Focus on pressure points to feel Lag
You may have played the game for a long time and never heard of them…
If so, I urge you to read this!!!
Pressure points could improve your game forever and simplify a lot of things in your swing by focusing your mind on feel rather than technique. As a bonus, once you learn to rely on your pressure points, the game of Golf becomes more of a sensation than a mechanical cheklist!
But for the moment, think about this for a second: In order to move something like a shopping cart you need to push against it with your hands (actually, you could also pull it, but for simplicity stakes, let’s stick to pushing…).
While you push the cart, you feel a pressure in the point(s) of contact of your hand(s) against the handle of the cart: These are pressure points.
In the Golf swing there are 4 distinct pressure points (more on that in another article) but again, for simplicity stakes, we will focus on the easiest and more convenient to feel: the meaty part of your index (the "trigger finger") of your trailing hand where it touches the club.
Here is the trick: Are you able to perform a Golf stroke while feeling pressure in this index from start down to both arms straight (the end of the follow-through and before the finish)???
Even better: if you can feel this pressure not decreasing (unrelentless pressure), I bet my shirt you must be a 1 digit handicap as you must have Lag in your swing with all the good things that come with it!
Poor players have almost no pressure feel at all because they are "running after the club", exactly as you would run after your cart after having pushed it violently: the pressure against the handle was very strong the moment you pushed hard but disappeared as the cart when away from you (you can’t push something faster you can run!).
A player who casts the club (club head throwaway) does exactly that: he feels a lot of pressure in the start of the downswing (by accelerating the club very hard and convulsively). Such a sudden accelartion thows the club away with no chance to catch it up before impact.
Needless to say, that player feels no pressure at all in the index finger when the club head arrives at the ball.
The correct way to do it is to push your cart evenly with no over-acceleration.
The correct feel is a pressure in the trigger finger that is even and present from start-down to follow-through. Light or heavy pressure doesn’t matter. The important thing is that it must be there and steady.
A Tour Player’s feels exactly that. But imagine he is able to put and keep (most important!) a LOT of pressure in the trigger finger: harder to sustain during the swing but highly rewarding in terms of ball compression/distance/control.
Sounds easy to practice? Next time you go to the range, spend a bucket of ball focusing on that pressure. Start with half swings as it is easy to feel with shorter backswings.
Oh, by the way: This is how Lag feels; it’s a pressure in your hands!!! – The more unrelentless pressure you feel, the more Lag you have!
And if you are a Golf nut like us, look for the feel the next time you push your cart in the shopping mall!
Hey Jake
The proper grip for any given person is the one that ideally allows you to place your pressure point “behind” the shaft in a supporting way to resist clubhead inertia.
A good and simple drill to find the proper grip is to do the “drag the wet mop drill” http://www.golflagtips.com/drag-the-wet-mop/ or drag/push (swing/hit!) a tire.
If your grip is wrong, you’ll find it very uncomfortable to drag the mop because your pressure points will be “out of line”.
As for me, my left hand is slightly strong with a right hand dead behind the shaft – neutral.
This is a great grip for hitting (my current pattern!).
To KC
In “Golf Digest’s terms”, the release is somewhat the rotation of the left hand through the impact area.
This is common knowledge and very wrong: if your timing is not perfect you’ll lose countless shots to the left.
You have to execute the correct “hinge action” through impact and perform the Swivel of the left forearm only when you reach the Both Arms Straight position.
I repeat, Swivel must not be executed at impact:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/golflagtips/2231145322/
Look frames 10 & 11 regarding this.
For you the sensation will be to strongly “hammer the ground” (that will help to fully uncock your left wrist) sideways.
You don’t have to wait for the club to drop if you hammer it as strong as you can on the ball and not towards the target.
Dump all you energy DOWN on the ball, keep your roll quiet and you’ll release naturally after impact.
Also for the hitters. Make sure your right hand grip is slighlty more under the club, so more of a weak then strong right hand grip. I find for myself atleast I can feel #3 a bunch more when doing this. And my grip and swing just feel way more fluid here vs a strong right. When its strong it tends to sometimes break of the grip and I dont feel as smooth. Just a thought… John what does your right hand grip look like? Strong or weaker (more under)?
I’m a small guy who hits the ball very far for his size. 5′ 7″, 140 lbs, driver honest 275, 3 wood 250, 2 iron 220. I simply lack control. I’ve been told I have a wristy swing and I’ve worked on a one-piece takeaway which has hurt my timing and ball striking. My tendency is to roll the wrists because otherwise my face doesn’t open. Also, I’m a feel player.
