch and mimic her movements and then keep a firm grip with supple wrists. This will take some work but once you get the feeling you will start to see results.
For more information or to take a lesson contact me at bsheridan@impactzonegolf.com I will be happy to help you with your swing and move into a life time of better golf through the Impact Zone.
Bernard Sheridan is the founding host of Breaking Par with Bernard Sheridan the weekly golf instruction podcast of iTunes and Stitcher radio. Please leave any comments below and if you feel you know someone who would benefit from this blog please share it on social media.
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