Instruction

Is Lag Slowing Your Swing Down?

In my last article, “Who is the Greatest Driver of the Ball, Ever?” we introduced the techniques that separate the longest drivers of the golf ball from most amateur and tour players. We established that the turning and thrusting system of the legs, pelvis and torso is the motor and primary energy generator in the golf swing. The supple arms wind tightly up and around this system on the backswing, and then simply react to it and unwind on the through swing creating a slinging effect. The energy from the turning and thrusting system is transferred through the arms and club shaft, creating tremendous escape force out to the club head. Being that the wrists are the key joints that connect the arms to the club, they understandably play a key role in the golf swing.

Published

12 years ago

Oct 20, 2014

Tom Duke

All too often I see players at the range, and even as part of a pre-shot routine, setting an angle with the wrists between the forearms and club shaft and preserving that angle in a pumping action as they rehearse their swing. Very often I’ll inquire with these players what they are doing and why, and it is always the same response:

“I want to hold the angle and delay my release for as long as possible, to create lag…you know, avoid the cast.”

This becomes the perfect place to begin our examination of the role of the wrists in the golf swing.

So let’s talk a little more about “lag” and “release,” as these are hot topics and much disputed in the world of golf instruction. How to generate lag and its importance is frequently debated in golf circles as it is widely accepted to be a key facilitator of club head speed. Modern swing viewpoints are that lag is created by “holding the angle” between the club shaft and forearms for as long as possible, or “delaying the release” of the wrists into impact.

The term “lag” is defined as “a failure to respond in a timely fashion to inputs.” “Holding” and “delaying” are terms describing restrictive forces requiring some type of tension, and indicate an interruption in movement. We would never ask someone cracking a whip or casting a fishing rod to “hold” or “delay” anything, in fact, we would encourage them to do just the opposite. Just as it would be absurd to suggest to the greatest sprinter in the world, Usain Bolt, to hold off on his top speed for the first half of the race, but then really turn it on towards the end of the race.

We only have so much time and circular path distance in the golf swing to maximize the speed of the club head, and we need to take full advantage of these time and distance parameters.

I prefer to describe “developing lag” as simply the full “loading” of the wrists, forearms and elbows. Maximum loading is the result of tension free wrists, forearms and elbows hinging and rotating their complete, natural range of motion. The more tension we have, the less likely these joints will move through their complete range of motion, and as a result loading will be decreased.

The facts are that in the downswing, the earlier and faster we begin “unloading” the wrists, forearms and elbows, the more time and distance there is to turbo charge the slinging arms that are reacting to the bigger circular forces being generated by the turning and thrusting system. Therefore, the trick is to completely load the wrists, forearms and elbows on the back swing — we don’t have to wait for the lag to be created on the downswing — so that we can unload and compliment the slinging action of the arms from the very top. This gives us more time and circular distance to advance the shaft and increase club head speed.

The importance of the turning and thrusting system serving as the primary energy generator (with the wrists, forearms and elbows serving as the turbocharger) can not be overstated. This is evidenced by comparing the top long drivers with the top PGA players. According to Dr. Greg Rose from the Titleist Performance Institute, PGA players have a rotational force of about 900 degrees per second and world class long drivers are at about 1300 degrees per second. At the same time, long drivers have considerably more thrust, which creates the hip vault that results in de-weighting them at impact as compared to most tour players, who are considerably “heavier” at impact. Combine these rotational and thrust force advantages with a more complete loading and an earlier unloading of the wrists, forearms and elbows results in the dramatic distance differences between the two groups.

A good visual to help understand how to release the fully loaded wrists, forearms and elbows earlier and faster is the chore of beating the dust out of a carpet hanging from a clothes line. For our purposes, we are going to use a golf club. Would you finish the chore faster by holding the angle of the wrists as the arms pull across the body, making contact with the carpet with the butt of the club and hand unit or left elbow? Or, would you be more effective using your turning and thrusting system to sling the arms into the carpet at tremendous speed, while the wrists, forearms and elbows unload considerably earlier serving to further advance the shaft so that the club head slams into the carpet? Just as the second scenario will get you finished with your chore faster, it will also help you increase your club head speed and distance.