I create lots of lag and I swing hard from the top. Sometimes it causes me to pull/pull hook the ball…badley I hardly ever lose anything to the right. Even when I swing outside in, my face is usually closed and the ball goes left, then further left. I literally have to set the face wide open at address to have a chance of fading.
When I start pulling bad (I get about 3-5 penalty stroke a round due to this), I try to really keep my right elbow tucked or fire my hips hard at the top of the backswing. This keeps me coming from the inside out most of the times.
Anyway, now that you have some background let me get to my question. I think get the lag thing. I generate lots of pressure on my index finger. I feel like it’s strong and constant. I feel like I over accelerate it, but I don’t think I release the club early. In fact I feel like I need to slow down with the body at impact sometimes. My problem is releasing the swing. I’ve never understood the concept. I have trust issues and real fast hands and I often think I mess up a good swing with my fast hands. Plus I have a real strong right side that likes to take over at the moment of truth. It seems like I either never release the club or ruin my release with hand action. Sometimes I can feel the ball stay on the clubface forever and I’ll get a shot that goes out real hard and straight for quite some distance before taking a deadly turn to the left because I flipped my writs while the ball was stuck on the clubface.
I’ve been trying to develop a swing where I can be aggressive from the top. I have such a hard time waiting for the club to drop. I know I’m all over the place but does any of this make sense?
[...] During this process, Mike Pedersen pointed me in the direction of a very interesting article (Focus on Pressure Points to Feel Lag) on generating lag in your golf swing. I had a read through it, and it made a lot of sense. It also [...]
Holy Explatives. I now have backspin all to hell, it’s awesome.
Hey Sean
Ah, yes, sorry, with the compression of the Golf ball comes the spin!
There are two ways to reduce that compression:
- place your ball closer to low point. You’ll have less of a descending blow on the ball and pinch it less against the turf.
The drawback is that you’ll produce higher shots and less distance.
- learn to use a lighter Lag Pressure.
This is my preference because, again, it relates to educating your hands to recognize a wide range of Lag Pressure FEEL using your index trigger finger.
Players discovering Lag love it so much that they go greedy and develop maximum Lag at first.
But like the car analogy I used on the previous comment, you’re not struck into always flooring the gas pedal on each shot.
Acceleration/pressure Feel can vary from strong to gentle (but must be always present).
Between Strong and Gentle you’ll discover that there is about 10 yards in distance variation. This could be helpful for precise ball delivery to the flag!
He isn’t joking about the miles away! The other side effect is a massive amount of spin on the wedges. I was never one for spinning the ball a ton, maybe a one hop and stop kind of guy. But, this morning, I hit a 150 yard 9 iron to the back of a soft green, the bloody ball spun all the way back and off the front of the green. Granted the green is sloped slightly back to front, but I have never hit a ball with that much spin.
So, my question is, how do I now reduce that?
On that strike, I had some massive pressure on the index finger, do I go back to trying to ‘ease’ that pressure now when I want to deaden the spin?
Hi vince
“The only way i can see building more pressure in PP3 is just accelerating very hard, am I wrong?”
Correct BUT it is easy to confuse Acceleration and Speed.
You are looking for a high thrust with a low speed.
Compare that to you seating in a car:
0 to 60 in 1 second = high thrust with low top speed. You are struck to your seat, the pressure in your back is extremely strong.
190 to 200 in 1 second = low thrust with high top speed. You feel a gentle pressure in your back.
Like a car, you have your top speed. If you start your downswing and reach near top speed too quickly, you won’t be able to keep accelerating very strongly.
A good way to build a huge amount of pressure in #3PP is to Load the Lag during the transition from backswing to downswing by throwing the club shaft against your #3PP:
- at address, loosen your wrists and drag the club back (a bit like the Wet Mop drill but done on the backswing!)
- then before reaching the top, interrupt your backswing by going the other way with your hands to the both arms straight position (very important)
- the clubhead, with its initial inertia will want to continue to go back BUT your hands will be on their downswing part
If you do this properly, the pressure in #3PP could be so strong that you may find it physically difficult to drag the club to impact!
If you manage to drag (or drive) it to impact, your clubhead with strike the ball with an incredible amount of mass and the ball will go miles away!
How do you build more pressure? I mean at impact PP3 is pretty intense but prior its just mild.. Just practice swinging without a ball i try to keep a constant pressure but it’s not the relentless force i think you are trying to describe.
Are your wrists really loose through your backswing and downswing while just focusing more on just straightening the right elbow through impact?
The only way i can see building more pressure in PP3 is just accelerating very hard, am I wrong?
So many questions! sorry
Yes Sean,
One more advice to help you getting to both arms straight:
It has already been said numerous times here but “put your mind in your hands, not in the ball”.
