The "hand lag" technique of the golf downswing explained...
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How your hand release technique on the downswing can easily increase your golf swing speed & distance by 10% or more...
For those of you who feel you do not have the "physical power" to increase your distance, take note....
Understand how the "Delayed Hand Release Technique" can increase your distance without requiring extra effort...
The content of this lens is taken from my book Breaking the Distance Barrier and is aimed at giving you a taste of how a little knowledge about "golf mechanics and physics" can give you a deeper understanding about the golf swing.
As you will see shortly, golf physics can can guide you to making swing changes that will increase your golf swing speed and add more distance to your game.
For those of you who feel you do not have the "physical power" to increase your distance, take note....
The technique I describe in this artilce requires "no additional torque" or physical effort to increase distance.... it is all about your "technique" and how you can efficiently convert the torque you already generate in your backswing into increased swing speed on your downswing.
This is of particular importance to women golfers, and seniors golfers who may feel they are restricted physically from improving the distance of their swings.
The delayed hand release
- the most ignored technique in the golf swing
The technique of the "delayed hand release" to increase golf swing speed is known by but not fully understood by many golfers.Yet, it is propbably the easiest and most effective technique for adding more distance to your game.
By delayed hand release, I mean keeping your hands in a fully "cocked" position during the downswing for as long as possible before releasing them through the ball.
I am going to explain why this technique is so effective using a "laws of motion" approach to the analysis, but first, I want to make sure you understand the term "swing speed".
What is swing speed?...
Speed = Distance
Swing speed refers to the speed at which the club head is traveling as it strikes the ball. The faster the club head swing speed, the further you are able to hit the ball.
The swing speed of the club head at impact depends on how quickly you are able to accelerate your downswing turn from the top of your backswing where the swing speed is ZERO, to the point of impact with the ball.
Just as the speed reached over a quarter mile by a drag racer depends on the acceleration capabilities of the car from the zero stand still position.
The swing speed of the club head at impact depends on how quickly you are able to accelerate your downswing turn from the top of your backswing where the swing speed is ZERO, to the point of impact with the ball.
Just as the speed reached over a quarter mile by a drag racer depends on the acceleration capabilities of the car from the zero stand still position.
Golf physics simplified
Focus on swing acceleration
Without trying to get too technical, I would like to take you back to some high school physics and remind you of the equation describing Newton's second law which essentially states that:
Force = Mass x Acceleration
This equation applies to all objects moving in a straight line, or linear motion.
The golf swing though, rotates in a circular path and the equivalent equation that applies to objects moving in a circle is:
Torque = Moment of Inertia x Angular Acceleration
Take a close look at this equation.
Your aim is to increase the angular acceleration of your swing during the downturn to increase your golf swing speed at impact. This equation tells you have two options for achieving this:
1. Increase the "Torque" of the swing which requires additional physical effort.
2. Reduce the "Moment of Inertia" of the swing, which as you will see in a minute, requires no physical effort.
Force = Mass x Acceleration
This equation applies to all objects moving in a straight line, or linear motion.
The golf swing though, rotates in a circular path and the equivalent equation that applies to objects moving in a circle is:
Torque = Moment of Inertia x Angular Acceleration
Take a close look at this equation.
Your aim is to increase the angular acceleration of your swing during the downturn to increase your golf swing speed at impact. This equation tells you have two options for achieving this:
1. Increase the "Torque" of the swing which requires additional physical effort.
2. Reduce the "Moment of Inertia" of the swing, which as you will see in a minute, requires no physical effort.
Mechanics of the downswing
How to reduce swing MOI for faster downswing acceleration
The common understanding of all golfers on how to increase the rate of acceleration of the swing is to increase the "torque" that has been built up during their backswing.
However, as you can seen from the equation above, the "Moment of Inertia" of the swing also determines how fast you can accelerate the downswing. The smaller the MOI for a given torque, the faster the rate of acceleration on the downswing.
MOI is a term that is being referred to more and more in the golf world and justifies a little more explanation.
Moment of Inertia defines the "inertia" of a body that is "rotating" and is a function of both the mass of the body and the "radius" the mass is rotating away from it's axis of rotation.
The equation for Moment of Inertia is given as:
MOI = mass x radius²
The larger the "radius of rotation" for a given mass, the larger the MOI or "inertia" of the mass.
As the term inertia implies, the larger the inertia, the more difficult it is to get the object "started" from a stand still position.
MOI applies to a golf swing because the swing is a "rotating" entity.
Your aim on the downswing is to keep the MOI of your swing as low as possible to make it easier to "start the swing" and achieve a faster rate of downswing acceleration with the torque you have built up on your backswing.
However, as you can seen from the equation above, the "Moment of Inertia" of the swing also determines how fast you can accelerate the downswing. The smaller the MOI for a given torque, the faster the rate of acceleration on the downswing.
MOI is a term that is being referred to more and more in the golf world and justifies a little more explanation.
