Tilted Super Spiral part 3; #1 Most Popular Golf Teacher on You Tube Shawn Clement

[jonp13579]

hi shawn

i have a major problem with bottoming out before the ball so i watch your stop topping and take better divots video and i realised the centre of my sternum is behind the ball so i need to tilt and brace on the left foot but i notice when you moved the ball to the front of the stance the centre of your sternum is just behind the ball how are you not bottoming out before the ball?

thanks

jon

[clemshaw]

@jonp13579 Hey Jon;

You must see where the sternal notch is going to be at impact (feel it) as you swing with rhythm and freedom towards a target! See "#1 most popular Teacher on YT; ridiculously easy" part 1 and 2;

Shawn

[033Chalk]

Your video's have been very helpful and insightful. In the video working the ball - my interpretation of body alignment to the arc path and the club face pointing to the target. In this video - the body points to the target and the club face points to the arc or did I misinterpret one of them? Thanks again for your helpful advice.

[clemshaw]

@033Chalk Have a look at my new video on working the ball: "golf pro lesson working the ball" part 1 and 2

[tsmith109]

Shawn, should you set up first and then brace against the left, or brace and then set up?

[clemshaw]

@tsmith109 Set up then brace...

[jditzel]

Another great video!

Hey Shawn- are you really a 0 handicap both right and left-handed? How is that possible? :)

Keep up the great vids....

[clemshaw]

Long story; but I have been playing with odd irons right and even irons left for over 20 years now...great for teaching too! :)

Lowest left handed was 67 and lowest right was 65; lowest combined 64...

Shawn

[Michael10659]

Matching perception to reality. That is the truth for sure. As I was commenting in the taut arms video...this has helped me greatly. Feeling my arms to be strong coming thru allows me to create that great arc and a feel of where the ball is going. Kinda hard to put into words but when you feel the ball coming off the face and sailing just the way you envisioned, its the greatest feeling. That is what I am feeling now with my swing and I'm loving it. Kudos to you Shawn.

[clemshaw]

Great comment Michael! Thanks!

Shawn

[KDOGG445]

shawn...great stuff! I have been working on keeping my head behind the ball for the past couple of weeks and it has produced some better ball striking. These tilted spiral videos really reinforce the feel I'm looking for. I love your "lid on the pressure cooker" analogy from spiral #2. I have a tendency to stand up coming in to the ball and either thin it out or block it. I think that swing thought will make a huge difference for me. Love your teaching style man! It is really tangible. Thanks!

[clemshaw]

Right on! Thanks!

Shawn

[veryspecialsteve]

shawn, how come a vast majority of tour players set up with shoulders square to their feet hips chest and feet and your encouraging a tilt which ultimately leads to closed shoulders. what is the difference that the tilted spiral only seems to work effectively for the less advanced player?

[clemshaw]

Great question!

If you look at the tour players in the downswing coming into impact, this is where you will see much more tilt; they get to this position very instinctively and their set-ups are a bit less instinctive (some are more than others)...if you look at my "golf pro lesson braced tilt part 2" you will see a very instinctive analogy that corresponds directly to golf; Thanks for the comment! Shawn

[secrettogolf]

Shawn - Have you ever considered adding a laid off club position(Shallowing) to the hip high poistion to gain even more momentum and snap/power.Love the swing as is,but I noticed in practice that the swing lends itself to a shallower position move with a small loop.

[clemshaw]

I wish we were on a range somewhere together to get the full understanding of your question; there is a natural shallowing out that occurs in the swing when the focus is to skip across the ground to a specific target; especially with the woods;

Shawn

[cmterpsnskins]

I'm confused. With a closed shoulder and open face at address, my shots go right. Do I send momentum toward the target, or toward the line where the ball starts out.

[clemshaw]

This means your clubface-grip relationship is too open or you are not staying behind the ball in the downswing; you must maintain that feel of going to the right at all times to pull this off; you just let momentum go in the direction it feels like it wants to go, as long as your alignment is sound (feet parallel to target line) you will be fine; Shawn

[cmterpsnskins]

@clemshaw Ok, so if my target is straight out in front of me, lets say 150 yds; and I want to draw the ball to the target, i will play the ball back in my stance somewhat, with feel parallel to target line, and send momentum out to the right, the ball should curve back to the target, is this correct?

