Top 25 Golf Pro Lesson Power Sources

[kingalexing]

hey clemshaw...my biggest flaw in my swing is picking my head up like a millisecond before i hit the ball. Its not bad to the point where im toppingthe ball but sometimes i feel like im losing power wheni dont stay down fully through the shot. Doyou think that picking up slightly before you hit the ball is a power leak. So staying down fully would obviously add consistency but do you think it would also add to swing speed?

[golfer7381]

Hi Shawn, thx for your effort in putting all the videos. I bought your dvd recently. Q: I feel lots of pressure on my right thigh on top of backswing, does it mean that my knee is locked, which is no good? What is the right feel for the right knee and right thigh on top of the backswing?

[thelukos]

Hi Shawn, I think you put golf concepts across exellently and I am going to order your dvd. I am 28 and have been playing golf for a couple of years.Although I am relatively fit, I have occaisional problems with lower back pain. My back can feel like it is tightening up, even mid-way through a round.I know you're not a physio, but I wondered if you had any tips for this from your experience in the game?

[clemshaw]

Hey the lukos; thanks for the question!

2 things to watch for: 1-You may be out of balance and hurting your back in the attempt to subconsciously regain your balance. 2-You are resisting too much with the hips in the backswing...Have a look at the following videos: "X-OUT the X-Factor", "Work with your Golf Machine", "Finish Position", "Be a solid Ball Striker", "Feet together drill" and "One Leg Drill"; take your time and have fun with it!

Shawn

[YangLYY]

hey shawn.. lov ur vids.. already recommend many of my friends of all level to check them out.. thanks..!!

a curious question.. i got a friend who is having some distance 'problems'.. he got a great and powerful swing but seem only working well with his shorter irons.. he can carry a 7i 200yds but a driver only 210?? whats wrong with him?? i supose even an ill-fitted driver wont have such problem.. maybe u can give some advice??

thanks, ELvis..

[clemshaw]

Often the problem is that he is trying too hard; have him look at the "Tempo and Timing" video and have him reset his swing's redline! Great question!

Shawn

[clemshaw]

Hey Elvis; sorry I did not get back to you earlier; I must have missed this one;

2 videos to watch: "Tilted Spiral part 2" and "Tempo and Timing"; you will know what I mean! Shawn

[honketyhank]

Shawn, you comment that the left hand grip pressure (for righties) must increase during downswing and through impact to get "compression". When I increase grip pressure, there seems to be a tendency for my left hand to rotate down slightly. I am wondering ... is this Hogan's "supination"? And is this really the "snap" you talk about in your buggy whip video. It sure seems to put some snap into my swing when I let it happen. And it seems to reduce my tendency to a "flippy" wrist at impact.

[clemshaw]

ooooooo! you are getting close now hank; this is the feel and language you are looking for; very cool! Shawn

[Scampern]

Is it something wrong with your site Shawn? I can't seem to order your dvd. I press international purchase and nothing happens.. ?

[clemshaw]

Some have had issues with it but when they updated quicktime, it went through great;

Sorry about that!

Shawn

[dirkhdd]

Shawn

Where does the power for catapulting shoulders and arms around this turning axis of the body come from?

(a longer version of this question had been sent to you by e-mail)

I enjoy your way to make an explain things simple.

Dirk (Germany)

[clemshaw]

From the returning of the butt!! Watch a construction crane in action or a Trebuchet; the counterweight allows for movement in the opposite direction...Check out "Feet together drill" and "catapult Power" videos from my website's "you Tube Shawn" page; Thanks for the comment and question!

Shawn

[dirkhdd]

Shawn,

the model of the crane is excellent.

But where does the power come from to accelerate the butt? As hip and butt are one piece:if one of them is accelerated the momentum of shoulders and arms is increased. But you never speak about accelerating hip or butt, you just say get hip out of the way. Why? Isn´t distance controlled as well by controlling this momentum by the body? It´s so great, Shawn, that you accept this way of discuss, it´s unique in the golf world,thank you! Dirk, Germany

[clemshaw]

Yes Dirk; I like to tell my students that the body controls momentum and centrifugal force pulling the arms and club away from the body through the ball and momentum controls the club and the club strikes the ball/turf and releases it to the target...I wishh I could just wire myself to my students brains and say "Feel this!!" :) Shawn

[812ekoms]

Dirk, if you don't mind, Shawn's analogy of this technique makes me feel like a race car driver changing into gears as I swing from the top of my backswing and through to the golf ball. As I swing down, I feel that I am mashing my left foot on the clutch and then I falling with my arms in front of me. It feel like I am changing gears as my hip or butt swivels out of the way around my braced left leg.

[jrcsamad]

Shawn...great lesson. Could you comment on "rotational stability" through impact.

