I practice this drill as often as I could.
I took videos of myself doing it. Without a ball and using the perpetual motion (cutting some grass), the swing plane is quite nice. When I put a ball, it’a different image with the hands trailing the club at the beginning of the backswing and a very flat swing plane. At the downswing, the club is in plane with the ball.
These different pictures question me.
Is there a way to «forget» that the ball is here ? (quite funny to ask this since the game is all about throwing a ball to the target). For me, It’s easier to cut some grass using the club without stopping when there is nothing on the way of the club. It’s a different thing to have a ball in front of you. I imagine there is something to do with the mental picture of the movement.
Thanks for your help.
Pierre
I’m confused. Are you saying we should now focus on our dominant side? I am right handed and thought the left side was the side to focus on which is why you had us slashing through a melon with a sword. I recall you made a video years ago and found you were more accurate on your non-dominant side.
Hi Neal! It can and cannot apply to you; many golfers have a trail side that they have trained to be “connected” and end up having it collapsed and they need a nice feel to compare it to to confirm they are doing it well. What you ultimately want is when you are playing, you have your flight plan and a nice feel to deliver into that flight plan.
Hi Mike!
It simply means you still have an open face dynamically. Just had a lesson last night where my student was delivering nice draws with irons and then when the woods came, he was slicing. Because the Centre of Gravity and the Centre of Mass is different, AND THE FACE is round instead of flat, many factors change for the eyes. He was using a much weaker grip and a much more open face than with his irons and when I had his close the face just enough to go with a nice draw, which the GC Quad told us after it was 0.3 degrees closed at impact, he thought it was 30 degrees more closed than his irons.
So, close the face 30 more degrees, deliver your “arc blur” through the tip of tee on the way up and in the direction of the intermediate point and out into the picture AND SEE HOW IT FLIES. Do a serious goldie locks with it and really let it go and see what the shot looks like WHEN YOU STAY ON TASK. Enjoy!
Hi Shawn, I’m a new member to premium but have been watching your videos on YouTube for many years. Love the way you teach, it makes so much sense and the results are so empowering! I’ve been diving deep into the videos here on premium for a couple of weeks and am striking my irons (even long irons :)) crisper than ever before. Thank you so much!!! But I am having some terrible trouble with my driver – in particular, I keep hitting big pull-hooks and snap-hooks. Sometimes I seem to over-correct and hit a big slice and end up on the wrong fairway. Getting tired of taking my medicine and chipping back into play with the second shot. Any idea what might be going wrong? Paul
See the latest “throwing series” and check out the “hammer throw driver” which is the last of the series.
Keep your strain down!! You want to approach the driver like a solid second serve in tennis; not a long drive competition.
Shawn
Thank you so much for your fast reply! I will check those videos out tonight. I played in my local club competition today and hit the ball more consistently than ever, just thinking “let it fall, get out of the way” and “cut the bamboo shoot” out to the IM point. With 10 pars I shot 10 over and won the comp (42 points). Massive turnaround from a couple months ago when I could not hit a clean shot for the life of me. Thanks Shawn, I’m super committed to Wisdom in Golf now!
I have experimenting with lifting the lead foot heel at the top of the swing to give a better shoulder turn for the full swing. I noticed that your student doesn’t do this. Do you have a video that addresses this issue? When to do this, and when not to allow the heel to come off the ground.
He should be doing it now!! 😝😝
My left handed swing cannot function without the heel coming off the ground; allowing this to happen has helped so many of my students!! See “heel up or heel down in the backswing shawn clement” on youtube
Shawn
Shawn – I have been trying to settle in my putting rhythm (and brain) to timing to stroke with my breathing… inhale (take the putter back)…. let it go with the momentum… exhale. Does this make sense?
NO!! One human breath is 5 seconds; one putting stroke is less than 2. Does not jive and is something your self preserving machine does at 40 Million bits of info per second. If you focus on that, you simply distract and sabotage the machine. You can’t be focused on your breathing and timing that to the stroke and focus on reacting to the way you want the ball to roll into the hole at the same time.
Shawn,
When we grip the club you mentioned we should have 3 knuckles showing on the left hand. If we close the face a bit and then put the club square to the intermediate point, then we go to a stronger grip.. Is that correct? It seems like more knuckles are showing when we square the club face.
Correct! Apply the acid test by letting the swing release into the direction you want to start the ball and see how the ball flies; if the pattern is to satisfaction, you found the grip; if the ball flies with too much curve either way, adjust by removing or adding a knuckle OR by opening or closing the clubface.
Hey Shawn – I have started down your putting road by changing my grip – I have done left-hand low for a long time and I interlock my grip as I do with the full swing. What I did was to do a double interlock and that has restricted my ability to manipulate the putter during the stroke – forcing me to give the putter over to gravity.
The ramifications of that are learning distance control – not all that hard surprisingly, but it is also pointing out to me that I did a lot of face manipulation during the stroke when I felt like things were not quite right. Now I just have to trust it. The thing that got me tonight (in round 1) was the fine speed control. I had a few putts that ran out of gas and just missed and I left one short.
I am sure you are going to say to give it time, but are there any specific things I should be doing to make sure I stay on track and get this new technique down? I have quite a few putters and it seems that a larger grip is better suited to this technique ( I have an Edel E1 putter with a Pure grip that is a constant cross-section – it seems to relax my hands). I tend to change putters a lot – I assume this is a big no? Just stick with one, or can I change from time to time when I feel like benching a putter. Sorry for the bombardment of questions. I am intrigued by the results from trying this.