[clemshaw]

@cmterpsnskins You mean feet parallel right? The thing that is missing in your description is after you place the ball back in the stance with the feet parallel, you need to brace against the left side with the sternum and center of pelvis (pant zipper) behind the ball; this will make it feel that the momentum wants to go right all by itself and you want to allow it to completely without fighting it; then see what results you get! :) Shawn

[cmterpsnskins]

@clemshaw Re: feet parallel right -- this is where I am getting confused -- do I align to the right of the target, so my feet line is pointed right - or do I keep my feet square, so the feet line is pointing straight at the target (i.e. railroad track analogy)

[clemshaw]

@cmterpsnskins Railroad track yes; you can also see my "golf pro lesson hooks and slices" video which describes the other way of doing it like Jack Nicklaus describes in his "golf my way" series; you can also use both and use a combination that you feel comfortable with;

Shawn

[jipsyman87]

hi Shawn, great set of videos. was wondering if you'd recommend these varying ball placements, as opposed to opening or closing the club face with the ball in the same position.

[clemshaw]

You can do both or a combination of the 2; this is where the fun begins! :) Shawn

[dutypaidrock]

So the little press forward to get that wrecking ball going 'corrects' for this feeling of being closed that I have at address. Getting away from this 'manipulation' feeling is my main aim because it's so inconsistent, and I think this perpetual motion drill will be the key. As someone commented on that video, I also found when swinging non-stop, it tracked on plane, but I couldn't re-create it from a static start. At the very least, I'm hitting it flush again! Out to the yard to practice!

[clemshaw]

Great comment! See "golf pro lesson golf swing medicine" and "golf pro lesson momentum toss" part 1 and 2 for the start of the swing...

Shawn

[dutypaidrock]

I completely threw myself at the mercy of this tilted spiral today. I'm now striking the ball really purely, but I'm now having trouble pushing the ball right. When I brace, I feel like I'm opening my entire body up. My suspicion after seeing this vid is that I'm STILL pulling the club inside too quickly. One thing I did also notice when I did get it right was with this tilt position, it almost feels like 25% of my backswing has already been completed before I even move. Am I right on this?

[clemshaw]

You are close; remember that the arms and the club as one unit uses gravity and centrifugal force for tracking and placement, not the body or manipulation from address; you need to feel that you are already in your follow through at address and that the arms are already tracking gravity into the backswing while to body is gliding out of the way...see "golf pro lesson timing and tempo update" and "perpetual motion drill" to combo with tilted spiral; Shawn

[12phinsphan]

Shawn, I just wanted to send a message that I have been watching alot of your videos lately and I just found the Tilted Spiral series and hit the range today with the advice. I had probably the best range outing I have had ever. All the irons were straight and on line but I am still having an issue with a slice on my driver. Do you have any tips in line with the tilted spiral series that may help, thanks. You are a great teacher.

[clemshaw]

Sure! I have a couple of great videos on the driver and my section on driving in my dvd is very detailled and very good, so I recommend you get the DVD as well;

The videos are "golf pro lesson great driver tip" and "Golf pro lesson modern driver"; thanks for the nice comment! Shawn

[gmad2321]

Shawn, I was already doing your short game tips and they are working great for me. . I played Sunday and I hit them awful. it took awhile but I finally tried your technique yesterday at the range, and all I have to say is WOW! I saw instant results I hit shot after shot . From 3-sw Thanks for the help and I'll be looking out for your next video.

[clemshaw]

Thanks Gmad! Keep pluggin!

Shawn

[golfnerd62]

Your videos have showed that i am probably getting stuck on my right side and getting my arms trapped closing the face early on the longer clubs. I have watched quite a number of your videos, Hogan power drill,all the tilted spirals, swing transition,chipping. Do you have any other recommendations for a dedicated range rat. Thank you for your Videos

[clemshaw]

Yes I do! You definitely need to get my DVD series so that you get all the information in priority sequence to make sure all you bases are covered; I have a nice section in there on drills and how they will help make your range sessions more productive and fun! Hey, 4 hours for $40.00 and it is good! Thanks for all your great comments! Shawn

[golfnerd62]

Shawn I stumbled on to your videos while searching on grips.I had been having trouble hooking my hybrids and 3 wood, I thought my grip was to strong but through your description found that I was a bit weak with it. Your videos have showed that i am probably getting stuck on my right side and getting my arms trapped closing the face early on the longer clubs.

