How to Create Lag in Golf Swing

By Ben Jarratt •  Updated: 07/14/23 •  6 min read

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The game of golf, formally known as “sticks,” is played on a course with obstacles called hazards. Golf is typically played by two people who take turns playing the ball from a teeing ground into one of the holes on the course. Now, how to create lag in golf swing!

It’s important to have some good timing and rhythm before you try to generate any lag. In this article, you will find several steps to help you create lag in your golf swing.

What Is a Lag In Golf Swing?

Before we get to the details of how to create lag in golf swing, it’s important to define what a “lag” is. In golf, a “lag” is the point where you’re completely stopped in your backswing and are beginning your downswing. 

This results in your clubhead traveling toward the ground by the time you begin to move forward again, which is what creates lag.

Now that you know what a lag is, how can you generate one? 

There are several things that you need to consider if you want to know how to create lag in golf swing:

Position your right elbow correctly. Your right elbow should move toward extension as you are accelerating through the lag, which means that it will be behind and above (in line with) your hands at impact. 

If it is in front or below your hands, then you are doing something wrong. You do not want to swing your club through impact with a bent elbow or you will be losing power and creating a lot of drag.

It is important to know how far behind the ball your right arm should be at this point in your backswing. If it’s too close, there won’t be enough room for your arms to fully extend and reach the top of your backswing. 

If it’s too far behind, you’ll end up pushing into impact with an “over-the-top” move that will result in a loss of power.

The right elbow should reach its maximum extension at about hip level on your backswing. Then your arms should come down to the ball.

The right elbow should remain locked in place during this process, never moving closer to the body than it was at impact (if anything, it will move a little farther away). This allows you to generate lag while keeping your clubface square.

Position your left arm correctly. You don’t want to lift your left arm up toward the sky or drop it too far down during your backswing. 

Letting your left elbow travel behind you in a direction parallel to the ground can lead to problems like casting (moving your club from out to in on your follow-through) and an inability to control where the ball goes.

If you find that you are lifting your left elbow on your backswing, then focus on moving it straight up and down. This should keep everything aligned in a good position for creating lag while keeping your clubface square.

The angle of the clubface is also important to consider when generating lag. If you find that you are hitting a slice, which means that the ball curves to the right (for a right-handed golfer), then you probably have your clubface open at impact. 

This is due to a misalignment error that occurs during the backswing and results in an overcompensation that causes you to close your clubface on the downswing, which is what sets up the slice move.

If you’re hitting lazy hooks, on the other hand, then you likely have your clubface too closed at impact. 

This error often occurs due to an angled right arm (which is responsible for pulling your hands down and locking them behind the ball) that drives straight into impact while driving you to the ground.

Tracking this information in conjunction with your video analysis can tell you a lot about how to create lag in your golf swing.

How to Create Lag in Golf Swing

First, find a place and time where you can practice these fundamentals of creating lag in your golf swing. As soon as you feel comfortable with these basics, it’s time to start trying them out on the course. 

Before teeing off on each hole, take one or two minutes to get into your backswing position and visualize a line from the ball straight down your target line behind you – into what will be your follow-through position when you hit the shot. 

It may help to have someone watch you do this so that they can make sure you’re actually getting everything connected properly before starting your stroke – especially if this is new for you. 

Now, go ahead and hit some balls using only this visual image to see how it feels, and adjust your setup or positioning as needed.

Second, you will be able to follow your line better if you make sure that your top hand is directly underneath the shaft when looking down at the address. 

From there, move both hands a little further apart so that they are in the “V” formed by your right thumb and forefinger during your backswing. 

This gives you more room on the grip for gripping down on the handle as you move into impact – which helps prevent pulling shots to the right and prevents stiffening through impact (which causes pushed shots). 

Third, make sure that you’re hitting balls with enough intensity. Try to hit these two-handed shots so hard that if they were coming at a person, it would be really unpleasant to stand in their way. This will help you get good at moving down from your backswing into impact and will also strengthen your entire body for striking the ball.

Finally, make sure that you turn your hips and shoulders parallel with the target line as you begin your downswing. 

By doing this, you’ll automatically shift toward the target line during your swing – which keeps your club going on its proper path behind the ball without having to think about moving laterally into impact. 

If you need more room to do this while still keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground, then widen out whatever stance you normally use by about an inch or two – but be careful not to spread yourself too wide in either direction, which can restrict your ability to move well.

How to Create Lag in Golf Swing – Conclusion

These tips should help you get comfortable with the idea of moving down into impact and creating lag in your golf swing so that you can start hitting more controlled shots on the course. 

It’s important to take time every once in a while to work on this aspect of your game (whether playing rounds or taking practice swings) because many amateurs don’t realize how important it is

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