Mind Blown -- The BEST DRILL EVER

[GMR]

Tried this out the other day. Took an old 7,8 and 9 iron out to a baseball field. Sttod behind first and threw the clubs toward second base. First 7-8 throws were high pulls. Then I stopped focusing on the throwing and focused on second base. WOW what a difference. Left the baseball field and went to the range. Hit the ball better and then today shot 9 holes. One of my better rounds.

 

Now for my question. for the OP. did you try to throw a certain distance, and then increase your distance throwing the club? If so how did that work/feel ?

 

I intend to keep going to the baseball field when I get chances. I like it there as I feel it is safer to be out there tossing golf clubs then anywhere else

Congrats on the progress. That switch of focus from the throw itself to the target is really the key, as you use noticed.

 

As for distance, I started with a comfortable target that doesn't require too much effort to first get the feel. Once that starts feeling natural I just try to throw each subsequent club 5 yards further than the last. A baseball field should actually be just about perfect for this. Start throwing to second base and then throw further and further out to the CF fence each time until you are trying to reach the fence.

[PJ72]

Yesterday my entire golf game changed. I don't know why or how, but for some reason I stumbled again on a drill I had always wanted to try--the throwing clubs drill. I have never had anywhere to actually try this drill, but I recently moved into a house that backs up onto a golf course so now I actually have room to try it in the evening when the course is empty.

 

So last night I take 4 old irons (3-6) and go out onto the golf course. Starting with left hand only, from a standard setup I try to throw them as far as I can down the center of the fairway. I then go get them and do it again, this time with right hand only. And that is when it all clicks.

 

If you have never done this drill, just go do it. If you want to throw a 3i 50+ yards and straight, there's really only one way to do it: you coil up, you keep turning and let the club (naturally) lag behind you, and you release as hard as you can down the line to the target. The amazing thing about it though is for anyone who has ever played other sports this should come EXTREMELY NATURALLY. Try to do silly things that you do in your golf swing to make contact (casting, reverse pivoting, holding lag etc.) and who knows where the club will go.

 

I then hit 3 shots with my 6i and another 3 with my 3i. Literally the feeling is that i'm just throwing the club HARD like I had just done, but let the ball get in the way. Hit a straight shot, draw, and fade with each club, but just aiming the throw a few degrees right for the draw and a few degrees left for the fade. And oh my did it work well--tiny dispersion and great distance on all 6 shots.

 

So then I went and played 9 holes. No swing thoughts except to try to get in the best throwing position on the backswing and then to throw hard down the line on the downswing. No focus on the ball, all on THROWING that club down the line. During those 9 holes I hit the ball better than I ever have in any round ever, bar none. 8 GIRS (including a 15ft putt for eagle on one par 5 and back fringe on the other) and shot -2. For reference I play off around a UK 10 and normally shoot somewhere in the low-mid 80s (though can be pretty volatile to be fair). My miss was LONG--a much higher % of shots were going the "I really got ahold of that one" distance. Couple missed fairways but only 5-10 yards off the fairway and very playable, whereas my normal driver miss has me praying that the ball stays in bounds.

 

I realise I'm very much still in the honeymoon period here with this, but as it's a complete change in intent and pretty much a removal of all swing thoughts (instead of adding more) I have decent confidence that I've jumped to a new plateau here. And the best part, is this feeling is so LIBERATING. No worrying about the swing. No worrying about which arm or shoulder moves where or which body part starts the downswing or which wrist changes position at which time. Just literally THROW that club. Hard. Down the line. And just like that GOLF IS FUN!!!

 

I love it GMR!

 

Do you think your body is changing it's 'pattern' during the throws? Also, do you think practising the one arm throwing regularly will improve coordination and strength of the weaker left arm?

[Strike Force]

GMR - Now, when you throw clubs do it with your left (lead) hand ... and practice on making sure the back of your wrist faces the target ... and work on making sure the wrist is at least flat or preferably slightly bowed or arched when you release the club. This will make it easier to throw the club on a lower trajectory to your target. But, more importantly, it duplicates what you want to have happen in your golf swing - lead wrist facing the target that is [at least] flat or preferably have a slight bow or arch. This squares the clubface, brings the hands in front of the clubhead, leans the shaft, allows you to feel the lag of the clubface's sweet spot path...along with all sorts of other good things.

