Current thinking on lag

[BertramSterling]

Hey guys

I notice in a lot of Brian's videos some form of 'lagging clubhead takeaway'. Commonly I see mid body hands at address, the clubhead staying behind the left arm going back, then 'loading' behind in the transition. When I started playing this lag thing was being made out to be the big thing.
Flippy impact? Need more lag. Fat/thin? More lag & hold through impact. And so on. Of course, I am referring to the pressure felt on the right index finger. There is even a training aid around to heighten the sense of this feeling..

So...

Is this as important to playing good golf as some people would have me believe? Can we play good without it? What is the current thinking?

I know some people say they don't ever notice/feel it, and play good golf. But equally, that probably doesn't mean it isn't there - just something they don't monitor. I suppose I think of it as insurance of a forward leaning shaft. But then is it not possible to have forward lean at impact without this lag pressure?

I feel like I can really try to float load, create a large feeling of force on that index finger, and hold it into impact...and hit a decent shot. OR..I can just hinge the club up earlier and never get that loading feeling in the transition. But..the ball isn't aware of any of this right? Speed is speed, and if both swings have the same speed

I guess my question is really...does this loading feeling actually bring something to the table, or is it more of a case of feel vs real?

If this is answered in the anti-summit video then it is something I am eager to watch (when I have the $$$ for it) and thats fair enough, don't expect something for free. Also had a quick search before posting, if its been discussed apologies

 

[faux_maestro]

Hey guys

I notice in a lot of Brian's videos some form of 'lagging clubhead takeaway'. Commonly I see mid body hands at address, the clubhead staying behind the left arm going back, then 'loading' behind in the transition. When I started playing this lag thing was being made out to be the big thing.
Flippy impact? Need more lag. Fat/thin? More lag & hold through impact. And so on. Of course, I am referring to the pressure felt on the right index finger. There is even a training aid around to heighten the sense of this feeling..

So...

Is this as important to playing good golf as some people would have me believe? Can we play good without it? What is the current thinking?

I know some people say they don't ever notice/feel it, and play good golf. But equally, that probably doesn't mean it isn't there - just something they don't monitor. I suppose I think of it as insurance of a forward leaning shaft. But then is it not possible to have forward lean at impact without this lag pressure?

I feel like I can really try to float load, create a large feeling of force on that index finger, and hold it into impact...and hit a decent shot. OR..I can just hinge the club up earlier and never get that loading feeling in the transition. But..the ball isn't aware of any of this right? Speed is speed, and if both swings have the same speed

I guess my question is really...does this loading feeling actually bring something to the table, or is it more of a case of feel vs real?

If this is answered in the anti-summit video then it is something I am eager to watch (when I have the $$$ for it) and thats fair enough, don't expect something for free. Also had a quick search before posting, if its been discussed apologies

I'm no expert but I DO fit in the bold category. I don't notice the right index finger pressure point much until impact.....with the ground. I tried for a few months to feel it and thought I must be doing something wrong. But then I remembered that I didn't feel it for the first 23 years I played and had played some pretty good golf at times.

 

[globus]

I guess my question is really...does this loading feeling actually bring something to the table, or is it more of a case of feel vs real?


My experience when measuring clubhead speed on my launch monitor using LCT, the results are a repeatable average clubhead speed increase of 5MPH from 90 to 95MPH when hitting a driver for ME.

 

[DCgolf]

You'd never be able to time "lag" vs. "sweep" because it's impossible to do from one swing to the next. You are either a sweeper or a snapper, period. Teaching sweet spot lag to sweepers is VERY difficult to do. It's easier to transition from lag to sweep if that be your druthers. But speed is no reason to change; where and when your club is bottoming out is crucial and very individual depending on plane, width and weight transfer. Watson early, Hogan late. They seem to do pretty well.

 

[dbl]

I thought one of main the benefits of LCT is to reduce a players chance of over rotating and/or popping out.

 

[Dariusz J.]

There were two purposes of the LCT - both very valid - 1. to not let the hickory shaft break before delivering the clubface into impact and 2. to subdue the arms to the main body movement so that there are no probs with coordination of these two - now only the no.2 is valid.

Cheers

 

[Todd Dugan]

It is possible to acheive optimum Attack Angle, Dynamic Loft, and Clubhead Velocity with an early release in which the butt end of the shaft is past a straight line from the left shoulder to the hands during impact. But, the ball would need to be positioned farther back in the stance. But virtually no great ball-strikers do it this way. So, yeah, I'd say it's pretty important.

 

[trickyric67]

I would say first, the answer is no, it is not necessary.
But I will follow with the reality that most golfers just don't know how to use their kinetic chain effectively and the LCT forces the inside to move the outside. For the vast majority of club golfers this process gets them to pivot and put the body in the correct sequence to make reasonably solid contact with the club shaft in a forward impact position, which for most of the people I see will dramatically improve their swing and therefore their golf.
For the lucky few who naturally use there bodies athletically it really doesn't matter because they generally end up being good golfers without almost any instruction.