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!
…pull with the left glute, don’t push with the right foot, and you’ll be perfectly stacked and start compressing the ball like you never believed possible!
Ian
I should have added…
Your weight should never, ever, ever move outside the left heel!
A great way of achieving all this is to engage your glutes, especially the left, from the top of the swing – feel like you’re trying to crack a nut between your butt cheeks and pull with the left glute – you’ll feel stacked and stable as the hands release through the ball.
Remember to stay patient with the arms and hands from the top – focus on activating the glutes, the arms will drop into “the slot” naturally.
Ian
thank you. I will love to read your paper. Thank you for the analysis.
Great question… many amateurs struggle with this one, but it’s not that difficult if you know what to do. I’m in tghe process of writing a detailed paper about it and will let you know when I’m done.
Essentially, it’s about impact positions – left hip joint (first loop of your belt left of the buckle) over left heel, weight on left foot, left shoulder over left heel, left arm straight down – “stacked” joints (heel, knee, hip, shoulder) on the left side.
The club is releasing down through the ball, bottoming out under the left armpit, ahead of the ball.
An important point most amateurs miss is not to spin the left shoulder up and out – it should be pretty much level with the right at impact – the head is behind the ball but you’re not leaning too far back, the sternum (buttons on your shirt) is angled towards the left knee.
This will probably “feel” like your left shoulder is below the right, like you’re “covering” the ball with your chest – nearly all amateurs overdo the “staying behind the ball” bit, so you will feel a lot further left until you master it.
The best thing to do is video your swing and look at impact carefully – you should look “stacked” over the left heel. Another good tool is the impact bag, stop at impact and look at your alignments in the mirror.
Ian
Thanks Ian, a couple of questions. I understand what you are saying about getting over on my left hip. But what do you mean stacking over the left hip and covering the ball. Especially covering the ball. How does that work?
Andy
Andy, you need to work on getting your weight on the left (lead) side early in the downswing.
With short irons, this isn’t such an issue, we don’t need so much of a weight shift, so ball further back works fine.
With mid to long irons/woods/hybrids, the ball is in it’s “normal” position (below left ear), and you need to get stacked over the left hip, feel like you’re “covering” the ball, the botton of the swing arc will move in front of the ball despite the more forward ball position, and you will strike the ball perfectly and with a lot more clubhead speed than you would moving the ball back instead.
Ian
John, this all makes perfect sense to me. I have the most success with my short irons when I place the ball back in my stance. I hit down on the ball and get a divot in front of the ball. But I get a great shot to the green because of the accuracy and flight through the air.
My question is I have more trouble with my long irons, I cannot move the ball back in my stance it does not work for me.
Also when is your ebook coming out. Thanks
Andy
This is the best thing I have ever heard and practiced. I’m amazed at the compression I am consistently getting by doing this. It has helped my long irons tremendously just by feeling that #3 pressure point. I feel as confident with my 2 iron now as I do with my 5 or 7 iron. Thanks alot for explaining this concept
Music to my ears!
Thanks Spencer.
Hi Eric,
Still there
, still active and in fact polishing a 130+ pages eBook entitled “Learn the Secret of Golf, Feel, Create and Sustain the Lag” that should come out in a week from now!
Inside is a detailed walkthrough on how to make your way up from small strokes (Basic Motion) to full strokes (Total Motion) that should interest you
What you are currently experiencing is normal as it is not that easy to sustain the Lag as swing speed increases. In fact, the faster the swing speed, the more your hands tend to go towards their speed limit.
The hint for that is in your PP#3 – focus on pressure in your index finger and keep it CONSTANT until your reach the end of the followthrough.
If you flip hands then for sure you lose pressure in PP#3 before you reach the ball. Focus, focus, and focus on that pressure until you feel it’s there PAST impact.
It seems that you may already know the Lag feel. The problem seems to be with the “sustain” part: On full swings, you manage to create Lag at the beginning of the downswing but fail to sustain it through impact.
The second key is to think heavy instead of speedy: On full strokes, once your hands have reached their top speed you cannot go any faster without flipping – this is your personal limit.
So what can you do to send the ball the expected yardage?
The key is to increase “mass” instead of speed.
Think about this analogy: for the same speed do you prefer to get struck by a fly or a car?
Pretty rough but I’m sure you’ll get the idea.
Heaviness feel is directly related to the pressure felt in PP#3. So again, focus on that spot, create pressure at the start of the downswing and keep it there (even better if you can increase it!) until the end of the followthrough.
Feel slow and heavy.