 

If you lined up 100 amateur golfers with mid-to-high handicaps and asked them to hit some shots you might find a handful that actually had a flat left wrist at impact. If you actually asked all 100 of them to make sure to have a flat left wrist at impact - you might have a dozen of them that accomplished doing it, however you'd have practically 'all' of them that 'think' they had a flat left wrist at impact. Only after asking them to make absolutely sure to positively bow or arch their left wrist toward the target at impact would you have any sizable percentage of them that could literally produce a flat left wrist at impact ... and only a small percentage that could produce a slightly bowed or arched wrist (as requested) at impact. In other words, what you 'think' you're doing with the lead wrist at impact is not always what you are literally doing. The biggest mistake most golfers make is the left wrist breaks down before or at impact because the golfer is not controlling their swing with their lead side and their trailing side (most often their dominant/stronger side) collapses the lead wrist. It's like Dennis Clark (PGA Master Professional) has said; 'The lead wrist IS the club face in golf. I have seen more problems caused by cupping the wrist than almost any other swing flaw. As soon as the wrist cups, you have opened the face, steepened your swing and added loft to the shot.' Obviously you do not want your lead wrist to be in this condition at impact!

 

If you want to play good golf and strike the ball well a flat left (lead) wrist at impact is absolutely critical, and preferably being able to have a slightly bowed or arched left wrist is even better. Your practice of throwing clubs to a target can be an important training method, but incorporating the proper lead wrist action through your release process should also be part of your development.

 

Most golfers have their lead wrist in a slightly cupped position at the top of their backswing, which is perfectly fine - some may be very cupped (e.g. Freddie Couples) and of course some may be very bowed (e.g. Dustin Johnson). Most, but not all, find it easier to move the lead wrist into a slightly bowed or arched position at impact beginning somewhere midway in their downswing, something that can really only be determined for each individual through practice. Some people may find it preferable to start moving toward the bow/arch position from the top, however most find it easier and more beneficial to do it around P4/P5 - there is no right or wrong place to start the process. Along with squaring the clubface the other benefit of moving into a bowed lead wrist position (during the downswing) to face the target at impact is that it also provides the off-plane 'tumble' of the shaft that is required (that Mike Malaska and Brian Manzella talk about in their teachings) and gives you the feel of lag in your swing. All good things, and nothing bad!

 

[PJ72]

I could but I'm not sure how helpful that would be... What would you expect to get out of that that's not in the Clement videos above, if you don't mind my asking?

 

If there's demand I can try to film a toss when I get home tonight.

 

I'm sure their is a double entendre to be had about videoing yourself tossing...but I'm not sure.

 

Don't beat yourself up, I've often come to that conclusion.

[surfininsm]

Maybe a dumb question but Would you say when throwing the clubs, you're using your arms to power the club and throw it at the target or do you try and keep your arms dead and use body rotation to power the the throw?

[GMR]

Maybe a dumb question but Would you say when throwing the clubs, you're using your arms to power the club and throw it at the target or do you try and keep your arms dead and use body rotation to power the the throw?

Very much a personal feel question. I feel probably more body in my normal throwing motion, but as I throw it further it's the arms I have to speed up, not the body (as my body rotates almost too quickly to start with). But again that's a personal feeling and what you feel may be completely different.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

I just came across this which is a variation on the theme. Instead of throwing a club, it has you throw a ball into the ground and then leads to a drill you can do without a ball while on the course.

 

[GMR]

I love it GMR!

 

Do you think your body is changing it's 'pattern' during the throws? Also, do you think practising the one arm throwing regularly will improve coordination and strength of the weaker left arm?

 

I do think my body is changing the pattern due to the change in intent. When no longer concentrating on swinging a golf club (something I'm moderately adept at...) to instead throwing an object at a target (something that comes relatively naturally to me), my body does in fact move in different ways.

 

My goal is not to do this a ton, just enough to get the feeling, and then try to translate that feeling to the golf swing. It's starting to work, and I think as it continues to work I won't need to actually do the club-throwing drill nearly as often but instead just keep that feeling in the swing.

[Tanner25]

I love it GMR!

 

Do you think your body is changing it's 'pattern' during the throws? Also, do you think practising the one arm throwing regularly will improve coordination and strength of the weaker left arm?