=> Stop thinking about the ball; think about the travel of your hands to deliver that pressure intact to both arms straight.
…and smile as you pound that ball miles away!
Thanks John,
Yeah, I’m starting to feel the lag pressure up to the point of impact with my longer clubs. However, I definitely need to work on accelerating that pressure to both arms straight. I’ll keep working at it!
Great San!
You did a good job working your way up with shorter swings. This is the Basic motion curriculum in the Golfing Machine and it has a purpose: to help identify and recognize that Lag feel.
It is nearly impossible to discover Lag without doing that first.
But once you Feel it, it can be included in longer strokes as you know what kind of Feel to look for.
It is normal at first time to find it more difficult with the longer sticks because the ball gets closer to low point (they overlap with the driver).
When you play with lag at first you easily discover that the ball is no longer the end of the thrust:
You become aware of Low Point because you sense that you must deliver that newly found Lag Pressure in your hands down and out and AT LEAST precisely to low point.
This may sound good but this is not enough: If you stop to feel Lag Pressure when you reach low point you will be fine with shorter irons but won’t be able to have the same contact with the driver as you’ll be decelerating (decrease of pressure = no more acceleration/steady pressure or increase of pressure = acceleration)
The secret is that the end of your journey with Lag Pressure is NOT LOW POINT but the Both Arms Straight position (end of the Followthrough).
Example: For the Hitter it is the point where it is no longer possible to push because the right arm is fully extended = there can be no more pressure.
Learn to maintain that pressure until both arms straight and the longer sticks will behave like the shorter (and yes, because of that you have the FEEL of hitting down & out even with the big dog!!!)
I should follow that up by saying, on the course, I feel it a lot of the time on my irons. Can get it right on occasion with my hybrid. Still have to put some work in to feel it through my entire driver swing. Any tips on getting this right with the big dog?
John…Wow!
What a great tip! I’ve been a 6-12 handicap…depending on what kind of swing I brought to the course that day. Always felt like I was more of a ‘feel’ player, but was always looking at ‘motion’ tips to try and improve my swing.
This is by far the best tip I can take to the course I have ever read. The proof is in the pudding right? After a few sessions at the range, I finally really started feeling that heavy pressure on my index finger…as you said, starting with little half 7 irons…and now I can feel it on the course a good amount of the time. Last night, I played 9 after work and holed out from about 125 on the first hole (par 4). Solid, compressed, so different sounding. Love it!
Thanks John!
-Sean
Welcome George!
All the things you are referring to are MOTIONS and not DYNAMICS producing FEELS.
Prior to use Lag Pressure as the foundations of my swing, before any round I always needed to check at the range if I was able to repeat the Swing of the past day!
Now, I just look for pressure in my hands. I know that if I look forward to create enough pressure my body will perform the correct motion.
I can now jump off the car and head to the first tee and bomb it in the middle EVERYTIME just by recreating pressure in my hands – this is easy to focus on and easy to repeat because it is a FEEL and not a MOTION.
If you like that pressure point tip, try the Drag the Wet Mop drill, it can also be a very good eye opener: http://www.golflagtips.com/drag-the-wet-mop/
I have bee playing for 4 years. Broke 100 once but typically play worse.I have tried the 1 plane swing,2 plane,passive arms ,active arms,pull the club,push the club.twirl the club.slide the hips,turn the hips ect ect…I recently tried your trigger finger pressure point tip. Wow!It is buy far the best tip I have ever recieved. Thank you. George R
Thanks John! This is what I will practice now, but the thought of even trying to hit driver seems daunting. I wouldn’t have dared to hit a wood or driver today
I play next Tuesday, so I’ve got to be able to LOL!
Thanks again John! Your support and feedback is SO MUCH APPRECIATED!
Mike
Well done Mike!
Yes, this is what you are looking for – at last a good starting point to build around.
Exagerating is a also a good thing because you cannot have too much Lag – as you’ve discovered, the more the better!
Explore your limits: discover how much pressure/heaviness you can sustain before being unmanageable.
It is hard to believe how heavy impact is when done properly – this is the feel. Impact feels and sound like hitting a rock (but doesn’t hurt like hitting a rock
).
Your concern is normal: the first time you discover Lag it’s a bit like an ON/OFF switch: you get 100% “wild” Lag or nothing! You get compression feel but it is hard to manage.
Your job is now to “educate your hands” to manage different degrees of pressure and speed.
You’ll be expert when you’ll be able to produce a low speed swing with a high/heavy thrust.
And you’ll drive miles away when you’ll be able to produce a high speed swing with a heavy thrust – (but don’t try to do it now young Jedi!)