Release is when the lag or load created begins to reverse itself, or “releases” into the mirror image. It is the moment these wrist, forearm and elbow positions reverse themselves that is considered the full “release” of the club.

Players who try to hold angles or practice “pump” drills to improve their release are fighting a losing battle. Every repetition they practice this technique is actually reducing the time and circular distance they have to build up speed. They are actually slowing their club head speed down by delaying the release. Instructors use this same “pump” drill on beginners to get them to eliminate “casting” the club. Casting the club being a bad thing is another age old instructional misnomer. Why do we cast a fishing rod? To get the lure (or in golf’s case, the club head) moving as fast as possible so it can fly further. The casting actions of the elbows and shoulders are very similar to the proper arm movements in the golf swing; they just occur in a different plane.

Note: Notice that I didn’t include the wrists, because casting uses a wrist pivot which needs to be avoided. More on this in a subsequent article.

Jack Nicklaus said, “There is no such thing as a cast, just a slow lower half.” So, as golfers wrongly try to eliminate the “cast,” what they should really be doing is focusing on activating and accelerating their turning and thrusting system.

In short, our turning and thrusting system is slinging the unwinding arms out to the ball, as the straightening of the right elbow, supination of the right forearm and unhinging of the wrists are turbocharging the club head and advancing it further along the circular path. We are slinging the arms and throwing the club head with the wrists at the same time — a key to the tremendous distance generated through the Wind and Sling golf swing.

In Memoriam

Last month I posted “Who is the Greatest Driver of the Ball, Ever?” In it, I highlighted the accomplishments of the Legend of Long Drive, Mike Dunaway. Thank you for your overwhelming response. Sadly, my friend and mentor passed away on September 29th, 2014 at the age of 59. Please click here and check out the video tribute of his life and his love for golf.

Hit’em long and straight forever, Mike. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Swing in peace.

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Tom Duke

Tom Duke is the Founder of Wind and Sling Golf Swing (WindandSling.com) and The Original Golf Company, and developer of the No-Roll Release™ Swing Trainer. He is a swing coach and long drive specialist who has trained extensively under the tutelage of Mike Dunaway, who many consider the greatest driver of the golf ball in history. Duke holds a Masters in Business Administration from George Mason University, and is certified by the internationally recognized AO Foundation for Intraoperative Spine and Orthopedics. He earned Collegiate All-America, is an Ironman Triathlete USA, and a proud benefactor to the St. Judes' Children's Hospital.

14 Comments

Alan Harris

Jan 23, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Your approach to the question leads to ambiguity.
Issues in the analysis and subsequent discussions seem to hinge on word definitions and the intended context. The only certainty is in the physics, primarily the physics related to angular momentum and it’s conservation.
“For the same body, angular momentum may take a different value for every possible axis about which rotation may take place.[12] It reaches a MINIMUM when the axis passes through the center of mass.”
The hands are involved as a lever (force multiplier) and a determiner of the radius and axis of rotation. Up until impact is the opportunity to build angular momentum. And at that point ,to have ideal contact the determiners (radius and axis is fixed). Angular momentum is maximized when the ratio between the distance the hands travel and the distance the clubhead travels is maximized.
The trick then is to know how to properly manage the axis in order to have built to maximum angular momentum by the point at which it is needed. (and we know that no angular momentum is being built at the point where the axis of rotation passes through the center of mass.
The swing is a physical system. Model it, apply the physics and you’ll have an unambiguous answer.

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Toño

Oct 22, 2014 at 1:53 am

I think that they are getting crazy out there with the definitions. The LAG is caused by the inertial forces, the extension of the dual lever( palo wrist Wrist arm) by the centrifugal force ,the acceleration of palo is parametric and this is produced by the movement of the shaft and this moves thanks to the ground ( 3 law of Newton ). Now if you want to develop explanations of each of the parties.

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Ewan S Fallon

Oct 21, 2014 at 2:27 pm

Sorry but Mike Dunaway learned from Mike Austin and never did match him. Austin and Colsaert were and are the longest drivers with the least effort. Neither use rotation to get velocity, instead used a crack of the whip to accelerate the clubhead. The hands are slowed and cause this acceleration. A rotating system cannot slow the hands as the hips rotate without causing a flip or a wild slice.

