Left Shoulder Lag Move
Golf Downswing Left Shoulder: Learn the Lag Drill
This golf downswing left shoulder drill teaches you to delay the shoulder stretch and create more lag. Learn the proper timing to add power and distance without disrupting your swing.
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Feel the stretch in your left shoulder for better downswing timing
- Practice creating lag later in your swing for increased distance
- Avoid casting the club by learning proper shoulder movement
Tyler Ferrell. Golf Digest Best Teachers in California, 2026-27. The only person named to both Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America and Best Golf Fitness Professionals lists. Author of The Stock Tour Swing.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
So this drill is the left shoulder lag drill, so this is to feel the stretch
2
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.220
through the left shoulder that should happen on the downswing. What most golf
3
00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:09.420
ers
4
00:00:09.420 --> 00:00:13.600
do who don't hit it as far as they'd like is they create the big stretch with
5
00:00:13.600 --> 00:00:18.280
the shoulder at the top of the swing and then instantly start closing it as
6
00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.920
they start down. What golfers who hit the ball longer way do is they create
7
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:24.160
that
8
00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:29.160
same amount of stretch but they do it later so that when it closes it closes
9
00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:33.640
faster. So the feeling is pretty simple if you bring your left hand out in
10
00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:33.840
front
11
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.280
of you if you're right hand a golfer and you with your palm slightly down bring
12
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.320
your arm across your shoulder like so. Now if I was to I feel a little bit of
13
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.360
stretch in my in the back of my shoulder but if I was to then pull it across my
14
00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:53.160
body a little bit more I could feel a bigger stretch. When you should feel that
15
00:00:53.160 --> 00:00:57.840
pull is in the downswing so if you were to go up towards the top of the swing
16
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.820
that lower body moves and then that upper body starts to move and you can see
17
00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:07.120
that that upper body moving creates that stretch in the downswing. If you go to
18
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.160
the top of the swing and you've got a big stretch here and you automatically
19
00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:14.040
start releasing it the weight of the club is going to continue out and you're
20
00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:18.200
going to have the cast pattern that costs you so much distance and yardage. So
21
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:18.920
you
22
00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.400
can practice this at home of just kind of bringing your arm across this 45
23
00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:27.720
degree and then turning your body into that impact position turning through the
24
00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:32.340
arm instead of letting the arm load down and you'll get a better idea of how to
25
00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:38.040
load that left shoulder properly if you're trying to maximize your power.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
So this drill is the left shoulder lag drill, so this is to feel the stretch
2
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.220
through the left shoulder that should happen on the downswing. What most golf
3
00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:09.420
ers
4
00:00:09.420 --> 00:00:13.600
do who don't hit it as far as they'd like is they create the big stretch with
5
00:00:13.600 --> 00:00:18.280
the shoulder at the top of the swing and then instantly start closing it as
6
00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.920
they start down. What golfers who hit the ball longer way do is they create
7
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:24.160
that
8
00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:29.160
same amount of stretch but they do it later so that when it closes it closes
9
00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:33.640
faster. So the feeling is pretty simple if you bring your left hand out in
10
00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:33.840
front
11
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.280
of you if you're right hand a golfer and you with your palm slightly down bring
12
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.320
your arm across your shoulder like so. Now if I was to I feel a little bit of
13
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.360
stretch in my in the back of my shoulder but if I was to then pull it across my
14
00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:53.160
body a little bit more I could feel a bigger stretch. When you should feel that
15
00:00:53.160 --> 00:00:57.840
pull is in the downswing so if you were to go up towards the top of the swing
16
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.820
that lower body moves and then that upper body starts to move and you can see
17
00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:07.120
that that upper body moving creates that stretch in the downswing. If you go to
18
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.160
the top of the swing and you've got a big stretch here and you automatically
19
00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:14.040
start releasing it the weight of the club is going to continue out and you're
20
00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:18.200
going to have the cast pattern that costs you so much distance and yardage. So
21
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:18.920
you
22
00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.400
can practice this at home of just kind of bringing your arm across this 45
23
00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:27.720
degree and then turning your body into that impact position turning through the
24
00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:32.340
arm instead of letting the arm load down and you'll get a better idea of how to
25
00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:38.040
load that left shoulder properly if you're trying to maximize your power.