John,
Too funny! I just got back from the range to read this response, and we must have esp, because that is exactly what I DID
It was really windy, so I practiced an impact drill, then tried right arm only, trying to maintain right wrist lag, couldn’t really do that one, then did half speed, half swing first with an 8 iron (100 balls), then with a pitching wedge (100 balls).
I experimented with the last 10 balls and something happened.
I really tried to “punch” my right arm into and past the ball and I really felt the compression. I started I think exaggerating it, but it got better and better.
Is this what I should feel. The ball was really compressing and jumping off the face.
My ONLY concern is I felt like I was doing it really hard through the ball, and not swinging like I could on the course.
I have NEVER felt my right arm EXTEND past impact like those last 10 balls. Is that the feeling? The feeling of the right arm REALLY straightening after impact, because that was what I was doing, but again…I felt like I wasn’t making a full swing (follow through) like I would on the course, but don’t know either.
Mike
Slow down Mike, you are going nowhere!
You want to convince yourself that your motion is flawed but – I REPEAT AGAIN – the flaw is in your DYNAMICS!!!
(for example, opening your clubface right away like you do is the perfect move for the swinger).
What you do is very good UNTIL you arrive at impact because you throw that club away and flip your wrists.
I had exactly the same kind of swing you just have right now and the very same problems – so I know that you are convinced that the flaw MUST lie in your motion/positions.
Unfortunately it is not working like that.
As a former top level athlete myself, I intuitively thought that I was strong enough to force my body to comply with the planed motions.
If you take that path you’ll waste your time chasing unicorns!
It takes courage because it’s a completely different approach of the golf Swing.
Dynamics are the key for you.
Be honest to yourself and start from the beginning: are you able to perform say a 50 yards pitch shot with a 7 iron while TRULLY feeling a STRONG pressure against your index trigger finger of the right hand ALL the way down until the END of the follow through?
I don’t care how you do it. Turning, not turning, rotating, not rotating your butt
– because all this has no meaning if you cannot feel that pressure.
It is really that simple – go out there to the range, perform half swings with the ONLY GOAL to find a way to feel that strong and constant/steady pressure all the way down.
You’ll know with no doubt when you really get it.
Trust me, this is the only way.
Hi John. Your explanations are very helpful. Something you said about ‘firing your hands” reminded me of drills I did while taking Karate long ago. The idea was to forget about your arms and their attendant weight and to fire them like a proverbial spear to a point. I think you might be saying something similar with regards to the # 3 PP. In other words, yo are saying that if a person fires their right hand down through the ground and down-plane and around while feeling LAG, that person will be on plane, automatically regardless of correct BLP to the target line.
You are right Innercityteacher:
This is simple, powerful and beautiful!
As humans, we are not so good at doing many things at the same time.
Putting your mind into your hands and consciously monitoring their travel is far much easier and accurate than thinking of performing a full body turn while staying on plane while thinking about weight shift and other stuff like that!
Just like when pulling a cart: You lead and the cart will always follow on the same track.
Just move your hands along the right path and the clubhead will ALWAYS follow the right path.
Many golfers have their mind in their clubhead instead (they intend to move the clubhead).
This can be done in two ways:
- By “tracing the base of the plane line” (plane/ground intersection) back and forth with your #3PP
- By directing the thrust (your #3PP again) at the ball as if you wanted to spear a fish (this is what you are explaining)
Both mental images produce the same travel of the hands (pick up one at a time!).
Good work, keep shaking the tree!
John.
John,
I will go to my grave saying, the move in my hands in the takeaway is so slight to the human, but I “feel” and know that I am fanning open the clubface (and maybe the right forearm) right at the initial part of the takeaway.
This is now opening the face way early in the swing. So then I get too deep and long at the top of my swing. Then my “hit” impulse kicks in and from the top, my upper body dives down with no rotation (hips and shoulders) and I have a wide open clubface either causing a big block right, or at the minimum a thin toe shot.
I know this in my bones!
My question is with the hands in the first 1-2 feet of the takeaway. They should not be doing anything correct? I mean the body (core and shoulders) are taking the club back with no hand involvement at all right?
The clubface this early on should be square to the path right? And still facing the ball until hip height right?
I really feel like this “hands” issue, and lack of earlier shoulder rotation (I slide the right shoulder) maybe be the main cause of my fault(s).
The lack of hip rotation coming down is another mystery to me, but I feel like they are all inter-related.
Going to the range to do some partial swings, focusing on rotation and a “no hands” takeaway.
Mike
Yes, pretty much the same.
