How Do I Create Lag In My Golf Swing?

I am a decent player but I do not hit the ball very far. I have been told that I need more lag in my golf swing. What is lag and how can I do that in my golf swing?

First let me try and explain lag to you and then we will talk about how to create lag in your golf swing.

First you must understand than you have two choices, whether you know it or not, when you swing a golf club. You can choose to pull the golf club or you can choose to push the golf club. With that being said, you need to choose to pull the golf club to create lag in your golf swing. It is much more efficient and powerful to pull the golf club. The easiest way that I can explain it to you here is that it is pulling the golf club with your body as opposed to pushing the golf club with your hands and arms.

An image that has worked with many of my students is to imagine that you are holding a bucket of water. As you try to swing the bucket of water, how will you go about making this happen? You will start turning your bigger muscles to make it happen. This will allow you to keep the water in the bucket. If you try to use your hands and arms to make this happen the water will start to come out of the bucket and get you wet!

Is there a easy golf drill that can help you create lag in the golf swing? Yes there is. Pick a target and address the golf ball as you normally would. Now for a right handed golfer, take your thumb and index finger of your right hand off of the golf club. Making your thumb and index finger to look like a gun will return the best results. Do not get lazy and let these two fingers start to curl back around the grip of the golf club. This will defeat the purpose.

Think about what you are doing with your grip and what the results are going to be. Your thumb and index finger help you do most everything that you do during the day. You employ these two fingers to help you hold a fork, writing with a pencil or pen and many other things. Simply put, these two fingers are used to taking over whatever task you are trying to do. Taking your thumb and index fingers off of the golf club they cannot join the action. This makes the club heavier to you and allows the golf club to drop from the top of your back swing. This will force you to turn towards your target or use a larger range of motion, unless you enjoy hitting behind the golf ball!

When this is done correctly you will feel the golf club placing more pressure on the straight index finger since you are now pulling the golf club. That is the feeling of lag in your golf swing that you have created. Once you have done this drill and are comfortable that you now understand the correct feeling of lag in a golf swing, you can curl your fingers back around the grip. However, this time I want you to make your thumb and index finger touch. This allows you to get the same feeling without answering the questions on the golf course from your golfing buddies about what you are doing.

Understand the “gun grip” as I have come to call it, is legal and you can use it on the golf course. I have had students play very good eighteen-hole rounds utilizing the gun grip to create more lag in their golf swing.

Where To Find A Christmas Golf Gift?

I always start shopping early for Chrismas Gifts. I have a golfing nephew and want to know where should I start to look for his holiday gift? Any suugestions?

Of course we can help you with that. Here are some suggestions from our article Three Places To Get A Holiday Gift found at VGS Golf.

The Golf Professional
If your golfer already takes golf lessons, this is an easy stop at the club or even easier a phone call. Contact the professional that your golfer already takes lessons from and ask them what golf training aid or new golf club would be best to give your golfer as a holiday golf gift. You can give the golf professional a price range and they should be able to give you two or three different suggestions for a holiday golf gift that will not break your bank. Again, being familiar with their game, the golf professional should be able to make you and your holiday golf gift look great!

The Golf Buddies
This is another great place to get information on what holiday golf gift your golfer would enjoy. If you are having challenges with your game, your golf buddies would know it either through their wallets of by having to listen to all the moaning and groaning.

The Golfer Themselves
You can do this a couple of different ways. If you are also a golfer, you can do the "holiday" snoop. Look through their golf bag and see what looks like it may need to be replaced. Maybe it is their golf bag! This would also include their golf shoes, head covers and etc. In addition, you can find a way to discretely ask them what they would like as far as golf clubs or what they would like to work on in their game.

Help With The Shanks

I have had trouble shanking the golf ball lately. Can you give me a cause of why I am doing this and a way to fix it?

Sure! The info below is from our article Golf Shank - No More!!! Go to VGS Golf to read the entire article.

