Want to unlock more power, consistency, and control in your game? The secret may lie in a concept that many amateur golfers struggle with: lag in your golf swing. This article breaks down everything you need to know about creating lag, why it matters, and how to develop it with proper sequencing and practice. Whether you’re trying to hit the ball farther, sharpen your ball striking, or simply improve your golf swing, mastering lag can transform your performance.
What Is Lag in the Golf Swing?
Lag in the golf swing refers to the angle between the lead arm and the shaft during the downswing—specifically, how the clubhead lags behind the hands before impact. It’s this delayed release that stores and unleashes energy, leading to higher club head speed and improved ball-striking.
Many amateur golfers lose lag early, often because they try to swing fast with their arms instead of allowing the clubhead to naturally trail. Lag allows the golf club to build up speed as it approaches the ball, producing more distance and better control.
How Lag Creates Power in Your Swing
The real power in your swing doesn’t come from brute force—it’s a product of the physics of the swing, particularly how efficiently you create and maintain lag. When the clubhead trails the hands, it stores kinetic energy that’s unleashed at the perfect point in the swing, right at impact.
This movement promotes shaft lean at impact, which helps compress the golf ball and maximize distance. The better the angle between the club and the forearm, the more power you’ll generate. Learning how to create lag is one of the fastest ways to improve your golf swing and add yards to every shot.
How to Create Lag in Your Golf Swing
To create lag in your golf, focus on the angle between the lead forearm and the club shaft during the backswing and downswing. Lag is created when this angle stays intact until just before impact.
Start by holding the club loosely and allowing your wrists to hinge naturally in the backswing. As you start the downswing, resist the urge to cast or release the club early. Instead, let the clubhead trail while your lower body begins to rotate towards the target.
This method teaches your body how to get the club into the correct position without overthinking it. Practice this slowly to reinforce proper golf technique.
Why Proper Sequencing Is Key to Producing Lag
Proper sequencing is the foundation of a good golf swing. Without it, you’ll never achieve the amount of lag needed for powerful, consistent golf shots. The swing sequence should begin with the lower body, then the torso, then the arms, and finally the club head.
When this sequencing is done correctly, the body naturally holds the angle between the club and arm longer into the downswing, increasing lag. If your upper body starts the swing, you’ll likely cast the club, losing both power and control.
Learning how to create lag begins with understanding your body’s movement patterns and synchronizing them for optimal efficiency.
Top Drills to Help You Create and Maintain Lag
Use these two simple drills to help you create lag and build muscle memory:
- Pump Drill: Pause halfway down in your downswing, then repeat that motion to feel the club lag behind the hands.
- Towel Drill: Place a towel under your lead arm to stay connected and prevent early release.
These drills help train the correct movement for lag without overthinking.
How the Wrist Affects Lag and Swing Efficiency
Your wrist action is crucial in developing and sustaining lag. At the top of your backswing, a good wrist angle creates the right angle between the shaft and forearm. This sets up the potential for lag in the downswing.
As you start the downswing, the wrists should remain cocked, maintaining that hinge as long as possible. Many players lose lag by flipping their wrists early or trying to manually accelerate the clubhead—a common swing fault.
A good checkpoint: your wrists should still be bent with the shaft parallel to the ground during the downswing. This is a sign that you’re maintaining lag in your golf.
Role of the Downswing in Creating Lag
The downswing is where lag is created and fully utilized. It’s not something you add in manually—it’s the result of proper sequencing and mechanics. You need to start the downswing with your lower body, allowing the golf clubhead to naturally lag behind.
If your arms or wrists take over too early, you’ll cast the club, losing that critical angle. The goal is to hold this angle until your hands through impact are just ahead of the clubhead, promoting forward shaft lean and better ball striking.
Focus on feeling the weight of the clubhead pulling behind you as you swing the club towards the golf ball. This feel-based approach helps many golfers lag without overthinking.
Common Swing Faults That Kill Lag
Avoiding swing faults is essential if you want to consistently create lag and strike the golf ball with power and control. Here are the most common issues that prevent golfers from generating lag in the golf swing:
- Casting the club: Releasing the wrists too early in the downswing, causes you to lose the stored energy before impact.
- Tight grip pressure: Holding the club too tightly restricts proper wrist hinge and smooth release.
- Poor sequencing: Starting the swing with the arms or upper body instead of initiating from the lower body ruins the natural lag buildup.
- Trying to force lag: Lag doesn’t come from muscling the club—it’s not something you can fake. Overthinking leads to tension and bad mechanics.
- Early hand release: Letting the hands through impact flip too soon causes loss of shaft lean and weak shots.
- Standing up through the swing: Losing posture in the downswing disrupts your angles and flattens the swing path.
- Flat backswing or over-rotation: Pulling the club too far inside or rotating too much can make it hard to recover lag on the way down.
Fixing even one of these issues can significantly improve lag and lead to a more efficient golf swing.
How to Maintain Lag Through Impact
Once you’ve built lag in the downswing, the next challenge is maintaining lag into and through impact. This is where many golfers lose power by letting the club head catch up too early.
To maintain the lag, keep your hands through impact ahead of the clubface, promoting a strong shaft lean and crisp contact. This keeps the clubface square and helps you hit the ball more consistently.
Practicing this move slowly can help you feel the proper release timing, where the club head speed peaks after contact with the ball—not before it.
Can You Use Lag in the Short Game or Just the Full Swing?
While lag in the golf swing is typically discussed in relation to full shots, the short game can benefit too. A controlled release with a slight lag in pitches and chips promotes consistency and better distance control.
That said, the amount of lag should be much less in the short game, where precision and feel are more important than power. Using mini driver swings or small shaft lean moves, you can blend create lag techniques into finesse shots around the green.
Whether you’re bombing a Titleist driver off the tee or executing a delicate chip, understanding how to create and maintain lag is a game-changer.
Final Thoughts
Lag is one of the most powerful elements in a good golf swing—yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. By learning how to create lag, understanding proper sequencing, and practising with simple drills, you’ll unlock more club head speed, better ball striking, and more consistent results on the course. Remember, lag in your golf swing isn’t about force—it’s about timing, technique, and feel. Focus on the wrist hinge, starting the downswing with your lower body, and holding the angle through impact. Avoid common swing faults, and you’ll start seeing improvement in your golf game faster than you think.
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to fine-tune your skills, mastering lag is a skill that will serve you for a lifetime of better golf.