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Anon

Oct 20, 2014 at 11:03 pm

To eliminate casting, don’t go as hard from the top of the swing. Smoothly accelerate from the top and your wrists will unhinge naturally at the bottom of your arc. Casting comes from trying to accelerate from the top of the backswing too quickly.

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Brandon

Oct 20, 2014 at 6:21 pm

truth be told, golf is the only stick/ball sport on the planet where lag is seen as a power producer. The pic of Mr. Duke above at impact with the rug is almost the same exact impact image that you would see a MLB slugger in at perfect impact. They are not holding the head back at all when their hands reach the ribcage on the way down.

If you hold the lag, you eliminate the part of your free swinging leverage in the pendulum that is accelerated by gravity. It costs a golfer his “Freddie Couples” easy distance. If lag was really that much of a power producer, then why aren’t Lucas Glover and Sergio the longest on tour. JMHO though.

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- Mark
  
  Oct 21, 2014 at 12:31 pm
  
  You need to reevaluate your thoughts on baseball. Lag is THE power producer in baseball. Extension is a myth, it occurs after the ball has left the bat (don’t believe me? Google any picture of a homerun hitter when ball is in contact with their barrel). The top hand is bent, sometimes even at 90*, at contact.
  
  In addition, I have an issue with the biomechanics of this article. Lag will never slow down your swing. Ever. Not releasing it can cause issues, but look at the wording…. Release.
  
  You don’t physically force your club head onto the ball with hands and arms. This is a push move and is biomechanics lily in effecient. Lag works because it creates the opportunity for torque multiplication. As you coil, the hands continue to work back for a split second longer than your body. This results in multiple locations of torque in your swing. The body transitions from loading to unloading and your hands are either a) working back and on plane, or b) delaying their forward move. Either way you get that torque (felt as a stretch or tension) and as you ultimately progess to the ball you release the torque into the target with your hands and arms supplying control but not power.
  
  Don’t believe me? Thrown a jab then throw a hook. Which one has more force? Jab is a push with your arm and relies on your arms ability to accelerate the hand. The hook gets body involved and your arm is working back as your body turns forward. TORQUE!!!!!!
  
  In fact, if your hands push early, you break the kinetic chain you just created with your body and the club ends up with less impact force.
  
  Still don’t believe me? Force = mass x acceleration. Acceleration is the change in velocity over time. The more lag you maintain, the more your club head accelerates into impact (it changes speeds more rapidly in a shorter time), and the more force you apply into the ball.
  
  Still don’t believe me? Go hit balls with your arms and enjoy less distance and more slice. (Slice because the hands getting early extension causes path issues).
  
  Every single stick sport relies on lag. For that matter, so does every sport period. Lag simply is the body’s way of creating torque and it is the most biomechanicly effecient move for organic power production.
  
  I’m blow away every time I meet people who don’t get this. Let your body do the naturally designed movement. Effeciency is beauty.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Tom Duke
    
    Oct 21, 2014 at 3:11 pm
    
    Thanks for your reply and interest Mark–interesting perspectives.
    
    In every stick sport, the arms, in accordance with angular momentum must move away from the turning force towards full extension. They have to, unless that natural path is redirected with tension. In fact, the tighter the arms and club are winded around the turning system, the less slack there will be in the system and the faster they will ultimately exit away once they react to the turning force. This is why every MLBB power hitter’s left arm is fully extended at impact, as is every golfers.
    
    The right arm is also on its way to extension, as it is unloading as described in the article. Most often, still photography captures impact where the right elbow has not quite made it to full extension, but it is working that way–this is why the biggest bombs in baseball and golf are hit when the right elbow has gone from flexion to almost full extension (at which point the left elbow begins to fold, as both arms should never be straight in any stick and ball swing at the same time). This is why “throwing the head” is a big time coaching point at the major league and other advanced levels in the game of baseball–the same action detailed in the beat the carpet drill. “Throwing” anything requires the right elbow and wrist to go from flexion to extension (pushing), while the forearm rotates. So the arms are slinging around to the ball while at the same time we are further advancing the shaft and head through the unloading of the right arm–there is nothing being held or delayed. Please don’t take too big of an issue with these biomechanics, as guys like Cruz, Stanton and Trout, along with the likes of Joe Miller and the longest drivers in the world would be out of business–and I love watching them sling and throw the head!
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Mark
      
      Oct 21, 2014 at 3:56 pm
      
      I played in the major leagues 2010/2011 and minors for 7 seasons. I’ve watched literally every player you mentioned… Not one of them has extension at contact. None. Not on a good swing at least. They do sling the bat… I guess I just don’t agree with the lag definition. In baseball, or golf, lag is the barrel or club head maintaining it’s angle in relation to the body as you approach contact.
      
