3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 9N

10-19 (Lag Loading)

The corresponding Chapter 7 translation can be found HERE.

Lag loading basically goes into how the golfer lags the clubs. As Homer Kelley stated, 'lag' is the secret to golf. More importantly, sustaining the lag is the secret to golf. I think we pretty much understand what lag is, but for those who don't, it's when something trails behind something else. In the case of the golf swing, it's when the clubhead trails behind the hands. However, you can use lag in the backswing as well. The clubhead still trails behind the hands, just going in the opposite direction in the backswing.

Homer goes into Radial and Longitudinal acceleration of the clubshaft. Radial moves on a radius or a circle. Longitudinal moves more linear. He also states radial and longitudinal acceleration are mutually exclusive.

Radial Acceleration = Hitter

Longitudinal Acceleration = Swinger

Lastly, Homer specifically states that 'hinge action does NOT differentiate Hitting and Swinging.' That's important to note. *Most* swingers use horizontal hinge and *most* hitters use angled hinge. But they are not mutually exclusive like Radial Acceleration and Longitudinal Acceleration are.

So here are the 3 different ways to lag load the club (aka how a golfer can lag the clubshaft).

DRIVE LOADING (HITTER)

Drive loading is used by the hitter and is the 'axe handle' technique - an out-and-out right arm thrust. Basically you are 'throwing a punch' with the right arm straight at the ball from the top of the swing.

Homer notes that his procedure requires a S-L-O-W startdown. Why? Because it's very important for the golfer to allow the hips to slide a little bit first so they can get the right shoulder on plane on the downswing and thus eliminate the OTT move. People getting into hitting can struggle with the shanks because they don't have a slow enough start down and the right shoulder winds up getting well above the plane causing a drastic OTT move.

Homer notes that 'clubhead throwaway' is usually due to the golfer over-accelerating the clubhead.

Lee Trevino was a classic 'drive loader' who was fantastic at avoiding over-accelerating the clubhead and keep pushing with the right arm thru impact.



It's always tough to tell exactly what a golfer is doing unless you ask them, but other examples of 'drive loading hitters' IMO are:

Tom Lehman
Kenny Perry
Nick Price
Alvaro Quiros

Downstroke or (Float) Loading (Swinger or Hitter)

This has been discussed here in this blog many times before. Homer states that the wristcock in 'float' loading doesn't occur until the startdown of the downswing. However, the general consensus seems to be in the TGM community that you can have wristcock in the backswing and still float load by basically adding more wristcock in the downswing.

Hogan seemed to be a great example of having wristcock in the backswing and then still 'float loading' in the downswing:


So, I label Hogan a 'float loader', but not a 'true float loader' who in my mind is a golfer who doesn't cock the left wrist until the downswing.

A big part of float loading according to Homer is the right elbow. According to Mr. Kelley, the downswing cocking action is limited to the increasing of the right elbow bend. So, the more the right elbow can bend in the downswing, the more one can float load the club.

In order to accomplish float loading and having room to bend the right elbow on the downswing, the golfer usually needs a very wide takeaway. Lucas Glover is a float loader and take a look at his swing with a very wide takeaway, which allows him room to bend the right elbow and cock his wrist on the downswing.



Homer Kelley states that with float loading, usually 'quitting' (the hands and arms stop moving forward towards the target and the wrists 'flip' thru) and/or a collapse of the Wrist alignments are usually what causes the float loader to have club throwaway.

I've seen many TGM people say that float loading is a 'swinging' procedure, which is not the case according to what Mr. Kelley wrote in the book. Basically Homer states that float loading needs to 'set up' either a drive loading (hitter) or drag loading (swinger) procedure after the wrists have fully cocked on the downswing.

On a personal note, I've also noticed many TGM people, even AI's that are not the biggest fans of float loading. I actually think it's a wonderful procedure to use if you can get pretty good at it because it helps make throwaway more difficult to accidentally produce and also helps with maximizing trigger delay, which usually helps a lot with power.

Famous Float Loaders include:

JB Holmes
Sergio Garcia

Drag Loading (Swinger)

Drag Loading is the 'rope handle' technique of the swinger where the golfer makes an out-and-out pull from the left side and the pivot. The reason why it's called 'the rope handle technique' is that Homer says the golfer here pulls the club straight down with the left arm/left side/pivot, akin to somebody pulling the rope down to ring one of those large, medieval time bells.

Homer states that the startdown for the drag loader is 'quick' compared to the drive loader which is S-L-O-W. He said the club should be drawn down quickly like a person taking an arrow out of a quiver.

I find that the issue with people struggling with a drag load is that they usually pull too much with the left arm and don't pivot enough. So you may want to feel a lot of pivot and *some* pull with the left arm, but more of the 'pull' being a function of guiding the club along its correct path instead of using the pull to power the club.

In other words, use your pivot to power the club and use your 'pull' with the left arm to guide the club.

Most of the PGA Tour has used the drag loading technique over the years, in part because popular golf instruction has revolved around the drag loading technique.






3JACK