Golf Training
www.shawnclementgolf.com Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre, and Top 25 CPGA Teaching Professional as rated by Score golf Magazine, shows you how to start your swing properly and smoothly;
Top 25 Golf Pro Lesson; Takeaway and Starting Swing
March 7th, 2010 
Robert Stonehill 
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You have given your tuoughts on a question:” In Gravity golf they talk about “heaving the club back”"
Can you elaborate as it seems very very critical
Have a look at my “golf pro lesson winter drill”; it feels very similar to that!
In Gravity golf they talk about “heaving the club back”…Shawn
Yes; see the “golf pro lesson medicine ball drill” and use perpetual motion with that drill; understand that the arm-club unit tracks it’s own arc and should never rely on manipulation or the body for placement; it just tracks freely; see also “golf pro lesson allow the arms to swing” and “golf pro lesson timing and tempo update”…Shawn
Ugh. I’m still taking the club back too far inside, leading to over the top and all the problems that follow. Even doing the perpetual motion drill, the club swings around to the inside, not up and down.
While I’ve got you here, my hands are also releasing too early, causing the ball to go way to high even though my contact is pretty good.
Thoughts?
Thanks
Hi Shawn, It is about the intensity of the back swing. In the perpetual motion drill one is using the momentum to come back into the back swing like the crane smoothly. However when it comes to swinging in a shot, even using a waggle(as in video-”Tempo and Timing”) the intensity does not seem enough to levitate the arms unless the move of the butt is quite fast and almost jerky. This does not bring about a slow and smooth back swing. Can you please comment on this. Thanks and have a great day.
Yes; like that boom, it is in response to the predicted momentum coming back down; it must be instinctive and not mechanical; see “golf pro lesson perpetual motion drill” and “golf pro lesson momentum toss” part 1 and 2; Shawn
Reminds me of Ray Floyd If you watch his pre-shot he always had his feet in motion back and forth back and forth “catching the next one through” thats a good one
Great Lesson. Question..What starts the forward swing ? Do you get a feeling of the upper still going back as the bottom starts to move forward ? Thats the way a crane would swing a wrecking ball..the boom will start moving forward before the ball stops going back causing a drag motion (lag)
@PouncePony,
Straightening of the back leg usually indicates a collapse into your forward side. Make sure you remain braced against your forward side and not collapsing on top of it. You should feel leverage on the inside of your back foot, if it rolls to the outside you’ve lost your leverage and the back leg will over straigthen. Hope that helps!
-Matt Blois
RH Golf Learning Centre Assistant Professional
Shawn, thanks for all the great instruction. Do you have any advice on how to keep the back leg from locking/straightening in the back swing?
Thanks,
Keith
Shawn, I just want to thank you for all the great instruction. You’re truly an exceptional PGA Golf instructor. About 55 seconds into this video you stated pay no attention to this. It was the right wrist rotating up on the backswing! I’ve been playing for almost 4 years now, I’ve had three lessons and all this time my right wrist would rotate forward as my arm would bend! As you can imagine your way feels much more powerful. I’ll be at the range tomorrow for lunch again. From Denver.
Thanks for the reply, i’ll look into your vids!
Yes; you need to feel how the right foot stays on the ground through impact with the feet together drill as well as the uphill shots, ball below the feet shots and fairway bunker shots; the key is to feel how you can whip the club with effortless power without needing to use the right side! I have videos on all these subjects! Shawn
Sure!
The Drills you need to go to are the “Golf Pro lesson perpetual motion drill” and combine this with the “Watch Dog Blog Hunter Mahan Power Fade”; You need to perfect the fade and the draw to keep the system balanced! Shawn
Shawn, do you have any youtube vids on the right foot staying down thru the swing?
stern,
Same thing happened to me, contact was super, great speed through the ball but it got me swinging inside to out with a shut face. I think it is also related to the hips kind of reversing at the top and then if I slide forward you get major plane shift to the right. Great stuff by Mr. Clement though.
Eddiebutt1 ’s tip is not bad! You can also see my “golf pro lesson timing and tempo update” as well as my “golf pro lesson perpetual motion drill’ videos; another fantastic drill to get the whole system balanced properly is the “golf pro lesson feet together drill”; if you are off plane or out of sequence or sync, you simply fall down…:) Shawn
press the butt end of club on belly button then let ur body rotate you will get a feel for one piece takeaway rather than using ur arms take the club back
Hey Shawn!
Only have one problem and its me taking the club too much inside in the backswing ending up with at 10degree in out swing. Any more advice or swingthoughts that could help me get a steeper backswing?
Have used a few of your tips, and they seem to work
looks good.
LOL this guy sounds like Glenn Beck
Shawn, I am an avid viewer of your videos and they have been an immense help. I try to model my swing to yours. With regard to the takeaway – is the crane and wrecking ball feel a deliberate motion in the initial part of takeaway or after the forward knee press is it then just a carefree toss of the arms up into the backswing?
@justjames1111
WIth the x-factor swing I was starting to get a middle of the back twinge and right hamstring tendonitis. Now all of my joint issues went away with Shawns swing. The big hip turn really alleviates an lower to mid back pressure.
Go to his Top 25 Golf Pro Lesson Feet Together Drill video. This will help out A LOT!!!
Hi Shawn, Great videos. What do you feel about 3/4 backswing as advocated by Don Trahan. My back is suffering but it seems to be made worse when I ’snatch’ at the top and start down with the shoulders and hands. So I thought about shortening it. Really appreciate your help.
Regards
Jim
Thank you so much. from being an 8 handicap I have slipped to 15 because i started freezing in my backswing-your right knee inward move to start the swing has really helped me focus on core body turn instead of a hands and arms pick-up move, It will take time but yesterday i shot an 82 with that more relaxed feel. Keep up the great work!