And come back anytime, we are always open
any update on ebook have paypal ready thanks
It’s almost there!
Currently in re-reading and polishing.
It is entitled “Learn the Secret of Golf, Feel, Create and sustain the Lag”, 115+ pages of Lag goodness!
Thank you for your patience and your support!
Erik,
I want to echo your hopes for an active site here. This site connected a lot of dots for me. The geometry stuff just makes sense. I began a very productive journey of learning the alignments – on a table top with two straight sticks or broken shafts, I could see the simplicity of turning my left palm to the plane. I was so right-side dominant in 20 years of golf I never was tuned in to the role of both hands. It was eye-opening to try different “intentions” at the range, focusing on say; throwing, with light extensor action, the left arm,palm down to plane & expecting to hit the ball with the back of the hosel. It is fun just swinging = down = and letting the pivot take care of the out/forward.
So I like to read or watch clips that express TGM concepts in varied ways (search Ben Doyle, Tom Tomasello, and then dig into Lynn Blake – his website is both a treasure and fun to read!
A lot of good comments above your post – jot down a few & take them to the range with you. This is the real stuff! – hope you stick with it to find your own magic.
PS Also google ‘EdZ Drills’ I had a breakthrough using a couple of ideas he posted on LynnBlakeGolf.
I see there hasn’t been a post on this thread for about 6 months. I REALLY hope that it is still monitored.
I’ve been taking lessons for the last couple of months and we have reached a point where we are stuck on trying to create lag. No matter what my pro says, I just don’t seem to get how to do it. Given this difficulty I searched out another way of describing this and stumbled across the site.
I went to the practice simulator today and hit about 100 balls just working on this idea. I feel like I’m making a bit of progress but it seems really slow. I probably hit 90 of the 100 shots as half swings (shaft to vertical) and I can see that I’m in good positions (the simulator has cameras). However if I try and crank it up even to a slow light full swing back comes the hand stop and flip to square the club face. I know that I can’t expect it to happen instantly, but it seems insanely difficult to carry that hands forward motion into a full swing. Any tips on how to expand from the half swing to the full swing yet still keep this good position?
it’s just amazing how different your info is compared to the standard drivel found in magazines like golf digest. i swear i will never watch another episode on golf channel.
your reply to innercityteacher made me think about club throwaway. could you please explain further your remark, “initiating the throw of clubhead by straightening your right arm you ensure engagement of centrifugal force”. would this apply to a hitter?
Thanks Dre and welcome aboard!
Read this (again!) regarding the clubhead throw: http://www.golflagtips.com/hitting-vs-swinging-part-2-the-swing/
Clubhead throwAWAY is the bad move. It is done by flipping the left wrist at impact, shortening the radius of the stroke at the wrists instead of the left shoulder. Leverage and compression are lost – train wreck!
The throw I describe is a different one: It’s motion happens by throwing the clubhead on plane. This will produce an on plane uncocking of the left wrist (as opposed to bending the left wrist) .
If you throw it as hard as you can while keeping steady pressure in your hands (an anti over acceleration insurance!) centrifugal force will kick in and you’ll discover that it is almost impossible to bend the left wrist and do a throwAWAY motion AT THE SAME TIME.
Sweet!
Thanks again Innercityteacher!
I started at LBG under the Yodeli username!
If you search well, you’ll find back in 2006 an old swing of mine very different of nowadays.
I laugh while I look back to my old swing but it only shows the huge progress made since I started my quest for Lag! … and it is the main reason of this site: I was shocked to see how good a remedy Lag can be for anyone’s swing.
Hell, the first golfer I’ve applied this onto was my own wife and she improved even faster in only one lesson!!!
Now, to comment back on what you wrote: “I had no idea about doing this while swinging! I had done that for short irons last June and it gave me killer shots within 150 but I was afraid of “club head throwaway” on longer clubs“
By initiating the “throw” of the clubhead by straightening the right arm (reminder: in a karate chop motion, not in a punch motion which would be hitting) you ensure that you engage centrifugal force in your swing.
The throw of the clubhead early is not clubhead throwaway!!! In fact the more you throw it, the more physically impossible is clubhead throwaway because centrifugal force won’t allow to go anywhere else.
So, throw it as hard as you can, engage a ton of centrifugal force and hold on to the club without trying to align the clubFACE – HAVE FAITH – centrifugal force will align everything!!!
Best regards,
John.
John, you have teaching skills. Do you have a handle at LynnBlakeGolf.com? May we know it?
