That's not what Martin calls this drill, but it teaches you how lag feels as you start your downswing. I think it's one of his better drills.
This idea of using the little finger and thumb of your lead hand to teach your trailing hand what lag feels like is brilliant. Note that you don't hold this lag past waist high on your downswing, and realize that you probably won't get anywhere near this much lag during an actual swing. In fact, the club shaft will likely point straight up at waist high or lean just slightly toward your trail shoulder.
But this is the feel you want as you start down!
Martin wants you to hook your little finger over the shaft and touch your trailing shoulder with your lead thumb to hold a steady lag from the top of your swing to that waist high position on your downswing. You don't actually swing like this, so you can use this drill indoors or on the course or anywhere you have enough headroom.
How exactly does this work?
The best way I can explain it is that you learn how to pull your hands straight down while your arms actually push your hands slightly away from your body. This is a move most players make naturally when they hold a ball or racquet in just one hand, but it's trickier to learn when you hold the club's grip with both hands at the same time.
When you use both hands at once, your trailing elbow actually drops just slightly lower than your lead arm as you start your downswing. But that's something that is difficult to do consciously. The most effective way to learn this move is simply by feel. Martin's drill teaches you how this move feels in your trailing wrist. Once you understand that feel and can replicate it easily, you grip the club with both hands and let your trailing wrist 'teach' your lead wrist how the move feels.
Yeah, I know -- it's a bit difficult to put it into words. But it's pretty easy to reproduce once you know how the move feels, and this drill will help you learn that.
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