You should feel a lot of pressure against your nipple and it will fade away around impact when the left arm will be blasted out of your chest (this is the Release of power accumulator #4 – related to pressure point #4 – pressure of your left arm against your chest!).
There is a lot of power in that move
I’ve seen you mention blast-off your left arm before. I’m not picturing it though. Is this like a backhand swing in tennis (just tilted down)?
For a Swinger, the release of accumulators is “sequenced” (one after another) and generaly overlapped in that order: #4 (body power), #2 (uncoking the left wrist – the throw), #3 (roll).
This indeed means that you start by blasting-off your left arm out of your chest WHILE throwing the clubhead down plane as hard as you can.
The harder you’ll blast-off your left arm and the harder you throw your clubhead, the harder you’ll hit the ball.
John,
Thanks. I did read those articles first, but reading and really understanding are two different things. I read and understood how the club should travel, but I did not fully understand what that meant for my body and what it should do.
If I understand correctly, part of the movement is to start my arms down while starting my turn for the downswing. Specifically, feel like I’m pulling my right arm down (kind of elbow to hip) so I get both down and out movement, not just down and not just out.
The other thing I did not do was read one of your responses earlier in the post. You mentioned pressure point #4, left arm against chest. I did find that tip on another site and tried it. That helped with me pulling my shots left. So I am hitting straight now.
Once I fully get the down part in tune with the out (and I think the pressure points will help with that), I can see if my distance improves.
Nope Mike,
Believe me; you focus on something that is not the source of your problems.
Despite what you are thinking your upright posture has nothing wrong. The plane of your swing is just steeper that way and that leads to a perfectly normal high position of your left arm at the top.
Again, nothing wrong with your takeaway and the way you think that your right shoulder is not going back… in fact its going back perfectly right – this is called a Right Forearm Takeaway and it’s very good.
Everything is simpler (I did not say easier!) that you think – I’ll prove that in my upcoming post (this week) with my wife as a “guinea pig”!
But before going any further you must provide videos with a ball as it may look completely different.
Thanks John!
The video did some weird things. My shafts are very stiff, so I don’t know why they looked flimsy on film. Also, without the ball I really flipped at it, which I don’t do as my arms with a ball are not that relaxed. Hitting a ball is key, but I wanted to get something up there, and then begged you for some feedback
Also, I am way too upright with both my posture AND left arm plane. I will bring it back down just a bit, but I’m surprised you didn’t mention how high my left arm was at the top and how deep I got. And, I noticed I roll my left wrist at initial point of takeaway, opening up the face way too early. I can see right there how that could be a problem hitting solid shots.
My right shoulder does not rotate back on takeaway, so it’s a false shoulder turn. I lift the club and do not rotate my shoulders.
Tons of bad stuff going on here UGH!
Thanks again,
Mike
OK, OK Mike, I’ll give you my thoughts. But remember to also post a swing with a ball…
You have two problems here: One is geometrical, the second is dynamic.
Geometrical:
From the down the line view you must put your right forearm in a position that is called “on-plane”: from this view we should see your right forearm and the clubshaft ON THE SAME LINE.
Check this video of Brian Gay at address. He is the poster’s child for the right forearm on plane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhwAZ2E1YzM&feature=related
Currently, your right forearm is too high and ALREADY STRAIGHT. With this position at startup you will “run out of right arm” at impact and have no choice but to cast the club in an attempt to reach to the ball, which is pretty obvious from the face-on view.
To get a feel for it, grab a 7 iron and swing with your right arm only. After a few misses, you’ll sense that the only way to make it work and feel comfortable is to sense that your right forearm is on line and behind the shaft.
You should also take a look at your equipment; it seems that your shaft is a bit too flexible.
Dynamic:
You cast the club at impact (good geometry will help). So there is no way you feel that precious Lag…
You must look like that at and post impact:
http://www.golflagtips.com/wp-content/uploads/090204-hittingimpact.jpg
You fail to achieve this because you slow down your hands around impact – your clubhead catches with your hands and win the race!
You must find a way to move your hands faster than your clubhead on the downswing!
Notice that I didn’t say to swing faster… on the contrary
This can be done by moving your clubhead way slower to give a chance to your hands to win.
To get a feel for it, find yourself a golf cart tire do this drill: http://www.bendoylegolf.com/videotips.htm
The better if you can hit a ball after a few hits in the tire – you’ll be amazed.
Have faith my friend!
Okay. I think I got the face on to work.
http://www.swingacademy.com/swinganalysistool.aspx?id=3056
Come on give me something! I can’t get the fricking face on to work for some reason. UGH!
I just recently changed my posture, but now I think it’s much too upright. My left arm is still really high and steep for an 8 iron swing.