The idea is that by keeping backward tilt of spine and rotating the torso/shoulders through impact so the left arm (for right handed golfer)doesn't bend through impact (i.e., chickenwing). This is touted by some instructors as necessary to prevent a power leak. I would like to hear your thoughts on this concept.

[clemshaw]

Sure! Go to my website at shawnclementgolf dot com and on the "You Tube Shawn" page watch the following: "Braced Tilt Part 2", "One Leg Drill", "Downswing Weightshift" and pay attention to the downhill shot in the "On the slopes" video. My DVD is also chock full of goodies on this subject!! Shawn

[jrcsamad]

Thanks for the reply.I ordered your video from your website and look forward to seeing your presentation in an orderly sequence. BTW..today i had a breakthrough. After years of looking for a more penetrating ballflight, i discovered by letting my wrists hinge freely in the backswing and downswing, giving up the restrictions i put on myself in this regard, that i hit my shots much more crisply. I also credit the freedom of movement in the rest of my swing i learned from your instruction videos.

[swilson1000000]

Hi shawn could you do a video on getting more club head speed if possible please?

Cheers!!!

[clemshaw]

I will be doing a watchdog blog coming up soon for this month's Golf Digest and Golf Tips Magazines; Golf Mag this month was lackluster to say the least...But golf tips has all the great long drive artists and I will review the good stuff for you guys. In the meantime, watch "Get some Lag", "Catapult Power" and "Through the ball" videos from my website's "You Tube Shawn" page where they are all listed. (shawnclementgolf dot com)

[rayuken1]

Shawn I just wanted to say you have helped me a lot. I've been watching your videos for months now and I just started golf last fall. I feel like I greatly improved since then, thanks!

[etraill]

Shawn, with the mic attached to your shirt like that, it looks like a priests collar. A good fit because your teachings are simply divine

[clemshaw]

Amen! :)

[1tontomato]

I've tried the imaginary hammer throw feel and found out it works best for me when I grip the club soft with relaxed arms. I make a small takeaway to about waist high just to feel the weight at the end of my club before making a full turn. What's really nice is momentum takes over when you toss the club back and through the ball. It feels effortless and the sound of impact on the ground is a HUGE thud!

Stay centered and don't move the pivot towards the target on the way down.

Thanks Shawn!

[123GPA]

Shawn, I don't know if I have the confidence to just drop or "throw" the hands at the ball. It feels so loose and out of control,however,your contact sounds solid? Maybe I have been just guiding the ball with may hands?

[dozu888]

here is my 2 cents.... In order to have confidence and feel 'powerful' with the drop, I had to emphasize on finishing the backswing, with arms go WIDE and HIGH, and with an imaginary heavy hammer in my hand... at the top of the backswing, it actually feels like there will be enough momentum to plough thru the ball, even if I don't add any juice to the drop.

Shawn can probably comment better on this.

[clemshaw]

Very well said! Shawn

[clemshaw]

Just adding to what Dozy said so well; watch the "Swing Plane", "Arm Motion", "Grip 2 wrist Hinge", "Elbow close?", "Through the ball", "Get some Lag" and "Catapult Power" videos to make sure everything in the arm unit is in check; they are all on my website at shawnclementgolf dot com on the "You Tube Shawn" page. What you are sending to the target is the MOMENTUM OF THE SWING through the skip with the turf; you are just aware of the ball but your focus is not on it!! Shawn

[dozu888]

this concept of letting gravity do the work, I see very obvious in Lorena Ochoa's game... her putting / pitching / chipping are all great example of tossing & falling with zero interruption of the momentum.

[dozu888]

the fact that Shawn repeats the same points over and over in his vids is a testament of how simple the swing is :)

Anyway, I have been really getting the hang of 'letting everything fall'... it's amazing when there is no effort (except for the toss back), the distance increases !

For a beginner like me who used to use arms to lift the club, the 'toss' new sensation. I have to imaging holding a super heavy sledge hammer to really emphasis the 'toss'

[clemshaw]

Exactly! Thanks Dozu! Shawn

[theestrogenius]

Great lesson Shawn! I keep noticing that when you plant your left heel, your foot often ends up in a sort of "pigeon-toed" position (by that I mean you move your left heel slightly towards the target while your left toe remains stationary). Is this assessment correct? If so, how does this affect your swing as compared with Ben Hogan whose left foot remained exaggeratedly "open" (or crow-footed) in his setup and after he planted? Oh, and thanks again for all the great vids!

[clemshaw]

Good Observation! It does not happen this way during my normal swing; this happens sometimes when you try to demonstrate with more emphasis on the area described...:) I prefer both feet toed open slightly and staying that way during the swing;

Thank you for the comment! Shawn

[gohox81]

Another great video Shawn. Hey, which one of your videos demonstrated the "dowel rod in the wedge"? Thanks.

-Bryan

[clemshaw]

That was the "chicken wing across the line" one;

Shawn