How to Hit it Solid; #1 Most Popular Golf Teacher on You Tube Shawn Clement

[learrell]

Great videos. I know understand how my body is pivoting, how gravity swings the club , and most importantly my foot work.

[davidskerr]

Shawn,

With the swing sequence in other videos you discuss a 'squat' or movement to the left just before the downswing. Would that not have an impact on the arc line of the club in relation to the position of the ball at address?

I am finding that I am not able to get a consistent arc, hitting the ground before the ball or taking very large divots.

Thanks,

David.

[clemshaw]

Hey David; sorry for missing this one; the key here is that you are not focused on the target; see my latest videos on this subject called "golf pro lesson tilted twirl", "golf pro lesson get more power and club speed" and "golf pro lesson head bobbing"; the video that gets you the main focus that make all these work is "golf pro lesson the insanity of golf"  Shawn

[ASILASIL1]

Sean i watched your Contact and Spin video and you said that as you planted on your left in the downswing your centre moved to the left and this is what creates ball turf, or hands leading the downswing?

Also a question of lag, as you let the arms fall do you use muscle power to hold the lag till the hands reach the ball or is it natural.

Great techer!!! tx,

PS i have your dvd WHICH IS GR8

[clemshaw]

Great question!

Holding the lag is gravity's job, more precisely centrifugal force; the key here is to FOCUS ON SENDING THE WHIP OF THE SWING TO THE TARGET!! See "golf pro lesson how to repeat your practice swing" and "Golf Pro lesson put some snap in your swing" Make sure that your grip is bullet proof!!! I have several videos on the grip for a reason! :)

Shawn

[montythe]

so u should be centred over the golf ball, with your head and sternim over ball?

[clemshaw]

Head behind the ball and sternum feels right up against the back of the ball at address and over the ball through impact; see "golf pro lesson braced tilt part 2"

Thanks for the question!

Shawn

[cmterpsnskins]

So, if I play the ball in the middle of my stance, and swing the club on the arc, with no manipulation of club face at address (face is square to arc) and everything else being correct (tilt, stance,etc) I will basically hit the ball straight.

Play the ball back slightly => produces slight draw.

Play the ball way back => produces push / slice

Play the ball slightly forward => produces slight fade

Play the ball very forward => produces major fade or a hook.

Am I on the right track?

[clemshaw]

Getting there!

I have a follow up to this video called "golf pro lesson tilted spiral" part 3; Shawn

[otigosce]

Where (approximately) is the "top" of the arc in relation to the body for a right-handed player?

Is it the center of the chest?

Or slightly left of the center of the chest b/c of turning on the left leg?

[clemshaw]

Wonderful question! Center of the chest yes and a center that is braced against the left side too!  Thanks, Shawn

[isabelfuriati]

Shawn like to thank you, I was a 12hdc could not practice,got to 17hdc, & my way down started with your lessons. will you address the wrist accion as it passes center all the way up, my rigth elbow hurts. you'r the best thanks

[clemshaw]

Hey Isabelfuriati!

I have a nice video on this called "golf pro lesson bridging flat wrist with hinged wrists" as well as "Golf Pro lesson arm motion"; let me know how you do! Shawn

[otigosce]

Shawn, I'm hitting well all of the clubs that are designed to hit the ball off the ground (3w - SW). But I'm having a hard time figuring out the driver and how it relates to the arc/swing concept.

Here is what doesn't make sense. With driver you catch the ball on the way up and it is set up off the left heel. With the ball forward and the catching it on upswing, isn't that point on the arc where the club starts coming back towards your body? So you will either wipe across the ball or pull it?

[clemshaw]

Great insight! The thing is that the club head is way wider with the center of gravity farther back in the head so this changes things quite a bit; you want the center of the club in the center of the stance and the ball forward of this for a ball on the ground; then as the ball is teed up, the higher it gets the farther forward you play it and then you will start needing to aim more right as you will start to pull it; Great comment! Shawn

[narutokiller9]

Shawn - i have a problem making good contact with my irons. i rarely brush the ground and usually get all ball. are there any drills to help you get good contact on your irons? by the way im young and short and i have clubs that are small on me and i really cant afford new ones.