[clemshaw]

Toning down is the easy part! See "golf pro lesson timing and tempo" video; Shawn

[jdotson]

Thanks for linking me here. Red flags go off when you say to match my perception to feel. I totally get it. Now I have my 3 day weekend to go work on it! YAY. :)

[clemshaw]

You go man!

Shawn

[gmad2321]

great videos. does the same concept with ball placement with the same swing apply to your higher irons(3&4). as well as your driver

[clemshaw]

Yes; it is a blast! Woods take up more room on the ground so a bit more forward with the woods and a bit forward of centre with the driver;

Great question and Thanks!

Shawn

[XlburrowsX]

hi, i have 2 say that is a horrible swing. like u sed 2months ago. "do you stay centered on those? I don't think so...:)". And yes i do stay centered bcos in my golf swing and in all pros they are centered! and i hit my ball consistanly and straight-ish! Bcos i have had lessons from my pro!!! and he is on the europeion tour!

[clemshaw]

A word of advice man; be careful how you write BECAUSE your credibility goes right down the toilet; and you can tell your EUROPEAN tour player to come see us in Canada if he wants to stay on the European tour and make more money!  :)

Shawn

[jdotson]

Shawn when you brace into your left side I noticed the club head opens a tad. Do you naturally let it open as you brace? Or do you brace and then open it? I just dont want to be too open. :)

[clemshaw]

Either or; what is important is that the ball flies either straight or with a slight draw; a very slight power fade is fine too; note that I use the word power; if the fade is weak, it means the club face is definitely too open or not releasing (baseball style; see golf pro lesson taut swing philosophy); if it needs to be closed more, see my "golf pro lesson braced tilt part 2" for exactly how. Shawn

[woodader]

One of your best lessons...can't wait to get my DVD,

Tony D

[XlburrowsX]

i think im confused because u said brace to the left and i stay in the center. :(

[clemshaw]

Luke;

Go to my "You Tube analogies Page" on my website and compare to other sports and activities like skipping stones and throwing a base ball, do you stay centered on those? I don't think so...:)

Shawn

[XlburrowsX]

I AM SO CONFUSED! i have watched this video and "Golf Pro Lesson Be a Solid Ball Striker!" and i really would like you to help me.

Luke

[XlburrowsX]

tiger woods does'nt brace on his left side!...

so what if you had your weight in the center, not braced to the left?

[crimn]

awesome video until the very end with ball position and direction.a little confused now. so how or where do you aim to?? does it depend on ball position??

any other video deal with aim??

[clemshaw]

Great questions! Example: Tree in the way; you need to draw around it. You can aim slightly to the right and play the ball farther back as extra insurance and close the face just slightly; all there is left is to let the momentum go where you feel it will go and trust it;

My best alignment video is the "Golf Pro Lesson alignment tweak" video; you will see that there can be only one place to put the ball depending on where you want the momentum to flow to and how you want the ball to fly...

[SoonToAdjustYou]

Shawn, I went out and tried this method and had some problems. I started shanking balls to the right (I'm a righty) and I when I WOULD hit it true it was a straight push off to the left. But most of the time I hit it phat (I'm talking 3-4 inches behind the ball!!) I have always struggled with phat shots....HELP!!

[clemshaw]

Hey Bud! Is that push to the right or pull to the left? Either way; it sounds like you are starting the swing by pulling the arms to the inside because the body is not getting out of the way in the backswing; have a look at the "perpetual motion drill" video and try that ball striking drill in there; also, check out the "Feet together drill" and once you perfect that, go to the "Sequence Power drills" and then back to the perpetual motion drill; you will do much better after this...Shawn

[SoonToAdjustYou]

Thank you so much for the advice! It is a straight pull when I do hit the ball true....like I said, I usually hit it fat from the short grass.