I have followed several of your tips:
1) Straightening my right arm outside my right leg after (right after) starting my return Pivot.
2) Trusting the open club face to square up!
I had no idea about doing this while swinging! I had done that for short irons last June and it gave me killer shots within 150 but I was afraid of “club head throwaway” on longer clubs. Today, I just tilted my shoulder up slightly which is my version of a little hip bump and fired! WOW! I was 20 yards over several greens for an 11 over on a nearby course. Great problem to have! I’m going to beast on my home course tomorrow which is our last day to post for our hcp index.
3) I’ve ordered a PBS to reinforce the Lag Pressure feel for winter practice. Your tips on changing direction with my hands have really helped me stay aware of # 3 PP for all my sticks including my putter.
My hitting is better but still not dependable. I was swinging today, with a very smooth pace and clobbered the ball.
Thanks.
ICT
Hi Pasquale
While it may be hard give a proper to answer without seeing the swing, there are generally two problems with Lag and the driver.
The first one is that Low Point of the swing arc matches ball position and impact.
In some player’s mind, the action – that is the need to feel Lag Pressure – ends at Low Point instead of at the Both Arms Straight position.
Releasing Lag Pressure at Low Pressure point means one thing: A decelerating clubhead at this point.
This can still provide acceptable results with irons because the ball is generally contacted prior to Low Point and the club head has enough inertia to ensure solid contact.
So, you must ensure to keep that Lag Pressure steady until the Both Arms Straight position to guarantee an accelerating clubhead at impact with the Driver.
Another potential issue with the driver is that the ball doesn’t lie on the ground. This can lead to forget the imperative to hit down on the ball and perform a sweeping motion instead.
I sometimes use the analogy of "taking an Air Divot": It is not because the clubhead of your driver should hit the ball at low point or even on its ascending path that you must lose the intent to drive your clubhead down as with an iron!
Congratulations again on your improvements; keep us informed on your progress and if these directions were helpful to your Drives.
Best regards,
John.
Bonjour John! I have studied the forums of Lynn Blake golf since last March of “09. My hcp. has gone from 21 to 11.5! I have reached a new point though where LAG is becoming very significant. Sometimes I can feel it clearly, esp. with my irons and hybrids. I am having trouble getting off the tee, though with my driver. I can only hit so many great 200 yard hybrids! My left leg is 1.75 inches shorter than back right foot. With lag though, it does not seem to matter except with my driver.
Ideas or suggestions?
Pasquale
Another thing i figured out and correct me if I’m wrong. This would be the exact reason the say to start the downswing with the hips because the hips moving first starts that chain reaction affect by transferring the energy from the backswing to that pressure point. If you don’t start with the hips first you can’t maintain that constent pressure. From there the more Constent pressure you can creat will equal more distance and better distance control
OH MY GOD ITS SO ENGENIUS!!!! WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG TO FIGURE THIS OUT LOL
Thanks Saidric:
)
100% right: The hips move the pivot (body motion) whose role is then to blast of the arms away from the chest. This can initiate pressure in the 4 pressure points (search the site if you need to locate them
Wow. I just figured this out all by my self a week ago and had to look it up to see if i was correct. I’ve been tweeking my swings for years to feel this pressure and now that i can i can’t believe i was so stupid. It is so obvious now and this article just confirmed what i discovered Thank you
your website has helped me understand concept of “lag” and has made me be more confident as a “hitter”. I was for the most part mixing aspects of hitting and swinging. No more, i know i was meant to be a hitter. thank you.
This is the best explanation of the “lag” concept that I have ever heard. I’ve messed around with wiffle balls in the back yard today. I’m able to chip and pitch and catch the ball pure. When I take a fuller swing I’m hitting some hosel rockets. That scares me. Some of the full swings I am hitting pure, others are dead right.
Any trouble shooting tips ?
hi John,
I recently read a lot about lag. I bought the Tour striker,and will get the Pure Ball Striker soon. I think they both will help me to create lag. I have a very important question here about the index finger pressure in downswing. Because in my swing, I don’t really use my right hand in downswing. I followed Nick Faldo on use everything in the left side in downswing, none right side. and whenever I use my right hand, I tend to use my right hand in takeaway, which blocks the club go smoothly in backswing. so my question here is: the pressure in the index finger, what I understand this is, the pressure is a steady force to the grip in downswing, It’s just like I hold my club, I shouldn’t really think to PRESS with the right index finger in downswing, right? If I really press with the right index finger, that actually will be accleration force, not a steady force, right? with that accleration, I will more flip my hands in downswing, right? This is very important factor before I start to work on lag. Another question, if everything I said is right, then keeping the pressure while not pressing on, this is hard part.. How can I do it? are there any drills?
a little about me, I’m slow tempo swinger with 90km/h clubhead driver speed. I hit ball 200 in carry, and fairly consistant with my irons. What I need is to increase my distance by not destroy my tempo.
thank you,
James
Hi James
You do not want to actively use your right hand in the downswing. Instead, focus on your index finger to MONITOR, SENSE and SEEK a steady pressure from start-down to the end of the followthrough (the both arms straight position).