Moment of Inertia defines the "inertia" of a body that is "rotating" and is a function of both the mass of the body and the "radius" the mass is rotating away from it's axis of rotation.
The equation for Moment of Inertia is given as:
MOI = mass x radius²
The larger the "radius of rotation" for a given mass, the larger the MOI or "inertia" of the mass.
As the term inertia implies, the larger the inertia, the more difficult it is to get the object "started" from a stand still position.
MOI applies to a golf swing because the swing is a "rotating" entity.
Your aim on the downswing is to keep the MOI of your swing as low as possible to make it easier to "start the swing" and achieve a faster rate of downswing acceleration with the torque you have built up on your backswing.
Think of your downswing as an ice skater doing a "pirouette"
Reduce your swing radius and you increase swing acceleration
The best way to visualize the effect of Moment of Inertia is to imagine an ice skater doing a pirouette (spin).
The skater initiates the spin with a given torque (rotating force).
To speed up or accelerate the spin, the skater draws in their arms to reduce the "radius of rotation" of the spin. To slow down the spin, the skater increases the radius of rotation by extending their arms.
What the skater is doing technically, is changing their "Moment of Inertia" to alter their spin rate. If they extend their arms, they increase their Moment of Inertia and slow down the spin rate. If they draw in their arms, they reduce their Moment of Inertia and accelerate the spin rate.
Essentially, the only control the skater has over the MOI of the spin is by changing the "radius of rotation" of the spin with their arms.
The same can be said about the golf swing...
There is nothing you can do to affect the mass of the swing since that is fixed by the weight of your arms, the club shaft and the club head. However, you have a lot of control over the "swing radius of the rotation" which is totally governed by your hand technique.
The swing radius being the distance from the tip of the club head to the center of your spine in your shoulder area, around which the swing is turning.
This is determined by the angle at which you cock your hands. The more you cock your hands, the smaller you make the swing radius.
You want the swing radius to be as small as possible at the start of the downswing by maintaining the fully cocked position of the hands as much as possible for as long as possible.
This makes it easier for the torque you have generated during the backswing to get the swing under way and accelerate the swing at a faster rate on the downswing.
Most golfers achieve a fully cocked hand position at the top of the swing.
The problem though for many golfers shortly after this point, is that they begin the "release" of the hands on the downswing too early...
Take a look at this video to see the effect of MOI on the spin rate of this skater. Watch how she increases the spin rate by drawing in her arms or legs which is effectively reducing her radius of rotation.
The golf swing is no different. Reduce the radius of the swing and you increase the acceleration of your downswing turn...
The skater initiates the spin with a given torque (rotating force).
To speed up or accelerate the spin, the skater draws in their arms to reduce the "radius of rotation" of the spin. To slow down the spin, the skater increases the radius of rotation by extending their arms.
What the skater is doing technically, is changing their "Moment of Inertia" to alter their spin rate. If they extend their arms, they increase their Moment of Inertia and slow down the spin rate. If they draw in their arms, they reduce their Moment of Inertia and accelerate the spin rate.
Essentially, the only control the skater has over the MOI of the spin is by changing the "radius of rotation" of the spin with their arms.
The same can be said about the golf swing...
There is nothing you can do to affect the mass of the swing since that is fixed by the weight of your arms, the club shaft and the club head. However, you have a lot of control over the "swing radius of the rotation" which is totally governed by your hand technique.
The swing radius being the distance from the tip of the club head to the center of your spine in your shoulder area, around which the swing is turning.
This is determined by the angle at which you cock your hands. The more you cock your hands, the smaller you make the swing radius.
You want the swing radius to be as small as possible at the start of the downswing by maintaining the fully cocked position of the hands as much as possible for as long as possible.
This makes it easier for the torque you have generated during the backswing to get the swing under way and accelerate the swing at a faster rate on the downswing.
Most golfers achieve a fully cocked hand position at the top of the swing.
The problem though for many golfers shortly after this point, is that they begin the "release" of the hands on the downswing too early...
Take a look at this video to see the effect of MOI on the spin rate of this skater. Watch how she increases the spin rate by drawing in her arms or legs which is effectively reducing her radius of rotation.
The golf swing is no different. Reduce the radius of the swing and you increase the acceleration of your downswing turn...
curated content from YouTube
Effects of an early hand release
- rapid decrease in downswing acceleration
As you begin to release the hands, you increase the radius of the swing, and by doing so you increase the swing MOI. Just as in the example of the skater, the turn rate of your trunk "slows" down as you increase the MOI of the swing.
The longer you can keep your hands cocked on the downswing, the faster you can continue to accelerate the trunk turn during those crucial moments from the start of the downswing.
High handicap golfers tend to release the hands right from the start of the downswing. As soon as they do this they increase the whole "inertia" of the swing making it very difficult to get it under way.
To overcome this heavy swing load, they try to add "more torque" into the downswing to get it going by "muscling" the club head all the way through impact. It is no wonder that the "effort" that is required for this motion looks pretty unpleasant to watch!