Cause Of A Golf Shank: Weight forward on your toes . Many players do not understand how big of a part balance plays in a sound golf swing. Your balance will dictate the path that your club shift will take in order to return to the golf ball. For example if you begin your golf swing with a balanced setup, you have created the path that the club will swing upon. If your balance then changes and goes into your heels, a new path is created and now you have to make manipulations to the golf club to return it to the golf ball. The same happens if your weight goes towards your toes in the backswing or forward swing. The path will change to an outside path and will cause the clubhead to move forward as well. If you move your balance enough on your toes then the hosel of the golf club is hit and a golf shank is the result.

Fix: Place a broken shaft (your golf shop should have one available to you), an Eyeline Balance Rod, a piece of wood that your golf club may use to set up stations or one of your own golf clubs if you are really brave on the ground pointing down your target line. The front end of the shaft or wood should be equal to the golf ball with the remainder staying behind the ball but still on the target line. Now, make some swings. Obviously, your goal is not to hit the aid that you have placed on the ground. Your swing will now have to come from a more "inside" path. If it feels funny at first, that is good! That means we are changing something!

The Wireless Golf Coach offers golf products under the categories of General Interest Golf Books, Golf Art, Golf Calendars, Golf Fitness Books, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction Books, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Instruction Training Aids, Golf Journals And Logs, Golf Picture Frames, Inspirational Golf Books, Junior Golf Books, Ladies Golf, Mental Golf Books as well as Wine and Golf. We ship from different locations throughout the US allows us to service you in timely manner no matter where you live such as Houston TX, Jacksonville FL, Seattle WA, Atlanta GA, San Diego CA and Las Vegas, NV. Also ask questions and receive free golf advice on the golf swing or golf products from a PGA Professional at The Wireless Golf Coach Blog.

Do You Know Of A Trunk Locker For My Car?

Since I play many different golf courses, I usually have my golf clubs in the trunk of my car. In addition, I have the rest of my golf gear in my trunk as well. do you know if there is like a trunk locker that would help keep me organized?


The Izzo Trunk Locker will answer your needs. The Izzo Trunk Locker would make playing golf easier for you as well as organize and protect your golf and sport gear while it is in the trunk of your car! The Izzo Trunk Locker features:

• easy access storage compartments


• triple shoe closet with mesh ventilation panels


• easy-pull over sized zippers and rigid wall dividers

Find this and other golf equipment at VGS Golf.

Where Should My Hands Be At Impact?

I have been taking golf lessons, but I just can't seem to keep my hands"loaded" at impact. I always want to flip at the ball instead of having my hands forward of the club at impact. What is a good golf drill to correct this. Help!!!

Typically when someone "flips" at the ball, they are not rotating all of the way through to their target. Their body stops and their hands and arms "flip" to get to the ball. Try this golf drill: Take some golf swings with a wedge or a 7 iron. As you finish, make sure that you are all of the way up on your back toe and the sole of your shoe is pointing behind you. You should be able to sustain this for three seconds without losing your balance.

In addition, you have too much tension in your wrists, elbows and shoulders. You should be pulling the golf club and not trying to push it. Take your regular grip and make a gun or a pistol with your thumb and pointer finger. We want them off of the golf club. Take some practice swings with your grip in this position and this too should help you feel more rotation as your hands can not "help" as much anymore.

Visualize Better Golf Shots

I am a low handicapper and struggle with visualizing the golf shot that I am getting ready to hit. What can I do differently to help me?

You can start at home or at work, if you are the boss. Look at a picture or golf print that you have on the wall. Now close your eyes and explain the picture or piece of golf art in as much detail as possible. While your eyes are closed zoom into the picture and zoom out to make sure you can catch all of the details.

Another way to improve how you visualize a golf shot is to picture something outside such as your car. What color is it? Is it clean? What about the particulars of your new rims or how the interior is laid out? Where is it parked right now? Can you "see" yourself opening up the door and sitting in the seat and turning the key and driving out? You get the picture (haha). Again, get as picky and descriptive as you can. Practice with items that you know very well and have good recall on these items.

