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DRILL OVERVIEW
Triple Lag Drill: 3 Steps to a Softer Lead-Arm Swing
Your drill at a glance
This drill is from the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
A relaxed lead-arm rehearsal helps you feel the club hinge without forcing it. Using one hand for a small, slow swing makes the relationship between the arm, wrist and club easier to notice. When you put both hands back on the grip, the aim is to keep that easy movement and improve your feel for the release, rather than hold a manufactured lag angle.
Step 1. Watch the lead-arm rehearsal
Watch the original demonstration. Notice the one-handed movement and the relaxed wrist, then how the feeling is transferred to a normal swing.
Step 2. Rehearse with your lead arm
For a right-handed golfer, the lead arm is the left arm. For a left-handed golfer, it is the right arm. Hold the club with that hand and take your other hand off the grip.
Make a small, slow practice swing without a ball. Keep the arm and wrist relaxed, with enough grip pressure to control the club. Feel how the wrist can hinge as the club moves; avoid trying to hold a fixed angle through the whole swing.
Begin with a short motion that you can control comfortably. This is a rehearsal, so there is no need for a full-speed, one-handed shot.
Look at the original swing examples
The original lesson included these four photographs. Look at the relationship between the lead arm and club shaft during the downswing. Use them as visual examples, rather than positions you must copy exactly; Phil Mickelson’s left-handed swing is mirrored relative to a right-handed golfer.
Put both hands back on the club
Make an easy, two-handed swing while keeping the same relaxed feeling. At the range, try a gentle shot. At home, use a mirror for a slow rehearsal, with enough room for the club.
The cue is “Soft arm, soft wrist, easy swing.” Pay attention to control and balance rather than trying to manufacture more lag.
Step 3. Complete your round of 18
Complete 18 controlled repetitions. Each repetition starts with one small lead-arm-only rehearsal, followed by one easy swing with both hands on the club. Reset before starting the next.
If you’re using the Golf Practice Made Fun App, tick one box in your Practice Round after each completed repetition. Your target is 18 repetitions completed; count the rehearsal-and-swing pair as one repetition.
You can complete the round without a ball. At the range, make the two-handed swing a gentle shot. Add one short note about whether the relaxed feeling carried into that swing.
| Round | What to do |
|---|---|
| First nine | Complete nine repetitions, each pairing one small lead-arm rehearsal with one easy two-handed swing. |
| Second nine | Pause, then repeat nine pairs. Count each rehearsal-and-swing pair once. |
| Record | Record repetitions completed out of 18 and one note about how the relaxed feel carried over. |
George’s Conclusion
Keep the one-handed rehearsal small and slow. Find a relaxed feeling, then put both hands back on the club and see whether you can keep it. A round of 18 gives you a clear practice task without making every swing a test of how much lag you can create.
Try another feel with the Create Lag Drill or Get Lag in 2 Minutes Drill.
MAKE THE NEXT BUCKET COUNT
Pick a card. Practise with purpose.
Browse by category
DRILL OVERVIEW
Triple Lag Drill: 3 Steps to a Softer Lead-Arm Swing
Your drill at a glance
This drill is from the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
A relaxed lead-arm rehearsal helps you feel the club hinge without forcing it. Using one hand for a small, slow swing makes the relationship between the arm, wrist and club easier to notice. When you put both hands back on the grip, the aim is to keep that easy movement and improve your feel for the release, rather than hold a manufactured lag angle.
Step 1. Watch the lead-arm rehearsal
Watch the original demonstration. Notice the one-handed movement and the relaxed wrist, then how the feeling is transferred to a normal swing.
Step 2. Rehearse with your lead arm
For a right-handed golfer, the lead arm is the left arm. For a left-handed golfer, it is the right arm. Hold the club with that hand and take your other hand off the grip.
Make a small, slow practice swing without a ball. Keep the arm and wrist relaxed, with enough grip pressure to control the club. Feel how the wrist can hinge as the club moves; avoid trying to hold a fixed angle through the whole swing.
Begin with a short motion that you can control comfortably. This is a rehearsal, so there is no need for a full-speed, one-handed shot.
Look at the original swing examples
The original lesson included these four photographs. Look at the relationship between the lead arm and club shaft during the downswing. Use them as visual examples, rather than positions you must copy exactly; Phil Mickelson’s left-handed swing is mirrored relative to a right-handed golfer.
Put both hands back on the club
Make an easy, two-handed swing while keeping the same relaxed feeling. At the range, try a gentle shot. At home, use a mirror for a slow rehearsal, with enough room for the club.
The cue is “Soft arm, soft wrist, easy swing.” Pay attention to control and balance rather than trying to manufacture more lag.
Step 3. Complete your round of 18
Complete 18 controlled repetitions. Each repetition starts with one small lead-arm-only rehearsal, followed by one easy swing with both hands on the club. Reset before starting the next.
If you’re using the Golf Practice Made Fun App, tick one box in your Practice Round after each completed repetition. Your target is 18 repetitions completed; count the rehearsal-and-swing pair as one repetition.
You can complete the round without a ball. At the range, make the two-handed swing a gentle shot. Add one short note about whether the relaxed feeling carried into that swing.
| Round | What to do |
|---|---|
| First nine | Complete nine repetitions, each pairing one small lead-arm rehearsal with one easy two-handed swing. |
| Second nine | Pause, then repeat nine pairs. Count each rehearsal-and-swing pair once. |
| Record | Record repetitions completed out of 18 and one note about how the relaxed feel carried over. |
George’s Conclusion
Keep the one-handed rehearsal small and slow. Find a relaxed feeling, then put both hands back on the club and see whether you can keep it. A round of 18 gives you a clear practice task without making every swing a test of how much lag you can create.
Try another feel with the Create Lag Drill or Get Lag in 2 Minutes Drill.
MAKE THE NEXT BUCKET COUNT
Pick a card. Practise with purpose.