A pro golfer on the other hand maintains that cocked hand angle long after the start of the down swing keeping the swing MOI very low. Their swings have a much higher rate of acceleration without much " visible" effort involved.
That's because they do not need to put much torque into the start of the swing to "get it going". They just let the backswing uncoil naturally. It is only as the radius of the swing begins to open up as they release the hands that you see them generate the effort.
The longer you can keep your hands cocked on the downswing, the faster you can continue to accelerate the trunk turn during those crucial moments from the start of the downswing.
High handicap golfers tend to release the hands right from the start of the downswing. As soon as they do this they increase the whole "inertia" of the swing making it very difficult to get it under way.
To overcome this heavy swing load, they try to add "more torque" into the downswing to get it going by "muscling" the club head all the way through impact. It is no wonder that the "effort" that is required for this motion looks pretty unpleasant to watch!
A pro golfer on the other hand maintains that cocked hand angle long after the start of the down swing keeping the swing MOI very low. Their swings have a much higher rate of acceleration without much " visible" effort involved.
That's because they do not need to put much torque into the start of the swing to "get it going". They just let the backswing uncoil naturally. It is only as the radius of the swing begins to open up as they release the hands that you see them generate the effort.
Controling Your Swing MOI
Keeping your radius of rotation compact on the downswing is the key to increasing acceleration and swing speed
curated content from YouTube
How the smaller tour players hit it long
- flexible hands
The delayed hand release is one of the ways the smaller golfers can achieve great swing speeds and compete with the big guys.
Their technique is not so much about generating high swing torque as the larger players do, it is more about controlling their MOI on their downswings by delaying the release of the hands to keep the radius of rotation to a minimum.
If you watch the swings of Sergio Garcia or Lorena Achoa , both of whom are smaller relative to other players on their respective tours, they pack a great punch in their swings largely because of their mastery of this one technique.
Check out the video of Sergio Garcia and watch how he delays his hand release for tremendous swing speed generation on the downswing....
So Ladies and senior golfers who may feel you are physically unable to generate a lot of swing torque, work on your delayed hand release technique to increase your golf swing speed and distance. This requires no additional physical effort, only practice with your technique.
Keep your hands relaxed and let the swing uncoil naturally and you can easily increase your swing speed by as much as 10%....
Their technique is not so much about generating high swing torque as the larger players do, it is more about controlling their MOI on their downswings by delaying the release of the hands to keep the radius of rotation to a minimum.
If you watch the swings of Sergio Garcia or Lorena Achoa , both of whom are smaller relative to other players on their respective tours, they pack a great punch in their swings largely because of their mastery of this one technique.
Check out the video of Sergio Garcia and watch how he delays his hand release for tremendous swing speed generation on the downswing....
So Ladies and senior golfers who may feel you are physically unable to generate a lot of swing torque, work on your delayed hand release technique to increase your golf swing speed and distance. This requires no additional physical effort, only practice with your technique.
Keep your hands relaxed and let the swing uncoil naturally and you can easily increase your swing speed by as much as 10%....
Lorena Ochoa versus Anika Sorenstam
Flexibility of the hands is key
This clip gives you a comparison between a smaller player like Lorena and a powerful player like Anika.
During the video, watch the difference in the hand flexibility between Lorena and Anika and you can see how this aspect of Lorena's swing helps generate great downswing acceleration...
During the video, watch the difference in the hand flexibility between Lorena and Anika and you can see how this aspect of Lorena's swing helps generate great downswing acceleration...
curated content from YouTube
"Golf Physics"
Improve your swing technique with the knowledge of golf physics
If you found this lens useful in helping you understand the mechanics and how the "laws of motion" govern the techniques of the golf swing, I invite you to take a look at my book
Breaking the Distance Barrier where I show you how to apply physics to other areas of your swing to improve consistency and distance performance.
Breaking the Distance Barrier where I show you how to apply physics to other areas of your swing to improve consistency and distance performance.
Highlander LLC School of Golf Newsletter
Technical golf tips and articles of Scottish golf courses
I release a frequent newletter from my main online teaching wesbite at Highlander School of Golf.This newsletter is full of articles and golf instructional tips that tend to be a little more technical in nature about swing technique, strategy and golf fitness.
Take a look at a sample newsletter which features playing golf at Saint Andrews.
Register for the Newsletter to recieve notification of new squidoo article releases and receive a free download of the Alignment and Stance routine taken from my book.
How to measure your swing speed
- the key to swing distance improvement
These three simple devices will give you direct feedback about your hand release technique during your practice sessions on the range .
As you relax your hands and delay your hand release watch how your club head swing speed increases!
As you relax your hands and delay your hand release watch how your club head swing speed increases!
by Golfmechanic
Golfmechanic
Hello,
My name is Les Ross. I am the owner and founder of the online golf school Highlander School of Golf and I am the author of the popular golf ebook...
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