[clemshaw]

Have a look at the following 2 videos:

-Golf pro lesson contact and spin

-Golf Pro lesson compress through the ball

Thanks for the comment! Shawn

[narutokiller9]

thank you! i shot the best round of my life yesterday of my 5 month golf career. especially my approach shots. i have also been wondering about the around the green shots. such as pitching, chiping, floping, ect. do you have any videos or tips?

[ma1260]

Excellent!!!

[ArnaultHam159]

hi shawn, i have been viewing alot of your videos, they have been of great help...my consistancy has certainly improved. But it was only recently that i hav been hitting most of my shots straight but on the toe of the club, and i hav suddenly lost my consistancy and i dont know how to fix this. do you have any drills or pointers which i can use to prevent these toed shots?

[clemshaw]

There are 3 things for toe shots; one is too far from the ball (Golf Pro Lesson Distance to ball part 1 and 2) next is you are standing up and loosing spine angle in the backswing which pulls the arms closer to you (Golf pro lesson don't keep your head down part 1 and 2) and last, which should not be the case because it would send the ball left is your head is moving forward or you are swaying in the backswing which would also pull you farther from the ball; see also "Hogan power drill"...

[75Eldorado]

Shawn,

Been watching and practising your teachings at the range.

Irons coming along; working on woods these days - that 3 wood is harder to 'skip' than I thought.

Question on hitting irons after swinging woods/driver for a while...

I'd say my irons are not bad, but I've sliced, thinned, even shanked a wedge right after my driver session.

Like to hear you thoughts if any, and any tips (mentally/physically) so that I don't think twice pulling out a wedge after a big drive.

[clemshaw]

I would do the perpetual motion drill for at least 6 or 7 swings in a row with the wedge after the driver to re-tune your central nervous system to the new length; then you should be fine!

Shawn

[75Eldorado]

Thanks for your reply Shawn!

Working hard to compete in my local amateur tournaments.

Hopefully I'll be able to represent your teachings in a winning way!

[Scampern]

Shawn, question for you.

How difficult is it to acquire this accuracy with your irons:

6 iron: 170 yards normal distance, with deviations +5 yards and -5 yards in 90% of all cases.

And sideways deviations from up to 7,5 yards left and 7,5 yards right.

Which means that for a normal shot, from outside 170 yards to the middle of a green, you would hit it 90% of the time, atleast somewhere on it.

This is my goal, how difficult is it? Whats your deviations?

[clemshaw]

Those are serious stats for anyone; have you seen the greens in regulation stats for the tour? I would say Moe had no issues with this but you are definitely talking tour quality here;

I just take one shot at a time...:) Shawn

[omeradhia]

Shawn, I have a question regarding shaft flex.

I recently bought an iron set with stiff shafts. I was playing with Regular flex before. Since the switch, I have been miss hitting a lot of my iron shots. Could this be because of the stiff shaft flex?

What problems would an incorrect shaft flex cause?

[clemshaw]

When the shaft is too stiff, you feel the need to swing faster just to load the darn thing and this ruins the tempo of the swing; see the "Golf Pro Lesson How to choose your irons" part 1 and part 2; it could also be the type of club head you are using;

Shawn

[stahlbucks]

Hey Shawn. Have a question about the wrist in the swing. I wasrecently shown a difrent grip that allows my wrist to break easly in my swing. In the "stacked" set-up dose the wrists break as much as in a traditional set-up, & when I say break, I mean that they rotate allong with my arms through ball impact. It seems that in the "Stacked" set-up the wrist dont have to work as much.(or maby thats my problem)

[clemshaw]

Go to my website and see the "Arm motion" section in the "you tube Shawn" page; see the "bridging flat wrist with hinged wrists" video as well as the "Arm motion" and "grip 2 wrist hinge" videos;

Shawn

[Lathandin]

So, what you are saying is that it will automatically draw/fade depending where the ball is placed in your stance(assuming, of course, that you keep the club face square to the arc line)? If you are going to hit down on the ball with an iron, then it will be back in your stance. According to the arc, it would push right. So to compensate, would you aim left? This seems a lot easier to control the ball than relying on opening/closing the club face before impact.