Also, notice how my hips don’t start to rotate from the top. That is my nemesis. I am an upper body hitter of the ball.
Hmmmmm???????
Yes, nice site Mike.
Pretty cool, it plays frame after frame…
Unfortunately without a ball everybody’s swing is perfect – go find a ball!
However, I think I have some clues and even an exercice for you to do.
More on that after you’ve uploaded a faceon view WITH a ball!
Okay John!
I am STILL struggling with compressing the golf ball. The harder I try the worse it gets. Still thin and off the toe no matter what.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this site, but it’s pretty cool. You can upload a video, and when you register, it’s FREE, you can go in and do an analysis of any swing with lines, circles, angles, etc…
I just did an 8 iron dtl swing in my back yard with no ball of course.
You can see it here:
http://www.swingacademy.com/swinganalysistool.aspx?id=3053
I did a face on view, but for some reason it isn’t coming out. Will try to get it to work, as I know that is the better camera angle to see what the heck I’m doing.
Mike
Hi Steve,
You are right on track: You’ve just discovered that the pressure points must be dead behind the shaft (aft) to correctly resist Lag pressure – adapting the grip is the solution.
This is a great discovery that will soon lead you to feel that you also need to keep your right forearm on plane (dead behind the shaft) for greater efficiency. I’ll write on that very important topic soon.
Your shots going to the left are another story.
You certainly must revise your geometry to hit it straight: if you’ve never thought that the center of the radius of your swing is your left shoulder I urge you to read those two posts on that topic – take time to get a feel by looking the drawings – and from then understand why you need to go DOWN and OUT (as opposed as an in to out swing path!):
http://www.golflagtips.com/hit-down-on-the-golf-ball-dammit/
http://www.golflagtips.com/hit-out-on-the-golf-ball/
Without that understanding, doing all this in to out swing path stuff is useless…
!
And once you’ll get that it will be useless too as your shots will certainly be dead straight
John, can you clear up something you wrote in this reply to Steve (“the center of the radius of your swing is your right shoulder”) and, from the hit-out-on-the golf-ball-blog, “The outmost point of the club-head orbit is exactly in front of the leading shoulder as it is the center of the swing circle.” This should be the left shoulder. Oh, maybe Steve is left handed, so his lead shoulder will be his right side.
Oops my bad!
But fortunately you were following!
).
I meant the LEFT shoulder here assuming you are right handed (with apologies for the lefties out there
Comment edited to correct that, thanks Charlie Y.
I had trouble understanding this. I think I have it figured out. I did the mop test and felt the pressure on my finger. But when I went out, I could not figure out how to modify my swing to get the pressure. I then realized, I was supposed to push with my right hand enough to fell the pressure. I had to modify my grip to get more of my index finger on the side of the shaft. But now when I downswing, I start by pressing my right hand index finger as part of the start and try to feel that pressing throughout the swing. My hits are straight when I do it (unfortunately straight to the left, I’m working out the indside out swing now because I have an obvious outside in swing – my divots tell me so).
Does this sound correct or am I misunderstanding the feel?
“…but I found that I could not keep the sensation of the trigger pressure at all in the downswing…”
Dedicate one of your two hours working on this alone for one week – small shots – 40 yards with a 7 iron.
Nobody likes doing that, everybody prefers hitting full shots… but this is the way to find it.
Lag is not about retaining the angles as long as possible in the downswing; It is a FEEL, a pressure in your index trigger finger – and its is reffered as LAG PRESSURE FEEL.
Common Mike, you can do it – I know it’s hard step but it’s a step you’ll need to do to become the scratch player you can be.
All the best,
John.
Well…I wish I would have seen your above response before I left LOL. Makes sense, but I found that I could not keep the sensation of the trigger pressure at all in the downswing.
And I think after a while, I was gripping the club really tight not allowing for a release or any chance of a divot. Believe it or not, even with a sand wedge, I was barely taking and grass let alone dirt.
When I relaxed my hands, the club was going into the ground after impact a bit better, but with no accuracy at all.
I am way too good of an athlete to struggle with this!!!
My other of many swing faults is also coming into impact steep, making it very difficult to compress the ball or hit it solid. When I focus on swinging around my body with a flatter swing, I seem to hit it better, but I have to constantly remind myself to swing around not up.
The journey continues (or maybe not…lol).
Mike,
Pulling the butt of the club as you intend to do is not the right way to create Lag.
I know this is what we all read in magazines (AKA the late hit) but this is holding the shot resulting in lotsa blocked shots to the right and no right arm extension.
The proof is that you may have very well done that without sensing any pressure in your index trigger finger.