[clemshaw]

Another great video to watch is the "Golf Pro Lesson Through the ball" and at about 6 minutes into it you will see the 2 ball drill; this should set you straight!

Shawn

[ericstegall]

Shawn, I need some clarification. In this video it seems when you are playing the ball back in your stance you are drawing the ball and then the further up in the stance you are playing a fade. In the modern driver 2 video it seems the ball position is having the opposite effect.

Thanks,

Eric

[clemshaw]

Hey Eric; the head of the driver is wider and the centre of gravity of it is farther back which means that the ball does need to be more forward naturally than the irons; but if I want to fade it with the driver I would play the ball more forward than usual and the draw would have the ball position farther back than usual with that particular club;

I hope this helps; Shawn

[Edetc]

Hi Shawn, when you brace against the left side at adress, is it correct that the shoulder are lined slightly to the right of the target ?

thx. Excuse my poor English for a French guy.

[clemshaw]

Hi and yes!

Shoulders may be closed to the target line but what you are lining up to the target is the flow of momentum and what you are doing with the body is getting out of the way of the flow of momentum; IN BOTH DIRECTIONS! So the position of the shoulders is that of a snap shot in time where they are already getting out of the way in the backswing; this will be the subject of my next video...:)

Thanks for the comment! Shawn

[Edetc]

many thanks Shawn

[theestrogenius]

Shawn is an amazing communicator. He could teach anything.

[chabelyk]

I totally agree with johnmaddysebsoph. I'm a subscriber to The Golf Channel and I want to see Shawn on it. Leadbetter and Haney may be good instructors for the pro players, but Shawn is the best instructor for the average golfer who wants to get better. The likes of Leadbetter and Haney only give you 10% of the lesson. Shawn leaves nothing in the bag.

[klinscott]

Shawn, my question is how do you adjust the ball position for each club? I tried the drill out and it worked great on the shorter clubs but I got a little confused on the longer clubs. Thanks Mason

[branchoff]

correctmyswing. com

[johnmaddysebsoph]

A simple question: why is this guy not acknowledged as the numero uno golf instructor? In thirty odd years of total immersion in the physics of golf and golf instruction I have never come across better exposition; technical clarity and suberb imagery and communication. Leaves Leadbetter, Haney, Flick, Smithy and the rest for dead. Wake up Golf Digest, The Golf Channel and the rest. Amazing talent.

[clemshaw]

Man; thanks for the great nod of approval! You truly made my day! My wife does not think my head will fit through the door anymore though! LOL!! Shawn

[8IronSings]

SC.. as always great video instruction and explanation..you have a gift! My question relates to body proportions.. how does that affect the physics of the setup and swing? I am just under 6' but have a long upper body and arms.. shorter legs. I have trouble staying in my posture.. the crane analogy is good but what if the lengths are out of proportion? This is a broad question but any thoughts would be appreciated.. maybe I may have to work more strengthening certain areas.. hips etc? t y 8is

[clemshaw]

I have just uploaded a video that will help you feel what you are looking for; the title is "Golf Pro Lesson Ball Bearings and Sockets" :) You will understand when you see it! Shawn

[dtuh3739]

Hey Shawn,

If we adjust ball position to fade/draw the ball, does this mean that we don't need to align our feet in the direction we want to start the ball as per your hooks/slices video?

Or is it the case that we simply swing in the direction of our adjusted shoulder angle relative to the new ball position, and we don't have to worry about adjusting club-face angle at address too?

[clemshaw]

You have the idea! Although I am also blending the 2 together and still experimenting on it and feel that some will adapt well and others will struggle; it is all about finding a balance...Great question and comment! Shawn

[1tontomato]

Hey Shawn,

I used the drill of hitting to right field by pointing the left shoulder to the right of the target. Well, I hit everything right, exactly where I was pointing my left shoulder. It actually gave me a nice long fade. So to fix it, I just set up with square shoulders to the target and I hit straight shots with a draw bias. I did learn how important the role of the shoulders play in the golf swing. Now I have something new to fiddle around with.

Thanks!

[clemshaw]

Cool! it is good to stir the pot once in a while! :)

Shawn

[golfrules08]

i just read it on a magazine a quote hogan said the best golfers are the best aimers but wasnt hogan a huge fan of a fade?

