When I do the club throwing drills, my form looks great AND I can throw the club at my target. But when I watch the club throw in slow motion, I can see that the club face is wide open through where the impact area would be.
Do you have any advice as to that AND also how to incorporate this into an actual swing b/c for me I cannot get the same feel/look/form when I am actually hitting a ball.
Haha, there we go! See the first video in the “consistency series” and then see “important grip update” video. Then use “ goldie locks series”and close the face to 90 degrees if you need to to get the ball to curve to the left and FEEL THAT. Then adjust the grip and club face until you see the ball flight you want. If the ball still does not turn left; IT IS THE RELEASE and the latest “release update” and “snap release polish” videos are in order!
Hey Shawn, watching this based on the swing analysis you did for me. You said I was losing my tilt at the top of the backswing. I’ve been try to get more behind the ball and keep tilted into the top of the backswing but its seems now I am hitting really weak fades and shanks with this type of setup. Maybe I’m getting too behind the ball or over tilting? Any thoughts?
Newby here….why don’t we want the intermediary point to be “straight” every time? Why left edge, right edge? I can imagine dog leg left and right where we need the ball to fly left or right (fade/draw), but I’m always trying for “straight to the pin”. Please direct me to the training that’s going to teach me this right edge/left edge. Much to learn here, and I thank you in advance for your reply.
Hello Gary! A straight ball happens less than 1% of the time; it is either a fade or a draw so it’s important to choose and practicing both will balance the swing very nicely; see “fade fine tuning” and “draw fine tuning” and have a couple of fun sessions on the range delivering and experimenting with both. Next you want to apply a nice task to that; either cut grass in the direction you want to start the ball; throw into a nice release in that direction; squeeze the ball through a door frame in that direction etc; so see all the “task” videos to choose the one that resonates better for you and then get back to us and tell us which direction you struggle with after some practice,
I have a deeply ingrained habit of flipping the trail hand to square the club, so when I try this grip ball goes left left left (playing righthanded). Do you recommend sticking with a strong grip or doing what comes “naturally”?
do you know where your release is? Have you tried throwing the club with the 2 tees in the way and then put the ball on the first tee and then throw the club again with the 2 tees in the way? See “target confirmation series” and “stick your finish despite the ball series”
My release: I do get some amount of shaft lean (i.e. the shaft and lead arm line up shortly after striking the ball). But the trail wrist is NEVER flexed at impact except for very slow swings and half shots, and my trail arm is just about straightened at impact or shortly after. Sort of looks like Vijay Singh’s impact position.
I will try your suggestion. Like I said, my “brain” squares the club with trail wrist flexion and has forever. This is such an ingrained pattern for me and leads to (I think) a lot of inconsistent ball striking (fat/thin) b/c the margin for error is so small.
I have spent years trying to change this pattern and nothing has really worked. If I could get the same form I see throwing the club when I am actually hitting a ball, I would be ecstatic.
See it with “collect the ball from here and release it over there” and not as AN IMPACT. The golf ball contact with the club is an ELASTIC COLLISION, the ball flattens slightly and stays on the face for a while before leaping off it.
intellectually aware of this and have tried every. single. cue. task. aid. method. but my body has its own self organizing in place that is stubborn to change.
Hi Shawn – this comment is a bit misplaced but I watched the last YT vid of the Sav/Nancy Lopez move and was wondering how to reconcile with your advice to keep the toe up at address. Trying to get in the correct position before yielding to gravity….
Hi Peter! This is not for everyone; this is what works for some with VERY STRONG GRIPS like Savy. You could see I was able to replicate it easily to prove it works but it does not mean everyone should go there as many need the posture to cut grass and stay down with the shot. Now if you do go that route, please don’t worry about the toe of the club coming through the grass deeper than the heel; many of my low handicap students have a lie angle that is toe down through impact and it does and it does not impede their abilities to ball strike. All too often I see students gripping the club very badly because they are TRYING TO GET THE CLUB FLAT ON THE GROUND FIRST AND THEN GRIPPING THE CLUB WHICH IS THE DISASTER IN THE MAKING FOR THEIR GRIP. See more clearly now?😀
Hi Seb; we are never trying to use anything to meet a golf ball; the ball is YOUR INTERSECTION ON THE WAY PAST THE IP INTO YOUR PICTURE. See “blur of club” and “arc blur unstoppable momentum series”
Big Ah-ha moments of here! Just like you predicted. Slow and low is changing my game. Finally feeling the knife the grip in the top and followthrough. Thanks Shawn!
This Battering Ram drill has helped me with my strong tendency for years to cast the club in the downswing resulting in loss of lag and distance, hitting fat shots and coming over the top. This drill especially with its emphasis of swinging the weight of the arm/club unit to get the butt of the club to drive thru the “door frame” with forward momentum pulling out toward the target in front of my left thigh has really helped my swing. My initial driving range trial today using these Battering Ram drill concepts has stopped fat shots and achieved increased distance and on the intended target line. Thanks for this drill.
Do the swing concepts used in the “Battering Ram” drill and “Shawn’s new Favorite drill” apply to the greenside bunker swing except that the setup is different at address with club in center of stance, forward ball position, shallow angle of attack,,and open clubface ?
Use a 7 iron and go to the “draw fine tuning” video; get that ball to snap hook like crazy and feel that compression when it happens; then come back to the driver and do the same!
Shawn,
Do you have a specific exercice to have the feel of the second pendulum? I need to maximise the centrifugal effect to get better contacts. I have tried some tasks but can’t feel the second pendulum at its full potential.
Shawn, ive been shanking and coming from the top on demand, no matter how much if focus on the task.. so i went closed stance and the tendency to hit from the top is gone.. though im pulling my shots .. i think its just the timing of my release because its like more of a power draw rather than a straight pull to the left . my question is do the convention parallel stance block the path of my downswing causing me to hit from over the top regardless whether im target focused?
This is very cool feedback Christian! Take this stance we call the “diagonal stance” and first see this series of videos (diagonal stance series) and then see “blur of club” and “arc blur unstoppable momentum series” to direct the momentum where you want the shots to go!
HI Shawn,
Thanks for this slow motion video.
One thing I have always found difficult with this drill is that I feel like I have not enough room to hit the nail proprely.
See the image, the hammer is like hittting the side of the nail 😀
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