Wow – answering my own question 🙂 I was watching the Putting – Stroke & Distance Control video again and there was something in there that really helped with my accuracy. It was gripping the club more tightly so my “Y” can move from the shoulders – that feels WAY more stable than the weaker grip I used tonight. It is amazing to putt and have no hand manipulations going on 🙂
For me the grip size is big – I can not seem to get a good grip on the club with a thinner grip. It can be a pistol or tapered but has to be a larger cross section. – thanks again Shawn, you have helped my game immensely.
I’m looking forward to practicing this, Shawn. One of the biggest issues I’ve had with my swing since I started golfing 7yrs ago is that I tend to “C” at the top of my swing and my upper body and head get out in front of the ball on my downswing. I can “manage” it as I’ve gotten myself to a 7 handicap over the years, that being said, the head and upper body position being correct could save me a few strokes a round by not losing a driver off the tee or a long iron approach (these tend to be the worst clubs with that bad position I get in).. I’ve taken dozens of lessons and I’ve never had this issue explained more clearly than watching this video. Thank you.
Hi Shawn, before I joined your site I had a few lessons from a coach who had me all cramped up!! I have 37 inch arms. lost all kinds of power. Since joining your site, I feel liberated and free. I am hitting my gap wedge 140 yards with ease!!
I don’t understand why more coaches don’t use this analogy with their students. Would make life alot easier for us.
Thank you so much for giving me back my swing.
paul
You bet man! Stay tuned right here and we will keep moving through wonderland easier and with more consistency with every passing month! Teaching golf at the club has never been so easy and fun where every student that comes through walks out with a smile and says: “I knew you would find the issues and fix them; just did not expect to get them fixed so soon!
Shawn
I was practicing to predict contact and cutting grass as I’m throwing the club. But I still have trouble contacting the grass properly. Should I be picturing, throwing the club back, then the cutting of the grass at the club’s low point (several inches in front of the ball), then throwing the club forward? Also, I’m able to see the blur of the club without the ball but I seem to lose track of tracking the blur once the ball is laid down.
Hey Calvin!
You cannot make sure of contact ever!!!!!!
The priority is: IF YOU THROW THE CLUB IN THE DIRECTION YOU WANT TO START THE BALL, YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE LOW ENOUGH TO CUT GRASS AT GROUND LEVEL. Eyes on grass not ball.
Throw the club into a full release and then see how the contact was, not see how contact was and then figure out if you stayed with it. See “target confirmation series” and see “trust your swing” too
Hey Shawn!
It seems that you almost come to a complete stop at the top of your backswing. Is that something that I should attempt to do to get better transition and rhythm? Is there a video that would best help with slowing everything down . Just need consistency especially off the tee! Penalty shots are killin me
I noticed how much I was not finishing my swing when I did this drill. I did the drill for a few weeks and with some success.. When I play, I cant’t shake the thought of finishing my swing and getting rid of the alligator arms just after impact. Even when I do stay with the target and hit decent shot, afterwards I notice the ‘short arm’ and lack of follow thorough. How do you fix a swing without focusing on it…
You need to let the swing EVOLVE around your new focus! In the meantime, see “open up the machine on the golf course” and “trust your swing” videos on premium!
If the course you play is pristine and intermediate points are hard to find, take a practice swing 6 feet back from the target with the ball as the intermediate point and send a nice divot in that direction. The ensuing debris created by this will fall in front of the ball and give you all the intermediate points you need! 😀👍🤛💪
Mu has a very nice swing. I noticed he holds a considerable amount of lag coming into impact thus allowing him to release deeper into the follow thru. Casting is one of my faults that creeps into my swing on occasion.. I feel the need for a firm grip and a driving trail elbow inorder to maintain this lag. I’m convinced more lag equals more distance. Any thoughts on this
Great video yinz
Thank you
Next week’s pitching video on “perpetual motion” will take a deeper dive!
However, if you throw the club in the direction you want to start the ball, and film yourself doing it from face on, you will see “tour caliber” lag. All you need to do after that is throw without letting go with the prediction that the ball is in the way!
See “throwing the club” and “predict contact” and the “goldie locks series”
From [email protected] on Feet Together Drill
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Feet Together Drill
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Feet Together Drill
Go to commentFrom Neal Ward on TURBO CHARGING TRAIL HAND RELEASE
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on TURBO CHARGING TRAIL HAND RELEASE
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on TURBO CHARGING TRAIL HAND RELEASE
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on TURBO CHARGING TRAIL HAND RELEASE
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Driver
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Driver
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Driver
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Driver
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Backswing Series
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Backswing Series
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on FLOW STATE SERIES INTRO-PUTTING
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on FLOW STATE SERIES INTRO-PUTTING
Go to commentFrom Dominic Macedonia on The Grip - Part 3
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on The Grip - Part 3
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on FLOW STATE SERIES INTRO-PUTTING
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on FLOW STATE SERIES INTRO-PUTTING
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on FLOW STATE SERIES INTRO-PUTTING
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Head Position and Turn
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Head Position and Turn
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Head Position and Turn
Go to commentFrom on Football Drill
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Football Drill
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Predict Contact
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Predict Contact
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on Rhythm Training - Part 4
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on Rhythm Training - Part 4
Go to commentFrom Paul Haber on At Home Rehearsals
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on At Home Rehearsals
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on PERPETUAL MOTION DRILL SERIES-CHIPPING ACTION
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on PERPETUAL MOTION DRILL SERIES-CHIPPING ACTION
Go to commentFrom [email protected] on 5 more MPH with this release
Go to commentFrom Shawn Clement on 5 more MPH with this release
Go to comment