[clemshaw]

Yes he was; don't forget, to aim well is also an asset for the draw and the fade; what you are aiming is the direction of your swing's momentum; it is not always the best thing to aim that momentum directly at the flag; more often than not, it is better to start the ball at the centre of the green and work the ball to the flags, which is something Hogan was a master at! Shawn

[golfrules08]

where did i read what?

[clemshaw]

That to draw and fade was not for Hogan?

[pecky1234]

when you set up with the ball forward, when fading the ball, your set up looks just like nicklaus!!

[clemshaw]

Cool! :)

[golfrules08]

but ben hogan said the best golfers are the best aimers the drawing and fading is not right to ben hogan and i was wondering is this true

[clemshaw]

Hogan loved to work the ball and his Fade was his trademark shot that allowed him to perform at his best; so it was for Jack and many others; this is well documented in many books...Where did you read this? Shawn

[muche2000]

i have one more question shawn ! it;s muche again. should i extend my arms to the target or rotation .i;m really confused. thank you always shawn!

[clemshaw]

What you will get when you allow the body to get out of the way of that heavy momentum is that wonderful catapult effect; have a look at the "Catapult Power " video and use that feel to extend the arms to the target;

Shawn

[beeefelemouton]

As usual, or even more than usual, a great great job. The 130th one, and we still learn. Thanks a lot !

[muche2000]

hi shawn! one little question?

when i see the modern driver part 2, you explained about ball position and i thought when you fade the ball like lee travino you put the ball little to the right of your stance when your draw the ball you put the ball on your left ? but this video you explain little different . so can you tell me what to do ? thank you shawn!

[clemshaw]

Hey Muche; Yes, you are a bit confused; for fades, you want to always play the ball forward a bit more and play the ball a bit more back for the draw; have a look at the "Hooks and Slices" video first and then have a look at the "Be a solid Ball Striker" for a more perfected or fine tuned view. It will take a bit of time to sink in; so be patient!:) Thanks for your question; Shawn

[WaydeJohnson]

hey, consider two things with the ball flight; inital direction and curve. With the ball played back a bit in your stance, the club is still travelling outwards at contact, giving the ball an intial direction to the right (for a right handed swing). If the club face is square to the initial direction of the ball, the ball will not curve, it'll just go straight. If you close the face a little relative to the initial direction of the ball, it'll curve back to the left.

[Kneedeepnbeaver]

Hi Shawn,I have only been golfing for a few months and your videos are simply amazing. I have stopped topping a lot of my balls and now I actually hit them in the air and the majority of them go straight! Thanks for all of your videos

[clemshaw]

Thanks! If I am not golfing I want to be knee deep in Beever too! :) Shawn

[1tontomato]

Hey Shawn, this new video is HUGE in terms of hitting from the inside. It corrects the out to in swing with the right shoulder. Great drill as always. It's counter intuitive when you feel like your going to hit a slice to right field but that's the correct "feel" when hitting from the inside.

God bless your business!

Muchas gracias amigo!

[clemshaw]

Thanks tomato man! Shawn

[itubeutude]

My feeling is that anyone with a less than perfect swing would indeed splash (or shank) those shots (off the back foot) way out to the right.

[clemshaw]

They could do it even without setting up like this too! :) The key here is letting gravity track the arc and letting the body use the steady axis to clear in both directions; then feel like you are not going to try to right the ship by steering the arms and club to the target...This is deeper into the rabbit hole for the average golfer, but when they get ripe for this info, it is really key stuff to get to the next level! Thanks for the comment! Shawn

[groeblacher333]

Hi Shawn,

thank you for the great videos.

What do you think of maintaining the magic triangle (arms/ellbow) during the swing.

Would be very nice if you comment it.

Your DVD and all your videos offer me a new and better way to play golf. Thanks.

Best wishes from Austria and sorry for my bad english.

Gerald

[clemshaw]

Hi Gerald and thank you for your comment! If you watch the "Golf Pro Lesson Training Aids Part 1 and 2" you will see the one on the Izzo blue strap that holds both elbows together in the swing to keep the arm unit working properly; watch the videos in the "arm Section" of the "You Tube Shawn" page of my website as well;

All the best! Shawn