[clemshaw]

Hey Lathandin; sorry I did not get back to you earlier; you are on the right track with this; the key here is to make sure you are always centered behind the ball; a good follow up video to this is the "Golf Pro Lesson Tilted Spiral part 3"

Shawn

[stahlbucks]

Hello Great Golf Guru. I have a question about swing timeing or tempo. Do you have to take special attention to the pace of the swing with graphite shafts? It seem that if my down swing is fast, the flex of the graphite makes for an inconstiant shot. If my swing is to slow, no distance . Is there a remedy, or a trick to graphite irons that will have the club feel like its doing more work for me. Thx

[clemshaw]

Have a look at my "Golf Pro Lesson grip awareness" video; you must make that club a part of you; it is not the club that does the work for you it is the arm-club unit from the shoulder sockets down that does it; this video will show you how...Shawn

[fontaine32]

Great Vid Shawn... Very informative.. I got a laugh out of the skeleton though.. Is that Phil Mickelson's caddie?? haha.. You're the best!! I have a question, why do most modern teachers, promote the resisting of the hips on the backswing?? I just don't understand why..

[clemshaw]

Great question Fontaine! Thank you! Because of Video analysis from guys like Jim McLean who see this in good players (Not all good players) and take it for granted that this is the way to go without consulting the Bible of Bibles: THE HUMAN BODY!! Then everybody sees this on the golf channel and Magazines and follows BLIND TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED INSTEAD OF DOING THEIR OWN REEARCH! The problem is that the young guys can swing this way because they are strong, coordinated and flexible...

[XlburrowsX]

... i have watched this a few times and i do not understand what you mean.

[XlburrowsX]

where should you place the ball?

because alot of pro golfers like Jack nicklaus he says that you shud have the ball jst inside your left foot (Right Handed Player) :S i am confused by every1 telling me different things!

Luke Burrows.

[XlburrowsX]

ok i have just watched ''Golf Pro Lesson Tilted Spiral part 3'' and i place the ball jst infront of middle........ But, i sometimes slice the ball and sometimes hit the ball straight, can you help me?

[smokethedriver300]

watch a few more video's from shawn, your set up and maintaining posture is important, swing plain and grip would be good video's to start, then I recommend his feet together drill aswell as his one legged drills to help you maintain balance and force you to hold your swing plain without throwing your body out of position. good luck.

[clemshaw]

Thanks for the great answer smokey!

Much appreciated; Shawn

[SoonToAdjustYou]

Right on Shawn!! I do exactly what you were saying...I start the back swing with the arms and try to get everything sequenced perfectly to compress the ball. Instead of pelvic turning I wind up laterally shifting trying to get my center back to the ball. Its a huge effort for me and I hate it. I'm going to try this method asap. Is basically what you described the "stack and tilt technique"?

[clemshaw]

You could say that I am in between conventional and stack and tilt; as a description this is very gray but after you have seen a few more of my videos, you will see exactly where I stand; :)

All the best! Shawn

[Clearly69]

This seems to be really important for a good solid ball flight. I have major problems with rotating at the hips and staying centered. Seems like my weight stays on the right foot and thats not cool.

[clemshaw]

Best is to go with the feet together drill and the one leg drill videos to start; then go to the "tilted spiral" part 1,2 and 3 and you will be in a much better place in your golf!

