Lag is easily one of the most-difficult concepts for amateur golfers to understand. Not only do most players not understand how to create lag in their swings, they don't even understand why they should worry about it in the first place. The average golfer thinks they just need to swing their arms down into the ball as fast as possible in order to create long drives and powerful iron shots. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. If you hope to add significant distance to your shots and increase your swing speed effectively, you will need to maximize the efficiency of your swing. That means ensuring that the fastest point in your swing is right at the bottom – and that means learning how to use lag correctly.

It is important to hold your lag in the downswing because it is the only way to maximize the power in your golf swing. Many golfers chase extra yards by working on their fitness or changing things like stance and grip, but it really comes down to the lag you are able to maintain coming into the ball. If you waste your lag early in the downswing, you will never live up to your distance potential – however, if you can learn how to manage that angle correctly prior to impact, you could start to launch the ball farther than ever before.