Steady is an very important word. As you start your quest for Lag, you’ll most likely feel a strong pressure at startdown and almost nothing around impact and after.
In that case, SEEK for a lighter pressure at startdown so that it will be easier to keep until the both arms straight position.
The feel is SLOW and HEAVY instead of QUICK and JERKY.
Go to the chipping/pitching area on your course and teach yourself with chip and pitches. The physics work the same but it is far easier to monitor things and do things right on shorter shots: get that SLOW and HEAVY feel in your PP#3.
so again about the STEADY PRESSURE in my right index finger, it’s same as the pressure when I push the cart. I just push the cart go with me, I don’t want it go faster than me by pushing it with more force, right?
What I have in my swing now is that, in the slot position, my right hand is on the top of the grip, then I feel my right hand “help” me to hit down from slot position, I don’t really ask my right hand to do anything. is this the right feel I should have? What I meant is I shouldn’t ask my right hand to do anything, the pressure is come from the swing naturally. If I swing right, the PBS will stick with my right index finger, that means I’m keeping my lag ok, right?
another question about releasing. I think 9 to 3 drill is good drill to work on the swing feel. If I keep my right index finger tight with grip, I felt I released clubhead by turning my right shoulder? I didn’t do anything with my hands.
Hi Loui
The clubhead Center Of Gravity is something that you feel through PP#3.
This COG (located somewhere in the middle of the clubface) naturally rotates around the hosel when placed in an “out of line condition” .
So, in the beginning of the downswing, the shaft and the COG are on plane:The clubface is trailing the hosel as your drag the whole thing down – at this point you mainly feel PP#2 (pressure in the last 3 fingers of the left hand) .
As you approach impact, the COG and the shaft are thrown out and are now in an “out of line condition” and everything rotates around your left forearm.
To get a feel for what I’m saying: If for example, you apply too much pressure in PP#2 and forget to apply it in PP#3, you are likely to arrive at impact with a COG that is not thrown in an “out of line condition” and risk a shank crisis!
So, PP#3 plays a very important role in sensing and creating the rotation the COG of your primary lever assembly (not only the clubface around the hosel but the left arm + shaft).
In this regard, notice that the more you grip the clubshaft in the cup of your left hand, the less the angle between the left forearm and the shaft, the more you reduce the lever that can be thrown out of line, the less the power…
With a clubshaft perfectly in line with the left arm, there is only the COG of the clubface that can be thrown “out of line” – it works but it is not powerful. Use this for short chip shots around the greens for example.
Hello,
I have had some success with PP3# and would like to understand it better. The lag bit I get but it appears to me that there is more to it. I am thinking that PP#3 plays a role in squaring the clubface as the club releases because it is applying pressure at a point “above” the shaft centre.
I am interested in if the club actually resists squaring up due to the hosel offset. If it does then this could be another reason why it is important to maintain pressure at PP#3 thoughout the downswing to finish.
Any comments on this ?
Loui
John, (? for a right handed hitter)
Should all three PP’s, #1, 2 & 3 be in-line with the aft of the shaft, either 2:30 or 3:00? I can hit the ball solid at either 2:30 or 3:00, but PP #1, 2 & 3 are not aligned with my left thumb (right handed hitter). Should I move my left thumb in-line also? I bring this up because when I unhinge my left wrist, it feels more of a 2:30 left thumb move down and out, instead of 3:00.
Hi Bartly,
Your Pressure Points 1 2 and 3 should be placed aft of the shaft for maximum efficiency.
It is easy to spot with PP#2 and PP#3 because they are in direct contact with the shaft.
However, PP#1 is where you right hand touches the thumb of your left hand.
This is generally not the shaft because you grip it in the fingers of your right hand.
Whit a grip like this the cup of your right hand is now “above” the shaft.
If you place your left thumb in the 2:30 position (or even the top), the cup of your right hand will be in contact with the AFT part of your thumb – in perfect position to apply pressure where it needs to be!