Tyler Ferrell. Golf Digest Best Teachers in California, 2026-27. The only person named to both Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America and Best Golf Fitness Professionals lists. Author of The Stock Tour Swing.
Left Shoulder Lag Move
Golf Downswing Left Shoulder: Learn the Lag Drill
This golf downswing left shoulder drill teaches you to delay the shoulder stretch and create more lag. Learn the proper timing to add power and distance without disrupting your swing.
After this video, you'll be able to:
- Feel the stretch in your left shoulder for better downswing timing
- Practice creating lag later in your swing for increased distance
- Avoid casting the club by learning proper shoulder movement
Video Transcript
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
So this drill is the left shoulder lag drill, so this is to feel the stretch
2
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.220
through the left shoulder that should happen on the downswing. What most golf
3
00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:09.420
ers
4
00:00:09.420 --> 00:00:13.600
do who don't hit it as far as they'd like is they create the big stretch with
5
00:00:13.600 --> 00:00:18.280
the shoulder at the top of the swing and then instantly start closing it as
6
00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.920
they start down. What golfers who hit the ball longer way do is they create
7
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:24.160
that
8
00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:29.160
same amount of stretch but they do it later so that when it closes it closes
9
00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:33.640
faster. So the feeling is pretty simple if you bring your left hand out in
10
00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:33.840
front
11
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.280
of you if you're right hand a golfer and you with your palm slightly down bring
12
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.320
your arm across your shoulder like so. Now if I was to I feel a little bit of
13
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.360
stretch in my in the back of my shoulder but if I was to then pull it across my
14
00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:53.160
body a little bit more I could feel a bigger stretch. When you should feel that
15
00:00:53.160 --> 00:00:57.840
pull is in the downswing so if you were to go up towards the top of the swing
16
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.820
that lower body moves and then that upper body starts to move and you can see
17
00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:07.120
that that upper body moving creates that stretch in the downswing. If you go to
18
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.160
the top of the swing and you've got a big stretch here and you automatically
19
00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:14.040
start releasing it the weight of the club is going to continue out and you're
20
00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:18.200
going to have the cast pattern that costs you so much distance and yardage. So
21
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:18.920
you
22
00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.400
can practice this at home of just kind of bringing your arm across this 45
23
00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:27.720
degree and then turning your body into that impact position turning through the
24
00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:32.340
arm instead of letting the arm load down and you'll get a better idea of how to
25
00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:38.040
load that left shoulder properly if you're trying to maximize your power.
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
So this drill is the left shoulder lag drill, so this is to feel the stretch
2
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.220
through the left shoulder that should happen on the downswing. What most golf
3
00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:09.420
ers
4
00:00:09.420 --> 00:00:13.600
do who don't hit it as far as they'd like is they create the big stretch with
5
00:00:13.600 --> 00:00:18.280
the shoulder at the top of the swing and then instantly start closing it as
6
00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.920
they start down. What golfers who hit the ball longer way do is they create
7
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:24.160
that
8
00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:29.160
same amount of stretch but they do it later so that when it closes it closes
9
00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:33.640
faster. So the feeling is pretty simple if you bring your left hand out in
10
00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:33.840
front
11
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.280
of you if you're right hand a golfer and you with your palm slightly down bring
12
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.320
your arm across your shoulder like so. Now if I was to I feel a little bit of
13
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:49.360
stretch in my in the back of my shoulder but if I was to then pull it across my
14
00:00:49.360 --> 00:00:53.160
body a little bit more I could feel a bigger stretch. When you should feel that
15
00:00:53.160 --> 00:00:57.840
pull is in the downswing so if you were to go up towards the top of the swing
16
00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.820
that lower body moves and then that upper body starts to move and you can see
17
00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:07.120
that that upper body moving creates that stretch in the downswing. If you go to
18
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.160
the top of the swing and you've got a big stretch here and you automatically
19
00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:14.040
start releasing it the weight of the club is going to continue out and you're
20
00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:18.200
going to have the cast pattern that costs you so much distance and yardage. So
21
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:18.920
you
22
00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.400
can practice this at home of just kind of bringing your arm across this 45
23
00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:27.720
degree and then turning your body into that impact position turning through the
24
00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:32.340
arm instead of letting the arm load down and you'll get a better idea of how to
25
00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:38.040
load that left shoulder properly if you're trying to maximize your power.
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