      In golf, the ball doesn’t move, so the extension can occur earlier to gain a straighter path, but in baseball, there is actually more lag than golf. It allows for adjustability.
      
      The extension is a product of the hand following thru at impact. It’s not at all what causes or imparts power/force.
      
      By definition, elite athletes are biomechanically effecient, that is what makes then elite.
      
      Efficiency allows for the most force with the least effort. No one that throws hard pushes the baseball. Nobody that hits for power pushes the barrel. Like you said yourself, they whip it.
      
      To whip it you have to first lag it and then release. The release will result in extension.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Mark
        
        Oct 21, 2014 at 4:10 pm
        
        To clarify. I am talking about top hand (right arm for a right handed hitter) not being extended. The left arm is extended, but only as a product of being across the body and in the opposite side of the chest from the ball. But neither arm is extended towards the incoming ball. To do so would force the player to hit the ball further out front and decreases the ability to let the ball travel. This increases relative velocity of incoming pitch. That’s not a good thing. It’s actually talked about a bunch of how good hitters stay “tight to body” with the lead arm, whereas poor hitters force bat out front. In addition, the left arm for a right handed hitter does very little in good hitters. It’s fairly straight through the whole swing, and if it extends, it does so in the opposite direction relative to the pitch. There is a reason why Latin hitters dominate the game today. The American kids are instructed poorly to push the barrel and the Latin kids, getting less instruction, actually develop more naturally effecient swings. Efficiency is natural, but if you practice bad swings enough, then you program bad habits and lose your natural effecientcy.
        
        Go look at the best hitters, their top arm is bent at contact, and that is ideal. In golf, the ball is further away from you and below you, so you do reach some as you release, but you still cannot force barrel forward and whip it. They are opposite processes and whipping it from a lagged position creates more acceleration an force.
        
        Reply Report comment
      - Tom Duke
        
        Oct 22, 2014 at 12:11 am
        
        The various interpretations of certain words can make written discussions like this difficult.
        
        Extension in the elbow is considered “the bringing of limbs into a straight position, or to full length”–(nothing to do with positioning them with the shoulder). Note I specified in my last reply “left arm fully extended…right elbow has not quite made it to full extension, but it is working that way”.
        
        In every one of the photos that follow of the Long Drive World Champs and the baseball players referenced, you will see the left arm is fully extended and the right arm very much on its way there…if not all the way there in Miller and Winther. And while I did not achieve your level of success in pro ball (I was a 4th rounder long ago), all of these swings would be considered very good to great by the players performing them.
        
        In any throwing motion, a key part of the motion is the elbow going from flexion into extension (as well as the scapula going from adduction to abduction). Being that the elbow is a simple hinge joint, it can only function in a straight line. (The rotational characteristics of the forearm and shoulder allow it to be perceived as it is working in something other than a straight line.) Accelerating this straight-lined extension of the right elbow with the tricep plays a key role in our unloading, and does in fact lead to bat/shaft advance that further accelerates the primary slinging action created by the turning and thrusting system of the legs, pelvis and torso that runs out the drive shaft of the “connected” left arm to the club head. The arms react to the turning and thrusting system (not outrace it), which allows our left arm to be extended, but still partially winded across the torso so we can come into impact more off the right hip as demonstrated in the carpet beating photo from the article, and in all the photos below. It is also why world class long drivers reduce the angle of the right elbow at the top considerably more than most tour players as they recognize the importance of elbow extension as part of our “unloading” to increase head speed. I encourage you to take a club and go beat a carpet…first with both arms straight…then with a little hinge in your right elbow, and then with as much hinge as you can put into the right elbow and see which “style” of beating delivers the fastest strike. So I guess we are going to have to disagree that the extension “is not at all what causes or imparts power/force”.
        