Funnily enough, notice that if you choose to grip the right hand more toward the palm or in the palm as an extreme, you should place your left thumb in the 3:00 position to put it in the cup of your right hand!
How do I know if I am lagging the clubhead or the hosel?
I am a TGM swinger and if I come into the downswing hip high the clubface is facing the target line open it feels like the hosel or heel is leading into the shot. Every swing sequence I see looks the same, but how do I finish the last half of my downswing?
John, great site! You’ve made me a believer in dynamics. Having some confusion as a swinger w/ TGM concept of PP3 rotation – recently learned from the “LBG” video “PP3 Where Are You?”
As I understand it, PP3 rotates at the top of the swing (from behind the shaft to on top, as the club settles vertically into the base of the right index finger.)
Since the wet mop and drag loading drills taught me to focus on the side of the shaft – I am looking for that feel to rotate back correct?
John,
You told Mike (May 4th)that pulling the butt of the club is not the correct way. I’m a swinger,so how can I pull the club down? On the downswing my hands go away from my body, they’re not in the same position as in address.If my right elbow is close to my right hip it seems it will get stucked.
John, I’m also looking forward to your upcoming post about “how” to load and sustain lag pressure. This is the root of the problem. Knowing what I want to do is one thing, trying to feel it is another, but knowing “how” to do it is the key.
There has to be a way to load the lag other than starting the downswing before the backswing is completed.
possible to do a you tube video on your explanation below?
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.
To Jeff
-Seems like it is really critical to start the takeaway dragging the club along the ground. Otherwise i will snatch and create tension.
Yes, this is a way to correctly “trace the base of the plane line”. You must trace (point your shaft at BUT DO NOT cover it with your clubhead which must move in an arc) that imaginary line back and forth for the whole thing to work.
Just focus on lag & tracing that line with your lag and everything should automagically move to comply!
-Having trouble applying the grip pressure technique to my fairway woods. I end up pushing them and not getting a good release with the hands. Dont have the same trouble with my driver, surprisingly.
Here again, the tracing the base of the plane line drill will help (remember: do not attempt to cover it with your clubHEAD, just point it at this line back and forth).
In doing so, forget about the orientation of your clubFACE. Let it do freely whatever it wants: if you have true pressure in your index trigger finger, the clubface will behave as it should and will close and release automatically through the shot.
Check also ball position with your woods: As you make progress applying lag pressure, you’ll discover that your hands are now going more towards the target than before at impact.
Under those conditions, your usual ball location will let your clubface still open at the very same moment.
Do not be afraid to locate your ball almost opposite your left shoulder (almost the same as your driver) with your woods (ie. Low Point) AND to direct your lag pressure aggressively down and out on it.
Jake’s description of how he creates and sustains the Lag is very good.
He is aware of the pressures in his hands, this is the first step.
Second step is to sense that this pressure can fluctuate during the downswing (it commonly decreases
) and to find a rhythm to keep it steady (or even better, increasing!).
This will translate into a very personal feel, only describable to you.
At the end of your curriculum, this will be reversed: your will to reproduce that feel, will produce the correct mechanics… you end up playing with a feel in your hands and that’s cool!
To Jeff & Jake
Sorry to ask such a basic question, but are you referring to the index finger of your right hand or left hand?
Sorry for the delayed answer it’s summer time here!
No problem Jeff, don’t be afraid to ask we are all here to help and all willing to improve our games!
Yes, this is of course the index trigger finger of the right hand (for righties!).
Getting to the left side is a natural reaction of your body to dragging the wet mop:
Picture yourself dragging a heavy cart sideways: you’ll naturally put your weight to your left side.
So, drag your wet heavy mop and you’ll naturally put your weight on the left side.
Thanks John. I have played the last few times trying to focus on the PP#3 feel or the drag-from-takeaway action, and frankly, I can’t get the lag feeling in the downswing. It’s all a senseless blur.
In addition, I made videos of my swing, first without a ball, and then while hitting a ball. The pratice swing is fluid, but has lots of sway and up and down movement. I can also see that the clubhead is wide open in the inpact area… If I was to hit the ball with that swing, I would slice the ball off the planet. Disappointing.
As for my real swing while hitting a ball, it’s nothing short of a disaster: visible tension, crouching in the backswing, shortened backswing, club bouncing at the top, raising on my toes on the downswing, visible holding/braking of the club at impact and in the followthrough.
I view myself as a swinger, but I look like a hitter, and a very bad one at that. I seem unable to put in practice the concept I have of the golf swing. My body refuses to trust and let go.
