Start your swing with the clubhead leaving late for longer, more consistent shots (Part 1)

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If you want to increase your clubhead speed while reducing tension, learn to lag―swinging the clubhead away from the ball last. Begin the backswing by rotating the upper body, while keeping the hands and arms passive. If the arms are truly relaxed, they’ll only move as a result of the torso turn. The clubhead holds its address position until everything else is in motion; once it moves, it “lags” behind the body.

This is not a new or radical idea; Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, and Byron Nelson relied on the lag decades ago. The lag increases clubhead speed by maintaining the angle between the clubshaft and the left arm until the last possible moment―at impact. Holding the wrist cock until impact is called a “late hit.” The secret to the late hit is relaxed upper-body muscles, which are best achieved by clubhead lag during your takeaway.

When the clubhead starts back after the body and hands, the left-arm angle doesn’t set until the top of the backswing, and sometimes not until after the downswing has begun. This is called “down-loading.” The later the angle is created, the easier it is to delay its release on the downswing and create more clubhead speed at impact.

Is the lag the only way to create a powerful swing? Absolutely not. Jack Nicklaus has long relied on a one­ piece takeaway, starting the clubhead, hands, and body together. Johnny Miller is among those who prefer setting the angle very early in the backswing.

There is nothing wrong with these methods, but they require precise timing and increase muscle tension. That’s okay for pros who play every day. For amateurs who play once or twice a week, the lag takeaway is easier to repeat and eliminates upper-body tension.