So now that we are the golf course how are we going to visualize a golf shot? As we go through our pre-shot routine, we will gather all pertinent information such as lie of the golf ball, wind direction, obstacles in our landing area, etc. As we gather this information, we will need to pick out a golf club that will allow us to hit the shot needed. Will we need a draw or a fade? Watch it! You are starting to visualize a golf shot. Once the proper club is chosen, then see yourself hit the golf ball from you swinging the club until the ball has finished rolling.

Okay, some of you are still screaming that you can not visualize a golf shot. Here is the most simple way to do it. Simply tell yourself, your caddy or the little guy on your shoulder what you are getting ready to do. Many do not see this as visualization because you are talking through the golf shot. Talking through the shot that I am about to hit has helped me immensely as I used to be one of the players who could not visualize a golf shot.

How Do I Check My Golf Alignment?

I have been having trouble being aimed properly at my target. I feel like I am making a good swing but my shots are starting out to the right. How do I check my golf alignment?

Since golf alignment is a main golf fundamental to each and every golf shot, here are some simple exercises that you can quickly and easily do to check your golf swing alignment.

First, prepare to hit a golf shot as you normally would and make sure you are comfortable. Now that you are ready to make your golf swing, place a tee directly behind each of your heels and push both tees all the way into the ground. Now move away from your setup and place a club's shaft over both of the tees to create a straight line. Now, go behind your ball and look down the target line. Does it match what you thought?

This golf alignment exercise shows you exactly where you are aligning your feet. If your pictures do not match, then you can simply change or move the tees so they align correctly and then setup with the tees touching the back of your heels. If you were not aligned properly, do not be surprised that when you setup to your next shot with your heels properly placed that you will feel that you are aimed somewhere else. If your feet have been aligned incorrectly for a while, then it will feel quite strange when you do align them correctly. Keeping track of your alignment, your new feet position will become second nature in no time at all.

The Wireless Golf Coach at VGS offers golf products under the categories of Golf Art, Golf Books, Golf Equipment, Golf Fitness Equipment, Golf Full Swing Training Aids, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Launch Monitor, Golf Picture Frames, Golf Training Aids, Ladies Golf, Practice Net, Putting Golf Training Aids, Tee Gift, Wine and Golf, Golf Course Supplies as well as Restaurant Supply. In addition, find free golf articles about the Full Swing, Golf Club Fitting, Golf Equipment, Golf Fitness, Junior Golf, Ladies Golf, Mental Game, Putting, Short Game

We have customers throughout the US such as Lubbock, Texas, St. Petersburg, Florida, Halifax, Virginia, Orange Park, Florida and Beaufort, South Carolina. Also ask questions and receive free golf advice on the golf swing or golf products from a PGA Professional at The Wireless Golf Coach Blog.

What Is The Best Weighted Practice Training Club?

At VGS Golf, we often get asked all of the time "What is the best practice training club to use as a training aid?"

These players are usually looking for more distance and are surprised when they start hitting it straighter as well. After using many different weighted golf clubs with our students, we have found that the best practice training club is Golf Gym's Club 38.

Golf Gym's Club 38 is a weighted club which weighs approximately 2.4 pounds. Unlike many other weighted golf clubs, the weight of the Club 38 has an exclusive design which distributes the weight as it would be in a standard golf club, with half of the weight towards the bottom third of the golf club.

Benefits of this full swing training aid which is the best practice trining club are:

· The weight being in proportion to a standard golf club, the club will give you a realistic feel of what your golf swing should properly feel like.
- You will learn to swing the golf club on the correct path.
· Increased strength which will lead to more distance off the tee and with your irons.
· Improved balance which will also lead to more distance off the tee and with your irons.
· Increased flexibility or range of motion which will lead to more distance off the tee and with your irons.

The Wireless Golf Coach at VGS offers golf products under the categories of Golf Art, Golf Books, Golf Equipment, Golf Fitness Equipment, Golf Full Swing Training Aids, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Launch Monitor, Golf Picture Frames, Golf Training Aids, Ladies Golf, Practice Net, Putting Golf Training Aids, Tee Gift, Wine and Golf, Golf Course Supplies as well as Restaurant Supply.