Discouraging…
Meanwhile, my wife is shooting in the low 80′s with her naturally lagging swing. Her videos are beautiful. She has hardly ever taken lessons, and can’t explain to me what she is doing. She just has it…
To BernardP
Am I right to think that if I am able to feel that I am dragging the clubhead during the whole swing, clubhead lag will be produced and lag pressure will be felt in the pressure points?
Yes, I recommend that you do that. This is a very effective way to establish that dragging and lagging FEEL in the whole swing, from startup to finish: Your hands are always leading the way.
The second step is to check that you can keep a steady pressure in your pressure points all the way down (the one to put your focus on is of course the PP#3) to the both arms straight position.
Regarding the rope drill, I agree that this is not the best possible training aid; something like a “nunchaku” is more likely to mimic the behavior of the left wrist hinge pin imo.
Hi John-
Looking for your thoughts on 2 items:
-Seems like it is really critical to start the takeaway dragging the club along the ground. Otherwise i will snatch and create tension.
-Having trouble applying the grip pressure technique to my fairway woods. I end up pushing them and not getting a good release with the hands. Dont have the same trouble with my driver, surprisingly.
Thoughts?
Jake,
I think I was doing exactly that yesterday on the course. Swinging too quick from the top, and the hands were way too far ahead of the body causing both blocks and hooks
I think we all need to not be so quick with our woods, and let the body and hands be more in sync.
Good advice! I think I’ll use it:}
Cheers,
Mike
@Jeff, I will let John answer as I’m learning this as well. Like you
I was just giving my two cents on what I feel when working on pressure points.
With the woods and longer irons I try and go slower because what people like to do is hit them hard and fast for distance and their hands outrace their bodies in doing so.
Yes the index finger, I can feel the pressure lock when I go back, then I push forward as I’m going back down to lock it in on the down swing and I try and keep it their through the ball.
I hope that helps.
Note: This is what I’m doing, everyone is different and I’m not a teacher, just my two cents on what I’m working on.
Thanks Jake. It seems like its harder to get to my left side with my 3 wood than other clubs. Any thoughts on this?
Also, is it the index finger of the right hand that we are focusing one?
Thanks…
@Jeff, yes, but the key is if you can keep the pressure through the ball you will have to get to your left side properly. If you dont keep it held, you will stop and flip. Keep the pressure there through the shot and believe me you will get left, you have to to maintain it.
Sorry to ask such a basic question, but are you referring to the index finger of your right hand or left hand?
Also, regarding optimizing the effect of lag-I find that it is critical to get over to the left side completely and as early on as possible. If i succeed in doing this, then i really feel the lag effect accumulating dramatically.
Would like your thoughts on that.
Thank you…
Thanks John for the long and complete answer. From all the things you explained, the idea that you asked Karine “to drag the clubhead during the whole swing, not just on the downswing” feels exactly like the kind of concept I am looking for.
Drag back/up —-> Mysterious Transition —-> Drag down/out/forward
Am I right to think that if I am able to feel that I am dragging the clubhead during the whole swing, clubhead lag will be produced and lag pressure will be felt in the pressure points?
This way, I would not be searching from some unfathomable way to generate a feeling of pressure, but instead, I would be using feel in the pressure points to check that I am correctly dragging the clubhead.
I have practiced a lot by swinging a heavy rope with a weight at the end. The only way to swing such a rope is to drag it back, wait for it to reach the end of its backward travel (it wraps around me), and then pull it in the downswing. You can’t push on a rope
Problem is, it doesn’t work this way while swinging a golf club, as the rope’s hinge point is in the rope itself, while it is in the wrists when swinging a club, hence, the reflex to manipulate the clubhead.
Absolutely: With the driver, direct that Lag Pressure at a point on the target line behind the ball.
Could be for example as far as 2 feet back!
Thanks again for the tips. So, think of hammering my hands somewhere behind the ball. Keep trying various distances behind the ball until I get the desired ball flight?
@Sean:
Is this what some people call the hinge/slap release vs a rolling release?
It is a release called “The Hand Throw”, see 10-20-A if you have the book. It is very dependent on timing and I do not recommend using it until if you do not have extraordinary hand/eye coordination.
Improperly done, it can easily ruin the swing and lead to clubhead throwaway.
Now, with your driver problem: being laid off is not really a problem. Tons of PGA pros prove it every week, so forget about that!
