swing lag question

I have a question about lag in the swing. As I was playing my round today I noticed that I really swept the ball off the ground, I don't ever take much of a divot. I also noticed that my "divot" starts about an inch before the ball, and goes a few inches past the ball. So I thought I needed more 'lag' to hit more down on the ball. When I purposely thought about lag, and tried to do what I thought was lag, I took a 1" deep divot, and totally chunked it.

Is there anything wrong with "sweeping" the ball off the ground, instead of hitting down on the ball more? I don't get much spin on the wedges, but they don't totally roll out either. Or am I totally overthinking this? Sweeping the ball I hit my 6iron 170ish, and my 8iron bout 150ish(I only know this cuz those are the clubs I user on par 3's, and I base my club selection for the entire round based on that. So I don't think my distances are that bad the way I swing.

I would post this in the 'ask the pro' section, but I am hoping for answers before I go out again in 2 hours.

Thanks

Dustin

"Sweepers" and "Diggers" are the two basic types of golfers and there's nothing right or wrong about either one; it's all about what you feel most comfortable doing.

The problem of hitting behind the ball can be as simple as ball position - the ball is slightly more forward in your stance than your swing is built for. So without moving the ball back, any attempt to "hit down" almost always results in a chunk. I would check out your alignment before I'd start messing around with stuff like lag.

But on the subject of lag in general, I'm of the opinion that more or less lag is related to swing plane more than anything else. People with a very upright swing plane tend to need more lag (or more accurately, a "delayed release") to help generate power because upright swings tend to rely most on upper body muscles, which are not as massive or powerful as lower body muscles, and the increased lag helps to create a more forceful release - like cracking a whip.

On the other hand, people with flatter swing planes tend to not need so much lag because their power comes from the lower body and leg muscles so there's no pressing need to generate additional power by delaying the release.

That's my 2/100ths of a dollar's worth.


-JP

Thanks JP, that makes perfect sense. I went out today, and was 1 over through 3, then I lost my swing, I ended up shooting a 56 through 9, and decided to not shoot the back 9. Do ya have any advice for what to do when you "lose your swing"?

dustklose said:

Thanks JP, that makes perfect sense. I went out today, and was 1 over through 3, then I lost my swing, I ended up shooting a 56 through 9, and decided to not shoot the back 9. Do ya have any advice for what to do when you "lose your swing"?

Click to expand...

I am no pro, but when I lose my swing I always shorten my swing to focus on solid contact, and squaring the club face. I also make sure to put a nice and easy swing on the ball to increase contact.

Half swings.
The worst thing you can do is to try to make up for lost strokes by trying to overpower everything. If you were 1 over through 3, you obviously know "how" to get it done, but once in a while your timing slips a bit. Just go down a club or two and just make nice smooth contact with a half swing. After a few shots, your timing will come back and then you can "breathe" again. The trick is not to panic. Just think of it as a "mid-course correction" and allow for an extra shot or two until you get things back under control.


-JP