Thanks for the comment! Shawn

[ferrarifreak26]

this has helped so much thanks -future pro

[FairwayJack]

Shawn, your last comment about not wrapping the arms around your torso was pure gold. When I get tired and lose concentration this is exactly what I do. Will focus on turning the torso / hips from the start of every swing going forward. Thx for your advice.

[honketyhank]

ps: one thing I have found VERY helpful together with your videos. My own camera with which to video my own swing. What I see in my swing one frame at a time is often much different from what I feel in my swing.

[clemshaw]

Thanks Hank; I appreciate the kind words!

Yes, this is why we use full length mirrors and video analysis in our learning centre; for the purpose of matching perception to reality! Once this is done; the need for video drops significantly...but it is always good to bring back once in a while when things start short circuiting...:) Shawn

[honketyhank]

Shawn, like most of your videos (if not all), this one bears coming back to from time to time. The importance, and even relevance, of some points in this video are not at all obvious when there are other issues that are masking the underlying problems you address. I keep picking off the defects one at a time, so often it seems like I am making a random walk through your YouTube library.

I am grateful for you efforts.

[peterfileproductions]

For the first time ever I've been able to use my driver without slicing the ball! I come to realise how open my clubface must have been to the clubpath at impact. I'd say about a staggering 20-30 degrees!! As that's how much I need to close it at address. Up to 60% of my shots are draws, straight or slight pushes. The rest are lapses in concentration. I can live with that if it does the job. Now to practise, practise, practise. Thanks for your help, Shawn.

- Tom

[clemshaw]

Right on Tom! You hit the nail right on the head as you have a lot of company; a very large percentage of golfers have the same issue and should be doing the same as you just did! Thanks for the great comment;

Shawn

[peterfileproductions]

So do we need to address the ball with a clubface slightly closed to the clubhead path arc in order to create a draw? This makes so much sense now rather than the square to the targetline at impact etc.

I've also only just realised that if you rotate your shoulders in the back swing and just hinge your wrists you get the desired result! I've mainly been moving my arms in the back swing all this time!!

[clemshaw]

Hey Peter! Yes, you get it! Just remember that in order for the arms not to crash against the rib cage in the backswing or follow through, you must allow the body to turn out of the way in both directions; not just the shoulders...

Thanks for the great comment! Shawn

[kicker1409]

hi shawn. very helpful video - thx a lot!! one question though: i recently got a new set of irons (callaway x-20's). they have less offset than my previous clubs. now i tend to hook the ball more often :-( - could you please give me a quick advice as to what to do in order to handle clubs with less offset properly and get rid of the associated hooks ? - many thanks in advance- kind regards, thomas from germany

[clemshaw]

Hi Thomas;

The offset is supposed to allow you more time to square the face and therefore give you more hook and not less; what you are experiencing is a change in feel perhaps in the weight distribution in the head or the flex in the shaft; either way, if you are hooking, the face of the club is too closed and you should refresh with the grip and then make sure you are swinging through the ball to a target; vids to watch: "Through the ball" and "Proper grip" and "Cay Pigeon Shooting":) Shawn

[Scampern]

Hi Shawn. You have helped me alot with my swing and I have to share this.

The thing you said about leverage suddenly helped my ball striking. I have never struck the ball better than in a uphill lie.

But lately all shots have suffered from shanks, slices, pulls you name it.

Remedy:Too feel full leverage and staying inside my outer foot at the top of backswing.

The effect was amazing and finally my balance came back :)

Thanks man

[lagwagon504]

Shawn what do you think of the medicus? Is it worth it?

[clemshaw]

Medicus is a very worth while tool for the golfer looking to achieve the feel of hinge in the wrists as well as the feel of using the momentum to hit the ball when hitting balls with it; you have to wait for the club to finish it's cycle if you want to maintain it's integrity through the shot; I like it!