The problem you are describing is a natural phenomenon and can be solved with the Aiming Point Technique:
Here is what’s happening:
- Short clubs release pretty quickly due to their shorter length. As a result, you have to fire your hands in front of the ball (could be pretty far away!) at a point on the delivery line.
- On the contrary, the long clubs take longer to release with the danger to slice the ball as you reach impact without letting them proper time to release. So, with the driver you have to aim the hands somewhere behind the ball to give more time to your clubface to release and square up.
Where to aim is different for everybody and must be found through a little practice.
@BernardP:
Welcome BernardP, this is quite of a post for a first one!
Let’s put some answer to your questions!
In the “Focus on pressure points to feel Lag” thread, you say: “Without a ball, everybody’s swing is perfect”. I agree completely. What would you say is the best way to put our “no-ball practice swing” on a ball?
You’ve probably already heard this: “The key here is to change the classical mindset that consists on focusing on the ball.”
This is great but then what? Well the missing part is: “Almost everybody is trying to hit the ball with the clubhead… Instead, hit the ball with the pressure points felt in the hands!!!”.
Therefore, it is: “put your mind in the pressure in your hands, not on the clubhead or the ball”!
In the Amazing Improvements section, it can be clearly seen in that Karine’s new swing that she has a distinct lag at the beginning of the takeaway: the hands start back, the clubhead is being pulled, and is visibly lagging behind. Is this something that she is now doing unconsciously because of her new concept of the swing? In my own swing, I tend to start back with a lag takeaway when I am thinking about “throwing the clubhead”
Good observation. This is called a lagging takeaway.
She naturally turned up doing it because I asked her to drag the clubhead during the whole swing, not just on the downswing.
This puts your hands in a condition to ALWAYS drag the clubhead which is good to feel clubhead inertia (aka Lag!).
(I also told her that she needed to keep her left wrist flat from downswing to finish and to feel that steady pressure in her index finger all the way down and past impact…)
In the Part 2: Swinging section, you write about the throwing motion and throwing the club (not the clubhead). For me, these ideas denote conscious/active intervention and are hard to reconcile with the idea of a passive swinging motion where the clubface is not interfered with. I feel like throwing is closer to hitting than to swinging.
To understand this lets roughly break the swing sequence like that:
1) Backstroke
2) Lag loading: As you transition from backswing to downswing, the clubhead wants to stay behind and you can feel that the club “loads – feels heavy” against your pressure points.
At this stage you are STORING POWER.
3) Release: Coming to the ball, you need to RELEASE that stored power to the ball. To do that, that release must be TRIGGERED some way.
So the correct sequence now looks like that: 1) Backstroke, 2) Lag Loading, 3) Release Trigger, 4) Release.
Now, depending on what you are doing (hitting/swinging/loading types), you have a few Release Triggers at your disposal (Right Arm Throw, Shoulder turn throw, Wrist Throw…).
Depending on your preference, some feel more automatic while other require a deliberate action from the player.
“My main question is: What exactly is the one thing I should thinking about while playing a game of golf: Feeling the Lag Pressure? Trying to create Lag Pressure? Throwing the club/clubhead? Other suggestion? Having experimented for a long time with a multitude of swing thoughts, I can say that I am unable to play with mechanical thoughts relating to body movements and positions (hands, shoulders, arm, legs hips…).”
Yes, I do not see how someone can consistently play with more than one swing thought.
The key is to make a real concentration effort on the pressure in the index trigger finger (aka Pressure Point #3) from ADDRESS to FINISH!!!
In TGM it is called “Mind in the hands”.
TGM also talk about a “Pivot (body) controlled hands”: Trace (“point at”) the base of the plane lane – back and forth – with that pressure in your index and your body will move everything else automatically!
Those two simple things will unify in your mind as ONE very recognizable and reliable FEEL.
Now, if you just reproduce that FEEL of tracing the base of the plane line with the pressures in your hands you’ll end up with a very reliable swing and be able to play by FEEL.
Trust me! Even if you think that many parts of your swing need improvement (swing path, body motion…), forget about them and replace everything with that Lag Pressure/Tracing FEEL and you’ll be amazed to see that a lot of things correct by themselves!
Have fun et bon golf!
@KC:
One or Two plane swings have very little to do with Clubhead Lag Pressure.
You can feel pressure in your hands with almost any kind of swing.
However, your problem in locating the pressure before the club drops is certainly related to what you can read here:
http://www.golflagtips.com/pure-ball-striker-review/#comment-462
and here:
http://www.golflagtips.com/what-is-clubhead-lag-and-how-can-it-improve-your-golf/#comment-480
John, you said: “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:”
Is this what some people call the hinge/slap release vs a rolling release?