We have customers throughout the US such as Madison WI, Riverside CA, Pittsburgh PA, Wichita KS and Denver CO. Also ask questions and receive free golf advice on the golf swing or golf products from a PGA Professional at The Wireless Golf Coach Blog.

What should I consider when looking for new set golf equipment?

What should I consider when looking for new set golf equipment?

VGS Golf has written an article to answer your question. Here is a bit of it and you can find the rest of the article on the Website at VGS Golf.

How do I find a qualified club fitter? I would retort with how do you find other professionals like doctors, dentists, etc.? Ask other fellow golfers, your friends and co-workers about experiences they had had good or bad. Also contact local golf shops and ask to speak to a qualified fitter. Ask him or her how the process of the club fitting will go and make sure you are comfortable with the professional. Once you have found your golf club fitter, it is important that you armed with the proper questions to ask your fitter. In addition, remember the fitter is there to help you so do not be afraid to ask any question you might have. The proper questions to ask prior to or during your fitting are as follows:
· Is the professional certified by a major manufacturer to fit their clubs?
· How experienced is the PGA Professional?
· Will I be fit outdoors to see the entire ball flight?
· Does the PGA Professional have a fitting cart or multiple fitting carts with what you are looking for (Mens, Ladies, steel, graphite, right-handed, left-handed clubs) available?
· What will the session cost?
· If I purchase the clubs from you, will the cost of the club fitting be put towards the purchase?
· Will a launch monitor be used during the session?
· How the professional came to the conclusion of your specs? Make sure you understand how the conclusion is achieved and make sure you understand the logic.

The Wireless Golf Coach at VGS offers golf products under the categories of Golf Art, Golf Books, Golf Equipment, Golf Fitness Equipment, Golf Full Swing Training Aids, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Launch Monitor, Golf Picture Frames, Golf Training Aids, Ladies Golf, Practice Net, Putting Golf Training Aids, Tee Gift, Wine and Golf, Golf Course Supplies as well as Restaurant Supply.

We have customers throughout the US such as Mesa, Arizona, Fresno, California, Atlanta, Georgia, Norfolk, Virginia and Baton Rouge Louisiana. Also ask questions and receive free golf advice on the golf swing or golf products from a PGA Professional at The Wireless Golf Coach Blog.

Golf Mental Game - How To Relax

Do you have suggestions for how to relax on the golf course? I am starting to play in tournaments and I get to be very nerous and do not play to my potential. any advice would help!
We will not just give you any advice! Use these techniquies and you will be able to relax on the golf course and lower your scores!!! Here is a portion from our article "Golf Mental Game - How to relax" posted at VGS Golf.

Monitor your walking pace - again, this is very effective and can be done at anytime. Most of us do not care about going to the mall however, you might earn some bonus points with the spouse and you would be able to monitor what is a slow, comfortable or fast pace for you. Try walking at different paces during the day and monitor how your body feels at the different rates.

Monitor your breathing - this is very effective and can be done at anytime. We all have started breathing faster (whether we knew it or not) on the first tee, on the ninth green before a big putt or on eighteen to win a match. It is useful to catch yourself at home while you are relaxed and monitor your breathing in such a state so you have a baseline.

Ensure humor and fun are part of your round - this is sometimes harder to do than others. Even if sometimes you have to laugh to yourself, I have always found it possible to do though. At the club level, if you are not having fun in team events, then you need to find a new partner. I have found that most people want to enjoy themselves even at the "higher" levels of the game.
Focus on your pre-shot routine - once you have a routine ingrained then this is a good way to click into auto-pilot. It is critical that your routine is repetitive and does not waver. A change could cause anxiety and mis-trust in your golf swing.

Whistling or singing - Fuzzy Zoeller is infamous for his whistling while he is on the golf course. I tend to do this myself on the course from time to time to blow some steam. I have tried not to sing as it may result in a two stroke penalty if anyone else heard me sing! It may work for you though.

