Leadbetter’s lessons: to maximize your clubhead speed, improve your lag position – Lesson Tee – Brief Article
David Leadbetter
One of the most notable differences between good ball strikers and poor ones is the angle formed between the wrists and the clubshaft coming into impact. This so-called late hit or lag position is a prerequisite for releasing the clubhead at maximum speed through impact–rather like cracking a whip.
Sergio Garcia admirably demonstrates the position here. Sergio probably has more lag than any other world-class player, and it is the reason he hits it so far.
Flexible wrists certainly help, and the fact that he has a fairly late set on the backswing contributes as well. Sergio has a tendency to lay the club off, pointing left of the target line at the top of his swing. As shown in this photo, the club is approaching impact a little too far from the inside, which exaggerates the lag and affects accuracy. Lately, Sergio has been working on swinging the club more on line and reducing the amount of lag.
Although it’s dangerous to try to put the club in this position, a good image for improving your lag is “hands low and clubhead high” coming into impact. Practicing with the grip leading the clubhead in this way could really help your ball striking.
David Leadbetter operates 27 golf academies worldwide and is based at ChampionsGate near Orlando. He works with such tour stars as Ernie Els, Nick Price, Charles Howell and Justin Rose.
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