I have been nailing my irons/wedges/hybrids, great pressure on #3 all the way through impact, solid contact, all over the flag. Loving it, my GIR stats are way up. However, still have been struggling with ‘getting it’ on the driver. So, I went to my local pro, and he got my swing on video, had a look, everything looked pretty good during the back swing, very on plane. I was a little laid off at the top, so he had me get the shaft pointed more at the target. Back down to the ball, I was very on plane again, but I was coming into the ball with the face open and pretty square to the target line, so, decent slice on the ball. The video revealed that left arm above or level the right arm at impact, so pretty much what you are showing in the shots with Trevino’s swing Frame 10/11. He asked me to try a rolling release, rip my right arm over my left at the ball, as hard as I could, which, resulted in a few powerful hits. But, seems very inconsistent for me.
Any thoughts here? Is being laid off at the top a problem? Should I continue to work on getting the shaft pointed at the target? (my thought here is to feel the pressure of the shaft on top of my left hand thumb at the top of my back swing). Am I just not ‘hammering’ or ‘punching’ at the ground hard enough with this hinge/slap release?
Thanks again!
-Sean
Bernard- One swing thought for everything— “straighten the right arm while directing the #3 pressure point to low point”.
Hi John, first post for me.
I have decided to post in the Pressure Points section, as it is the one most relevant to my interests.
I have read everything on this site and tried to apply your concepts during a practice session and a few 18-holers since. You are discussing ideas that have been nagging me for many years. I just know there is a trick to golf. Those who have that trick have the potential to play well, while those who don’t have it are condemned to scoring in the 90′s…which is the level I’m at. Fifteen years ago, I was a 11 to 13 handicapper, but I “lost it” and now my index is hovering around 20. I feel in my swing that I am often decelerating before impact (because I am afraid of a bad shot). I end up spraying the course with all kind of mishits.
Being of slender build, I am and want to be a swinger. For years, I have been nibbling around unsuccessfully around the ideas of “Swinging the Clubhead” and “Feeling the Clubhead”
Here are a few things for your consideration:
– In the “Focus on pressure points to feel Lag” thread, you say: “Without a ball, everybody’s swing is perfect”. I agree completely. What would you say is the best way to put our “no-ball practice swing” on a ball?
– In the Amazing Improvements section, it can be clearly seen in that Karine’s new swing that she has a distinct lag at the beginning of the takeaway: the hands start back, the clubhead is being pulled, and is visibly lagging behind. Is this something that she is now doing unconsciously because of her new concept of the swing? In my own swing, I tend to start back with a lag takeaway when I am thinking about “throwing the clubhead”
– In the Part 2: Swinging section, you write about the throwing motion and throwing the club (not the clubhead). For me, these ideas denote conscious/active intervention and are hard to reconcile with the idea of a passive swinging motion where the clubface is not interfered with. I feel like throwing is closer to hitting than to swinging.
– I have practiced and played while focusing on the pressure on the trigger finger during the downswing. I have no problem during a no-ball practice swing, but on the course, my backswing shortens and I am losing distance.
– My main question is: What exactly is the one thing I should thinking about while playing a game of golf: Feeling the Lag Pressure? Trying to create Lag Pressure? Throwing the club/clubhead? Other suggestion? Having experimented for a long time with a multitude of swing thoughts, I can say that I am unable to play with mechanical thoughts relating to body movements and positions (hands, shoulders, arm, legs hips…).
I would like to find one bedrock idea to keep in my mind on all swings.
In other words, I am looking for the Grand Unified Concept/Thought that I will be able to use on all swings, from putting to chipping, pitching, iron play, woods and driving. I know this is not an easy question.
It’s a lot for a single post, but I have tried to put all my questions together.
Et moi aussi je parle français (Québec). Je comprends votre intérêt à offrir un site web en anglais afin de rejoindre une plus vaste audience. De toute façon, tous les termes de golf sont anglais
Merci pour cet intéressant site web.
John,
Thanks for the reply. I think I’m really starting to get this lag stuff, but I feel like I’ve had to flatten my swing plane to feel the sensation on the right index finger you describe. It’s real easy to feel with a rotary swing where the club stays in the slot, but with the two plane swing, I don’t feel the pressure until the club drops on the second plane. Maybe the tip you provided above will address this since I can drop the hammer from the top without waiting.
I’ve been playing with one and two plane swings. The one plane swing has been very good on my irons but not too good with my woods.