Hi from the Wisdom in Golf Team!
If you are getting this page you are:
1-NOT LOGGED IN
2-NOT A MEMBER? Sign-up here.
3-Or this is an exclusive Eagle video and you are not an EAGLE MEMBER, if you wish to upgrade and get a monthly analysis from Shawn, upgrade here:
What is Wisdom in Golf
Shawn Clement, one of the top 20 youtube teachers and the only one recognized for teaching without body part or positions, drives the ball over 300 yards both right-handed and left-handed and breaks par from either side, and is also the only one who ever qualified and played world-ranked events with 1/2 left and 1/2 right-handed clubs in the same bag! He is the ultimate expert on golf instruction!
He and his team will show you how to play to your full potential with our Online Golf Lessons Academy...
Check Out our Subscription plans for the complete Golf Video Series with Shawn.
Hi Shawn,
Only been playing 7-8 months. Your videos have really helped me with my irons. Occasionally I still have some issues staying centered… sliding instead of turning. My driver is another story. I can’t seem to get a decent launch angle. Playing the ball just inside my lead foot and I get 0-4° LA. Move it to just off my big toe and I top it. Think I hit the ball with the sole once or twice. Any ball that gets off the ground has a huge slice to it. I half expect it to come right back around like a boomerang. Tried a crazy closed face… the face would point at the ground if I stood upright with the club out in front of me and I still slice it. Tee height is about 2.5 inches. I tend to favor a nuetral
to strong grip due a bad broken wrist when I was young that now makes anything weaker uncomfortable after a few swings. Release “feels” like its towards the target. Should I use a taller tee? Tried once or twice and the ball didn’t go anywhere… I hit all tee. Fairway woods off tee slice also off the deck though and I can get small draws. As is I don’t even pull the driver out of the bag when playing a round. Throwing a lot out there but any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks
No worries! It took me 3 years into my golf to start BENEFITTING from a driver; I used a 4 wood everywhere and became really good with it; the key is the skipping off the deck and becoming really good with that first; and when you tee up the fairway wood, you tee it very low and still focus on skipping along the ground with the sole of the club!
Then get a 10.5 degree driver and tee it low and play it like a 4 wood off the deck. Always focus on how the wide sole will skip along the ground as you whip it towards the target. Master that and then you can get to higher tees and play with the launch and spin to optimize the driver.
Shawn
Ok, so I shouldn’t worry too much about the driver right now till I get better with the fairways off the deck. What are your thoughts on the draw settings with adjustable fairways for a beginner? My thought process has been to leave them in the neutral position while I develop my swing. Thought adding too much draw bias would mask manipulations I might be adding to the natural club path.
Exactly; and the adjustements is an either or right now as your swing will evolve anyways! 😀👍
Hi Shawn, really enjoy the way you explain the swing. With driver I struggle to control the club face when I really let the momentum of the club go and throw the club towards the target (open face). All other clubs I have much better face control. On video I tend to keep everything ok in backswing however the club falls open during downsizing and needs to catchup right at impact. Would appreciate any recommendations on how to improve this. Cheers!
Hi r.a.!
This one is easy! You said perfectly in your comment!
If you feel the need to close the face MANUALLY in the downswing, then your club face is too open to begin with! Please see the first video on my “consistency series” and the “weak grip vs strong grip shawn clement” video on youtube, an oldie but goodie!
Happy New Year!
Shawn
Hi Shawn, Your teaching method is fantastic. In this video it looks like you have most of your weight on your left leg from beginning to end. Can you please confirm your weight distribution? Thanks Tom
Thank you Tom! Weight is 60-40 in favour of the front side; ready to throw towards the target!
Hi Shawn, I have a driver head that a buddy gave me after he broke the shaft. I removed the shaft, and I am trying to decide what kind of shaft to put in it, and I remember you saying how much you like your steel driver shaft. Can you explain what the benefits are to a steel driver shaft?
They just don’t make good enough steel shafts anymore for the drivers now; which one did you get?
I decided to get the one from Matt’s driver fitting video–the Mitsubishi Kuro Kage with the stiff flex. My current driver has an extra stiff flex because I used to really try to hit the ball, and thus swung much too hard 10/10. Since I have really been trying hard to let gravity guide my swing, and only give a little extra nudge with the kinetic chain by sinking a bit when my left foot grabs the ground, I really feel like I’m around your preferred 3/10, but I’m not sure I’m reaching the 7/10 on the speed that you advocate. I hit the ball with a nice fade or draw, but I’m carrying it 230-245 compared to the rare occasion I would hit a good one before out to 290-300. No complaints from me though, being in the fairway at 230 is much better than ob or deep in the trees which is where most of my drives would end up when I was trying to kill it with the rare lucky straight one when all the stars aligned. Now I pick a target, shot shape, and more often than not giving over to gravity takes me there. I just have to pick closer targets now. Thanks for changing golf for me Shawn, I only wish more people understood how simple it can be, because this is the best game ever created when you know where the ball is going.
Right on Chris; you will get the hang of it and start getting better distance soon! Stay on task and it will come! Shawn
Shawn,
My issue with the driver is that since the ball is on a tee it seems to “throw off” where I perceive my intermediate point and because of this I default to the ball often. Don’t have this with any other club including fairway woods so I know this isn’t due to the length of the driver. I think this is due to the fact that I’m not quite sure where to place my eyes. In other videos you have said that the eyes are on the tee, but is that the middle of the tee or the point where the tee enters the turf or something else? By far my driver is the weakest club in my bag. I try to stay on task but because of these couple of short circuits it’s difficult.
Place 2 tees about 6 inches apart on the ground; see the blur of the club head as it passes over them; you need a solid reference to allow you to set up properly; I did a nice drill with Donna on the regular channel that you want to check out; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gYJDQznRWo.
Shawn
Thanks Shawn, this helped immensely. Practiced this and applied during my latest round and had much better contact and direction with the driver.