        Some great shots here, sorry I couldn’t link them…good luck!
        
        http://www.mygolfway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/REMAX-WLDC2012.jpg
        Ryan Winther, World Champ
        http://www.hititlonger.com/images/uploads/blog/JoeMillerRelease2.jpg
        Joe Miller, World Champ
        http://thesportscrave.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/stanton.jpg
        Carlos Stanton
        http://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/mike-trout1.jpg?w=441
        Steve Trout
        http://190.9.128.163/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/miguel_cabrera_2.jpg
        Miguel Cabrera
        
        Reply Report comment
  - jim jones
    
    Oct 21, 2014 at 6:47 pm
    
    You have to retard the pivot or shoulder rotation in order to release from a conscious delay of the uncocking of the wrists. This will also not allow you to get your body mass through the ball. Also Centrifugal acceleration increases exponentially so the sooner the acceleration begins the better. Also there are different releases of the wrists. From the top you ulnar deviate the left wrist to get the club moving but you still maintain the dorsiflexed right wrist so that snap of the wrists happens at the bottom with the clubhead already travelling very fast, so in esscence you’re rapidly accelerating an already fast moving object and increasing the hypothetical mass of the club with the mass of your body coming through as well.
    
    Reply Report comment
CD

Oct 20, 2014 at 5:05 pm

I think you mean probation of the right forearm not supination?

Excellent article though. People in my op. mistake cause and apparent, visual effect.

I think it is almost as bad a practice move (‘holding the angle’ pump drill) as stopping the club at impact to look and see if it is square. Block and hook city for both.

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- Tom Duke
  
  Oct 20, 2014 at 8:24 pm
  
  Hi CD..thanks for the comment. The “unloading” is a blend of the right elbow going from flexion into extension, the right forearm supinating (thumb goes to the right on the way down, as if you are turning a doorknob to the right), and the right wrist going from extension into flexion. Which means on the backswing, we need to fully load these movements just the opposite-hinge the wrist and elbow while the right forearm pronates (turns doorknob to the left). We try and eliminate pronation or any rolling of the forearms until after we have fully “advanced the shaft ” and released the the club head as described after impact.
  
  Reply Report comment
Philip

Oct 20, 2014 at 2:59 pm

Jack Nicklaus said, “There is no such thing as a cast, just a slow lower half.” So, as golfers wrongly try to eliminate the “cast,” what they should really be doing is focusing on activating and accelerating their turning and thrusting system.

That is what I recently found for myself. I always questioned if I was casting whenever I hit fat, but what I find is that if I ensure I start from my lower body I don’t hit fat. I only “cast” per say if I throw my arms at the ball due to a set-up issue (usually too close to the ball) that prevents my natural trigger “push and pivot” from my legs.

I just have to keep reminding myself of that so that I don’t mess with my swing when I’m not sequencing properly.

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Instruction

How to play your best golf when the temperature drops

Published

3 months ago

Feb 3, 2026

Brendon Elliott

The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.

“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.

If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.

Understand What Cold Does to Your Game

Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.

Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.

Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.

Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing

Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.

Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.

Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.

Take More Club Than You Think You Need

This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.

The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.

Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.

Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens

Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.

Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.

Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.

Embrace the Mental Challenge

Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”

That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.

Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.

Warm Up Longer and Smarter

This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.

Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.

The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

Instruction

3 lessons from Brooks Koepka that’ll actually lower your score

Published

3 months ago

Feb 2, 2026

Brendon Elliott

Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.

What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.

So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.

Stop Overthinking Every Shot

Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.

This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.

How to actually do this:

On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.

Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.

If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.

This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.

Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)

Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.

Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:

Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.

Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.

Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.

Save Your Best for When It Counts

Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.

How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.

Here’s what actually works:

Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.

Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.

Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.

The Bottom Line

Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.

You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.

Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.

Instruction

What we can learn from Blades Brown’s impressive American Express performance

Published

3 months ago

Jan 29, 2026

Brendon Elliott

Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.

Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.

Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee

Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.

Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.

Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.

The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.

Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens

This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.

How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.

Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.

Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.

When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.

Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient

Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.

He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.

Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.

Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.

Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.