Picture a calm place - sounds corny to some but it works. My in-laws live out in the country in Kentucky. While we are there, I walk everyday and there is a big barn that sits on tops of a hill in the distance. These walks are very relaxing. The Kentucky quarter happens to have a picture on the back of the coin that reminds me of that barn I look at on my walk. When I mark my ball with it, I am able to remember my relaxing walks and I can feel my body relax. This place might be the beach for you, your back yard or a sunset. The point is it does not really matter as long as it relaxes you.

The Wireless Golf Coach at VGS offers golf products under the categories of Golf Art, Golf Books, Golf Equipment, Golf Fitness Equipment, Golf Full Swing Training Aids, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Launch Monitor, Golf Picture Frames, Golf Training Aids, Ladies Golf, Practice Net, Putting Golf Training Aids, Tee Gift, Wine and Golf, Golf Course Supplies as well as Restaurant Supply.

We have customers throughout the US such as Fort Wort, Texas, Boston Massachusetts, Omaha, Nebraska, Cleveland, Ohio and Chula Vista California. Also ask questions and receive free golf advice on the golf swing or golf products from a PGA Professional at The Wireless Golf Coach Blog.

Email us back and let us know how it goes!!!

Help Me Hit Solid Pitch Shots

Why do my pitch shots not get up into the air and what can I do about it?

The reason your pitch shots or any golf shot does not get into the air is simply that the very bottom of your club is making contact with the ball and not the club face (where the grooves are)

Here is a simple golf drill:
Place a ball on a tee and make a swing. If the tee does not move, you either completely whiffed of hit the golf ball with the bottom of the club. The ball flight should have been flat.

Try it again with out the tension in your shoulders and allow the club head to work under the golf ball. Your goal should be to get the fourth groove under the equator of the golf ball. when this happens your tee should come out of the ground or at least be pushed towards your target. In addition, your ball flight will be much higher.

The Wireless Golf Coach at VGS offers golf products under the categories of Golf Art, Golf Books, Golf Equipment, Golf Fitness Equipment, Golf Full Swing Training Aids, Golf Gifts, Golf Greeting Cards, Golf Instruction CD, Golf Instruction DVD, Golf Launch Monitor, Golf Picture Frames, Golf Training Aids, Ladies Golf, Practice Net, Putting Golf Training Aids, Tee Gift, Wine and Golf, Golf Course Supplies as well as Restaurant Supply.

We have customers throughout the US such as Grand Rapids, Michigan, Gilbert Arizona, Knoxville Tennessee, Grand Prairie, Texas and Vancouver Washington. Also ask questions and receive free golf advice on the golf swing or golf products from a PGA Professional at The Wireless Golf Coach Blog.

How Do I Determine How Good My Lie Is?

When I miss a green, how do I determine how good my lie is and what type of golf shot to play?

Good question that not many people pay attention to. The rule of thumb is to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible. With this being said the more grass that is behind your ball, the more you should try to chip it, if distance allows that. If not then you must pitch the golf ball. Even when pitching the golf ball, you must determine how much grass is behind your golf ball. the more that is there, then you need to play it towards the middle of your stance and not to the front of your stance. The ball will come out lower and with less spin. You will need to factor this into your shot to get it close to the hole.

Where Is The Weight On My Left Foot At Impact?

I have a question about the impact position. I am a low handicapper and am struggling with whether my weight should be on the inside or outside of my left foot at impact. Which is it?

As you go through impact, you should feel the weight under the shoe strings of your left foot. Your weight may roll towards the outside of your left foot to take some pressure off of your knee. Learn more about the correct impact position by reading golf articles on the full swing at VGS Golf.

What Does Sliding During My Golf Swing Mean?

Can you tell me what "sliding during my golf swing" means?

This is a good question and one many people do not understand. A Slide in your golf swing would be defined this way: Any extra lateral movement of the lower body towards the intended target during your downswing. There are training aids that can help you with this such as The Transfer Station by Izzo Golf. Read more articles on the how not to slide during your golf swing or how not to sway in your golf swing at VGS Golf.