We Tried It: The Lag Shot Driver Swing Trainer

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

What We Tried

Lag Shot Driver Swing Trainer

Who Tried It?

Dave Wolfe – MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. I am always looking for ways to improve my game and fight off the impact of aging.

If The Lag Shot Iron Worked, How About The Lag Shot Driver?

The Lag Shot iron swing trainer was one of the pleasant surprises of 2021. Indisputably, 2021 was full of surprises but not many of them were pleasant. I didn’t really know what to expect from the Lag Shot iron. As it turned out, the trainer with the bright blue shaft not only helped me improve swing tempo with my irons but also became something I continue to use.

My driver swing, like my iron swing, is not quite Tour-ready. For much of 2021, it was actually quite atrocious. I unleashed passable drives on the range but preposterous drives on the course—like 45 degrees right and three feet off the ground. Yes, I did at that point get help from my old pro. Not to get too far into his diagnosis but my shoulders, hips and feet couldn’t agree on their angles at address. After that lesson, things improved significantly but power suffered as fear of the big miss kept me from swinging freely. Power is not something I have to spare these days.

Enter The Lag Shot Driver

I mention my driver swing issues to give you some reference as to why I was so compelled to try the Lag Shot driver. Like I said, I made some progress using the Lag Shot iron. Could the Lag Shot driver help me to put that going-to-quit-golf tee shot behind me? Would using the Lag Shot driver allow me to trust my swing and get a little pop back on the ball?

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What is The Lag Shot Driver?

Like the Lag Shot iron, the Lag Shot driver is a club with a little more heft and a more flexible shaft than a normal driver. Just look at the head droop in the photo above. The shaft is super flexible. As for its purpose, Lag Shot markets the driver along the same lines as the iron, claiming it promotes ideal tempo, sequencing throughout your golf swing and boosts lag so you can hit longer, more accurate golf shots.

If you are thinking that it sounds like the Orange Whip trainer, you are not wrong. The big deal about the Lag Shot driver, compared to my beloved Orange Whip swing trainer, is that you can hit balls with it. As you’ll see in the driving range reports below, I really put that hitting balls claim to the test.

Testing the Lag Shot Driver: Yes, I Watched the Videos First

When I tested the Lag Shot iron, I just headed to the range and started smacking balls. This time around, I watched the instructional videos before I went to the range. Like the Lag Shot iron, when you buy the Lag Shot driver, you also get access to instructional videos provided with the Scratch Golf Academy app access. The Scratch Golf Academy is run by Florida golf instructor Adam Bazelgette. That’s him in the video above. He has a great vibe and the videos are helpful.

One of the videos claimed the Lag Shot driver can help shallow out your driver swing. I did not know this was a benefit and got more than a little excited since my swing steepness is a known area for improvement.

Testing the Lag Shot Driver: Range Session 1

Unlike my more ephemeral experience with the Lag Shot iron, this time around I wanted to see some performance data. Could I gain distance off the tee? Driver distance matters. Near as I know, there is no such thing as Long 7-Iron competitions. Thankfully, Voice Caddy was willing to loan me a Swing Caddy SC300i Personal Launch Monitor for the duration of my testing. Psyched for greatness, I went to the range. I set up the Swing Caddy, turning off the voice component since my yardages are my business (aka Short Knocker Shame).

Sadly, I think the comment from the stranger in the next range stall best sums up the session: “Do they have a good return policy?” Asking this as he moved a few spots down range from me. No joke. My swings caused him to move away.

I had warmed up as usual, going from wedges to driver. I recorded about 10 driver swings on the Swing Caddy and then cued up the Lag Shot driver. It was at this point that I became a menace. Balls went everywhere. Most of them were six inches off the ground and forward about 80 yards. Essentially, I had about 180 degrees of dispersion.

From there, I alternated sets of the Lag Shot driver and my driver, hoping to see something happening that didn’t require Kevlar for the spectators. Such was not the case that day. I had a strong compulsion to heave the Lag Shot driver out into the range and pretend it was all a nightmare.

Testing The Lag Shot Driver: Subsequent Range Sessions

Session Two was a whole new experience. Again, I warmed up and recorded initial drives with my driver. With zero confidence, I moved to the Lag Shot driver.

What a difference. Balls still went all over the place but somehow I was figuring out to swing the club. Low and slow—that was the tempo. Basically, I focused on swinging the club flatter, since that is what it was supposed to promote. This time, when I went back to  my own driver, shots were noticeably more flush, with impact more toward the center of the face.

Subsequent test sessions were similar. Sure, I still bounced a few balls off the right fence and had a day where every drive with my real driver was a big hook. That said, I continually gained confidence controlling the Lag Shot driver. Eventually, I was able to swing it rather than steer it. According to the Swing Caddy, some of the drives with the Lag Shot were actually landing within the distance boundaries of my normal driver. That was a big surprise.

What About The Swing Caddy Data?

“I’ve got a smoother takeaway, better transition, more lag, and I’m 20+ yards longer.” Jackson H., Lag Shot Customer

This is where data hounds are going to be disappointed. While the quote above crows about significant yardage gains, I saw nothing I would call statistically significant. What I did see, though, was an increase in the average distance. While top-end pop wasn’t going up, the number of short knocks decreased. I’m not going to say this was totally due to the Lag Shot driver. It could be a result of so much driver practice on the range. Ruling out the influence of the Lag Shot driver seems silly, though. I hit many a ball on the range when I was dealing with driver despair and those reps didn’t make things better.

(Note: The Swing Caddy and its associated app were impressive and easy to use. The unit requires you to turn it on, select the club, place it a few yards behind the ball and it is then ready to record. The app is the best part. It records everything. You can easily look at sessions from various days. As far as using a personal launch monitor at the range, the Swing Caddy was a breeze. Unexpectedly, it did motivate me to swing a bit harder during practice, focusing on swing speed and distance more than I would have without its data.)

On-Course Post-Lag Shot Driver Observations

While all of this range testing was happening, I continued to play rounds out on the course. I am now hitting more fairways and I’d argue a bit deeper than before. I can feel the Lag Shot training effect on my driver swing. When I feel the club move more around my body, I’m hitting better shots. That’s the Lag Shot driver feel for me. When I lose that feeling, all bets are off.

The guys I play with have noticed the difference. During my struggles, they initially offered advice, then began averting their eyes in case my swing proved contagious. I’m hearing more comments of “nice drive” than the usual, “Well, you can still make bogey from there.”

Overall Impressions of The Lag Shot Driver Swing Trainer

I can’t claim I gained 20 yards but I know I have gained consistency on the range and, more importantly, on the course. Sure, this would all sound more convincing with numbers. I get that. I do fully expect my yardage to increase with continued usage and trust in my swing.

Do you need a Lag Shot driver? That decision is up to you. Do you own an Orange Whip but wish you could hit balls with it? That’s a plus for the Lag Shot driver. Do you suffer from inconsistent driver swings? Do you want to build some strength? In addition to being whippy, the Lag Shot driver is also heavier than a usual driver. Your driver will feel quite light after a Lag Shot session.

I have a similar final take as I did with the Lag Shot iron. I can feel my swing change after I use the Lag Shot and the change is producing better on-course results. Maybe I can’t quantify the yardage gains but my scores are lower since I started using the Lag Shot driver. As far as I’m concerned, that is the most important statistic.

Find out more about the Lag Shot driver at lagshot.com.

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