Thanks for the question, Shawn

[llBoyliciousll]

My best friend has a medicus and I've borrowed it for a week, It did not benefit me or him because we have unique swings not suitable for the medicus( Or so we think thats why ), Thanks for the video though Shawn, I've watch some more videos but I've been losing yards, but gaining ALOT more accuracy and control, I used more club on the par threes at our course and came up on the fringe all the times, Although they were all pin seekers :P

[pecky1234]

i dont like the medicus. you can make a oerfectly golf-like move and it breaks or a really nasty non golf-like move and have it stay intact

[jcastllo]

thanks again !

[pecky1234]

if the face is slightly open at impact, then that means u must hit the inside of the ball. and if u are hitting the ball b4 low point, the furthest point of the arc, that means the ball must be back of the point of tangency, impact the ball with a slightly open face, the ball stays on the face for a split second, as the face squares for the ball to leave straight, then continues outward to low point. so the bottom of the divot is not onli forward of the ball, but outward of the ball to!

[clemshaw]

Very good dude! I see you have read some Golfing Machine!

Thanks for that!

Shawn

[pecky1234]

cool! really tough book to get thru!

i bet there are a few people who read that comment and went "WHA?!"

[clemshaw]

Maybe a couple...:)

[pmaguiar]

Hi Shawn, Great Vid, as allways!!

Could you, please elaborate a little more on this?

Specifically, I wanted to know how you adapt this motions to the driver and/or the fairway woods...

Thanks in advance!

Regards

Pedro

[monatorelojero]

Hello from Argentina. Is there some rule to know how before the point of tangency do I must place (and hit) the ball for each different club? In that case, what would be the technical reason for it? Thanks a lot for helping us with our golf. Regards!!! MC

[kmh196700]

Another wonderful video. I defy anyone to produce better and more helpful videos. After playing for years, I have progressed more in the last year of watching Shawn (him only) than with lessons and other videos.

Thank YOU Shawn.

[WaydeJohnson]

Hi Shawn, Wayde from Aust. here...thanks for the great lesson session the other day. Never again will I let anyone tell me to restrict my hips! :)

With the brace, I find I can easily get the feeling by stepping into the swing baseball style. I have problems getting that feeling with the one-leg swing though. Is the one-leg swing something I can ignore or is there something else about the one-leg swing I need to understand? 'Cause I can't do the one-leg swing worth beans.

[dstigue]

Hi Shawn,

I have only been golfing for 2 months but have watched your videos and my friends are amazed at how fast I am learning. I really understand the feel of it. I whole heartedly agree that when you things are aligned it just feels natural.

[duffygolfstuff]

Good stuff Shawn.

Something I heard Gary McCord say recently was that that the swing bottom matches head position. Do you believe that is correct?

And, is there a necessary relationship between the "point of tangency" and the swing bottom?

[fenderoo]

Shawn,

Great video. How does the tilt change for the driver and fairway woods? I seem to be able to do this with an iron but the driver gives me fits.

Thanks

[Scampern]

Picture this Shawn. You bend over to far with the back, though keeping it inline and you add a tilt away from the target before swingning.

If you then turn on the turn table of the hips, and not straightening up the spine, wouldn`t that cause your lower spine to get way in front the golfball and loosing balance at the top of the backswing?

After I started staying more straight up I have felt much more comfortable with my swing.

[bobgsearch]

could you pinpoint the location of ones "center", around which one rotates? the middle of the pelvis? the stomach area? am a bit confused because you recommend tilting the spine at setup...thus moving the center towards the back leg. hope I was clear. thanks

[clemshaw]

I do recommend the tilt of course; over tilting can be an issue as well as tilting in the opposite direction; This video is another way of describing the "braced tilt" where the centre of mass of the upper body is stacked against the left hip-knee-ankle post; the right leg would act as a support post to keep you against this brace. The tilt is necessary to stay against the inside of the leg and not get "on Top" or outside the leg and out of balance...Thanks for the question! Shawn

[markse123]

I knew what you meant Shawn. Great video.

[itubeutude]

you called both lines target lines in the beginning which had me confused a bit.