Just concentrate and feel that strong and steady pressure on this index finger FROM THE TOP to THE END OF THE FOLLOW THROUGH.
Focus your mind in your hands and nowhere else!
The proper curriculum is indeed to hit miniature swings (Basic Motion, 2 feet back, 2 feet through) and ingrain that pressure FEEL all the way through – it may take a few days with a few buckets a day to reach your Haha moment!
Go Mike, I know you can do it!
One concern I have is “pulling” the butt of the club to far through impact and not keep the shaft in front of me. That may be hard from me to do as I am far from that at this point
I will try that setting of the hands with a shorter swing to see if I can get that heavy feeling.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again John!
Mike
Have faith, many good things come out with Lag pressure and it can fit in any technique or motion you favor – it will never be a waste of time.
Replace any quickness you may FEEL in your motion with “heaviness” – a good tip to feel that heaviness is to perform your normal backswing and suddenly, before completing the backstroke send your hands the other way this is a way to LOAD THE LAG – from there, your next task is to manage this heaviness through impact – this is SUSTAINING THE LAG.
Thanks for the Tweet!
John,
I hope your opinion is right! That if I focus on lag, my own swing technique will come out. I am going to the range today, and the only focus today will be lag, pressure points, and right arm extension through the ball.
Thanks once again John!
There is a wealth of knowledge on your site.
I “tweeted” about your site on http://twitter.com/golftrainer this morning.
Best,
Mike
Look no longer Mike, you are describing almost the same things I went through a few years ago: I’m a former pro tennis player, very athletic and always used to hit hit miles away – with a far from optimal motion and repeatability problems.
I knew there was something about Lag that could help my game… I was far from realizing its paramount importance.
IMO, do not spend too much time on a method or another (one plane swing, hitting, swinging) unless you MASTER lag technique first! Better yet: you will discover that in the process of searching to load and sustain the lag everything else will comply and adapt and you’ll discover your own motion and its associated FEEL in your hands.
John,
This is excellent! When I think about it, I try to feel that index finger, but because I do not compress the ball on the center of the face, I lose concentration on it.
My golf swing is an anomaly. I am very athletic and fit, so I hit the ball a long way, but with inefficient swing technique. I am constantly working on it, and it is getting better, but I wonder how far I’d hit it with a square contact and compression?
I am working on a one plane swing to simplify it, and it seems to be working. On the range, I can now swing more around my body, and make better contact, but have a ways to go.
I use to come down with a very vertical shaft, and then raise up, causing my to flip my hands at impact, resulting in thin toe shots…ugh, but still with a decent amount of distance, and with all that going on, play to a 7 handicap.
I feel my potential is more like a scratch, but will continue to practice (currently 2 hours a day) til I become a better ball striker and putter.
Thanks,
Mike
Hi again Biggolf17.
You are right. Lag feel is a distincs feel to learn through diligent practice. It is elusive and the slightest amount of “over acceleration” can ruin everything.
Despite what you think, you can’t have too much Lag/Pressure. In fact, the more the better.
However, the more the pressure, the heavier the fell of the clubhead and the harder it is to sustain such pressure and heavyness from top to both arms straight.
Too much pressure won’t “limit the release of the clubhead” as you said.
On the contrary, you must look for a NO RELEASE feel!!!
Check the Trevino swing sequence face-on at the bottom of this page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/golflagtips/2231145322/). Lee applies a steady pressure on his shaft from top (frame 5) to both arms straight (frame 10). Only at this point the downward thrust stops and only at frame 11 the clubhead passes above the hands (the release).
Again, the corresponding fell is a STEADY pressure in pressure point #3 as far as possible as it there where no release AT ALL!
If you do this correctly, the clubhead will still be bellow the hands as far as both arms straigh!
Then, automatically the clubhead will release and you will “swivel” to the finish.
Regarding your new awareness of your #3 pressure point: you say that wrapping your index finger UNDER the shaft makes it difficult to feel it and extending the index finger along the shaft helped…
Congratulations! You’ve just discovered that to properly support Lag and its tremmendous pressure, your #3 pressure point must be located BEHIND the shaft and not UNDER!
This is a major discovery. Do whatever changes in the way you place your index finger on the grip to place pressure point #3 in a supporting position BEHIND the shaft.
Keep going the good work Biggolf, there is so much more you’ll have to discover!
