To lag or not to lag, that is the question.

[RoverRick]

To lag or not to lag, that is the question,

Whether 'tis nobler to have the hands, hips, and chest

come through the golf ball all at once,

Or lead with the hips and lag the hands,

This immortal question must give us pause......

 

 

This is what a book on golf would start like if Shakespeare would have written one. But everyone would have died at the end. I have been watching the new show on Golf Channel called On The Range. Last week, they featured Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. They used slow motion and had four "experts" dissecting their swings, and the pointed out the lag between their hips and hands and said this was the key to their power.

This week, they featured Fred Couples and Luke Donald. In their cases, the hips, hands, and body came through all at once. They called this "staying over the ball". But they pointed out that this was the key to their power. Granted Luke Donald is not exactly a power hitter, but No. 1 money winner on the PGA and Euro tours ain't too shabbly. Who cares if he is first to hit his second shot. He still has to stop at the bank on the way home from every tournament to deposit money. Freddy certainly has power and is actually who I would try to mimic but it struck me as odd that one week these idiots, I mean analyst say one thing and the next week they say something else.

 

So which is it, a lag between the hands and hips or come through as one. I personally "Stay on top of the ball" but I am not a long hitter, but I am a straight hitter.

[LazyTraders]

Wayne Player drives me crazy by saying "rotate" every other word. i DVR the show and now have to fast forward when he speaks. I think Kratzert is strong.

 

What bothers me even more is when Alex Miceli comes on and tell us that Player A is trying a new driver this week, or switched to a new shaft, but fails to say what driver or what shaft.

[Matt Saternus]

I will try to find it, but there was a GREAT post somewhere (someone's instructional blog) where the guy explained (with lots of photos) that the guys on tour who hit it really far have huge lag and that lag is created by really fast hips. To be more correct: the hips don't "need" to be fast, they just need to get out in front on the downswing.

 

To speak directly to your question, I think that both "keys to power" are...not wrong...but it does sound silly when you say one a week after you've said the other. Ultimately, the guys with big lag are going to hit it farther. They also may have more directional problems. The guys who move in a very "connected" way can still hit the ball far, but they are going to be more consistent (like Luke).

[Phana24JG]

To lag or not to lag, that is the question,

Whether 'tis nobler to have the hands, hips, and chest

come through the golf ball all at once,

Or lead with the hips and lag the hands,

This immortal question must give us pause......

 

 

This is what a book on golf would start like if Shakespeare would have written one. But everyone would have died at the end. I have been watching the new show on Golf Channel called On The Range. Last week, they featured Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. They used slow motion and had four "experts" dissecting their swings, and the pointed out the lag between their hips and hands and said this was the key to their power.

This week, they featured Fred Couples and Luke Donald. In their cases, the hips, hands, and body came through all at once. They called this "staying over the ball". But they pointed out that this was the key to their power. Granted Luke Donald is not exactly a power hitter, but No. 1 money winner on the PGA and Euro tours ain't too shabbly. Who cares if he is first to hit his second shot. He still has to stop at the bank on the way home from every tournament to deposit money. Freddy certainly has power and is actually who I would try to mimic but it struck me as odd that one week these idiots, I mean analyst say one thing and the next week they say something else.

 

So which is it, a lag between the hands and hips or come through as one. I personally "Stay on top of the ball" but I am not a long hitter, but I am a straight hitter.

 

Rick, there is now an answer to that question. Mike Jacobs and Brian Manzella have done some extensive research and the answer is BOTH!! The entire concept of "delayed lag" with the hands releasing at the very last second with the hands leading the shaft through the ball has been debunked. An "early" release does not mean that lag dissipates. The degree of hip turn at impact (and resultant "lag") is more a reflection of a golfer's swing, body type, and athleticism. When Peter Kostis announces that unless the hands are well ahead of the ball you cannot strike the ball with a descending blow, you will now have the information needed to say Kostis does not have a clue as to what he is watching. I do not like to link to other websites (although these are purely instructional sites that are not competetive with MGS) out of basic courtesy. Google Brian Manzella and Michael Jacobs and search for the release threads. Jacobs even has data with the average hip position of the PGA at top of swing, impact position, etc. It get somewhat hypertechical with more than a few flamers on Manzella's site, but it will give you the state-of-the-art info on instruction. These guys were onto 3-d instruction long before Hank Haney ever heard of Trackman.

[Will Par]

This is just my perception based on many years of looking at golf swings and seeing what the really long hitters do differently. Fast hips play an important role for all players, but the really long hitters get their hands really high at the top of the backswing. Watch Bubba and Dustin and try to imagine getting your hands into that position at the top of your swing. I can't do it, and if I did somehow I'd be in the hospital for a month. I think it is that wide position at the top that produces the huge drives. If someone hits it long without high hands, they are pounding it out there with the big core muscles, strong legs, and hip drive. Oh, yes, there are also players like Chi Chi Rodriquez. Small wiry guys with the ability to really generate super fast hand speed. I think the hips play a big role here too. Muscles and flexibility... it all depends on what you have to work with.