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This article is
about the foundation of his teachings: LAG.
Many centuries ago, farmers would harvest wheat using a
straight pole, swung around to create enough force to knock
the wheat from the stalk. This worked fine for those
hard-working peasants, but it turned out there was a better
way.
One day, a brilliant (and somewhat lazy) Scotsman realized
that, if the pole were cut towards the end, leaving two
poles, one long and one short, and the two poles were joined
with a leather strip, the velocity he could create was
magnified many times. Essentially, he created a `snap’,
where before there was only a `swoosh’. He was able to
harvest many times more wheat than his counterparts, leaving
more free time to play golf (which he also probably invented
in his spare time).
Little did Seamus know that he discovered the secret to
great golf.
Bobby Jones, on what it feels like to have his incredible
swing: `the primary feeling I have when swinging is that I
leave the club behind’. Lag is all about pressure; the
club head feels heavy as it comes down to impact. The
inside leads the outside.
Look at an expert player in slow motion; the hands get to
impact well before the club head. There is a delay,
sometimes called a `late hit’. The maximum speed in
the swing happens at the ball, not before. This golfer
is able to compress the ball down the target line.
Lag separates the good ball-striker from the poor ball
striker. Most golfers do the opposite; the club gets
there before the hands, or at the same time. Maximum
speed has been reached too soon, and the club is slowing
down at impact. To make matters worse, this also adds
loft to the club, turning a 5 iron into a 7 iron. If
you ever wondered why you are a club or two shorter than
your friend, this is the reason.
If you are interested in developing lag, a number of
exercises and explanations are given in The Wright Swing, a
Video Textbook for Students of the Game. This DVD,
produced by documentary filmmaker James Hoagland, captures
the essence of Norrie’s teachings.
Happy Lagging! The next issue is about release, the
other side of the golf swing.
A few years ago, I was fortunate to take part in capturing
some of Norrie’s teachings for a wider audience. I went to
Jacksonville with documentary filmmaker James Hoagland (The
Lions Roar), and the result is the essence of Norrie Wright,
a DVD entitled The Wright Swing, a video textbook for
students of the game. This is available through my Halifax
Training Center.
More information. |
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