As a retired engineering professor, I know from my teaching experiences how a student can all of a sudden get an “Aha!” experience when he or she hears something in a different way, and it changes the message. Your conversation with Biggolf17 on changing the position of the finger on the shaft to feel the lag not only helped me find a way to feel the lag, but it also explained whey we are taught to grip the club handle with the right index finger in a trigger finger position (as with a revolver or rifle). No one told me why previously, only to do it; but I felt more secure just wrapping my fingers around the shaft. I couldn’t feel the pressure of the index finger on the shaft–all I could feel was tension at the base of the right thumb and at the end of the index finger beyond the knuckle. Not only do I feel the lag now, but I have an even more secure feel in my right hand than I did by just wrapping my right hand fingers around the shaft. I’m a slow learner and have to hear things several times in several different ways. Thanks.
Bonjour Johb Di Lagito.
Je pense que le ressenti des 4 points de pression préconisés nécessite un minimum d’apprentissage et que cela demande en outre de faire la part entre pression et relâchement. Trop de pression pourrait en effet détruire le relâchement nécessaire pour délivrer de la puissance.
J’ai bien compris que le point de pression n°3 (celui de l’index droit) est essentiel et qu’il doit accaparer toute notre attention. Avec une position classique de cet index droit, i.e. en crochet sous le shaft j’ai un peu de mal à ressentir cette pression continue. Aprés plusieurs essais je me suis rendu compte que je ressentais beaucoup mieux ma poussée main droite en étendant légèrement l’index le long du shaft.
Puis-je considérer cette position comme une étape ou est-ce une hérésie totale?
Cordialement.
Hi Biggolf17, nice to see you again!
Nope, there only 4 Pressure Points: You may sense a pressure in the middle finger of your left hand as well as the index finger but the correct and simplest way is to concentrate on the pressure in the trigger finger (index).
Try to hit a ball with your middle finger off the club: no problem to hit it solid – remove your index finger: beware of clubhead throwaway!
Do yourself a favor Biggolf17 and for now on, forget about Pressures in the takeaway.
Regarding pressure points: Our mind can hardly focus on two things at a time – needless to say 4 things (or 4 pressure points located at 4 different places in your body)!
The ONLY ONE you should monitor at that time is the #3 pressure point: the index forefinger where it touches the clubshaft.
If you can manage to GENERATE and SUSTAIN a HUGE sensation of PRESSURE and HEAVYNESS in #3, you subconscious will automatically set you up and you’ll later see that you can feel pressure in the other Points ALONG with #3.
The pressure in this one is CONSTANT from STARTDOWN to both arms straight (end of the followthrough).
Think about it: If the pressure here is CONSTANT it means that the blubhead will not pass the hands before impact which is what we are looking for (the Lag).
Therefore, your mind must be in your hands. Stop thinking about the clubhead, the clubface (worse!) or specific positions in your swing.
Let your hands guide your body (Body controlled hands instead of hands controlled body):
Move your hands (ie: move your #3 pressure point) and the club will follow 100% of the time.
So, I insist on your last question: you must be very aware and conscious about #3 pressure point. It should become an obsession and the ONLY thought you take with you on the course. You’ll be amazed on how your body will automatically adopt the correct positions to support that pressure.
A lot to read here but lots of interesting questions need lots of responses don’t you think ;-).
Bonjour.
Intéressante cette étude des points de pression au niveau des mains. Outre les 4 points cités n’y en a t’il pas un 5°, à savoir l’index et le majeur de la main droite?
Autre question: ces points de pression sont-ils appliqués de façon constante et uniforme ou progressive et dans un ordre chronologique établi?
Je m’explique:
- légère augmentation de pression des 3 deniers doigts de la main gauche lors du take away?
- relais pris par la pression de la main droite au niveau de la ligne de vie sur le pouce gauche (le coude droit se plie)?
- au sommet du backswing pression accentuée de l’index droit (assurant le déclenchement du dowswing) maintenue durant la descente, le contact et le finish?
- la pression du bras gauche, quant à elle, serait constante durant tout le swing, ne se libérant qu’au finish?
Dernière question: ces points de pression doivent-ils devenir inconscients ou simplement ressentis, sans action volontaire?
Cordialement.
Thanks for your interest Seb, I appreciate very much.
You’ve asked for it: There are four pressure points to be aware of during the Golf swing:
#1: The heel of the right hand where it touches the left hand thumb
#2: The last three fingers of the left hand
#3: The trigger finger as explained in this article
#4: The left arm pressing against the chest
However, our mind can hardly monitor many things at the same time. Luckily enough, the most important pressure point to monitor is the #3 pressure point – it’s the Master of all accumulators because all the power generated by the swing ends-up as a pressure that can be easily monitored there.
More to come on this subject and how each pressure feels on another post!
Best regards.
Very good advice as always on this blog !
I’m looking forward to hearing from the other pressure points.
King regards,
A Golf Nuts on hold (haven’t played for a while)