 

I do think my body is changing the pattern due to the change in intent. When no longer concentrating on swinging a golf club (something I'm moderately adept at...) to instead throwing an object at a target (something that comes relatively naturally to me), my body does in fact move in different ways.

 

My goal is not to do this a ton, just enough to get the feeling, and then try to translate that feeling to the golf swing. It's starting to work, and I think as it continues to work I won't need to actually do the club-throwing drill nearly as often but instead just keep that feeling in the swing.

 

I admire you for staying with it. Whether it is clubs, grips or a swing change. I say it takes a year to get used to it. My problem is I always give up on something new after one range session or one round of golf. :russian_roulette:

[GMR]

I just came across this which is a variation on the theme. Instead of throwing a club, it has you throw a ball into the ground and then leads to a drill you can do without a ball while on the course.

 

 

This is similar and will probably work for some, but I'm not a huge fan for two reasons:

1) I have a tendency to already be too "ball-bound," and so the feeling of throwing a ball down at the ground would probably accentuate that if anything. Anything with the intent being "down to the ball" instead of "out to the target" is a recipe for disaster for my swing; and

 

2) When you throw a ball, your hand is directly propelling the ball in whatever direction the hand is travelling when you release. However, one of the things that makes the golf swing so counterintuitive is that the hand path DOES NOT match the path of the clubhead. This is one of the lightbulb moments that the club throwing drill helps illuminate. In order to throw a club FAR, you must get the club spinning fast at the point of release. To spin a club, the handle (and therefore your hands) must be moving in a different direction as the clubhead. The concept is parametric acceleration, which is great to read about in theory and all, but when you actually do the club throwing drill you can really start to feel it in action, and it changes the whole concept of what you need to do with your hands and arms to get the clubhead moving fast through impact. You aren't going to get this from any drill involving throwing a ball.

[GMR]

I love it GMR!

 

Do you think your body is changing it's 'pattern' during the throws? Also, do you think practising the one arm throwing regularly will improve coordination and strength of the weaker left arm?

 

I do think my body is changing the pattern due to the change in intent. When no longer concentrating on swinging a golf club (something I'm moderately adept at...) to instead throwing an object at a target (something that comes relatively naturally to me), my body does in fact move in different ways.

 

My goal is not to do this a ton, just enough to get the feeling, and then try to translate that feeling to the golf swing. It's starting to work, and I think as it continues to work I won't need to actually do the club-throwing drill nearly as often but instead just keep that feeling in the swing.

 

I admire you for staying with it. Whether it is clubs, grips or a swing change. I say it takes a year to get used to it. My problem is I always give up on something new after one range session or one round of golf. :russian_roulette:

 

Thanks. It's actually quite easy to stay with believe it or not. Fewer swing thoughts, game feels less cerebral and more athletic, and the results speak for themselves: over my past 2 rounds I am now a combined 5 over par (and 1 over the standard scratch). For someone playing off 10 that's pretty remarkable, if I do say so myself.

 

Now look I'm not saying that this is in and of itself the cure-all that will make me scratch overnight. There are still flaws in my swing that I need to work through, and that show up particularly when I'm under pressure. But this particular thought for me is something I can marry with any other swing thought and helps to complement any change I'm trying to make (e.g. since my hips have a tendency to outrace my upper body and I drop my right shoulder, instead of thinking about getting arms moving forward sooner I can instead feel the club throw as less submarine and more sidearm, which maintains the general feel for me and helps to accomplish what I'm looking for).

[Brock Landers]

I really like the idea behind this drill, to me it's similar to the Malaska drill where you feel the clubhead pull your torso though the follow through. I was only able to try this in my back yard throwing a club 30', but they all went left unless I really tried to throw it straight. This would explain why my miss is a hard pull. I went and played today and it really messed up my contact, I was pulling my eyes off the ball before contact because I was too worried about the target, which is the reason why I shoot high nineties and not high eighties, so I think this swing though promoted my bad habits. But I think it's a good drill and I just need more time practicing it.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

When I was doing the club tossing thing, and getting it right, it felt as if I were letting go of the club earlier. I was just rewatching this Mike Malaska video and the pivot point he's talking about is right where I felt that letting go place.

 

http://youtu.be/XwmYdPy3rxc

[i*windows]

for those who cant quite get to this feeling there are a bunch of other drills by other teachers which have very similar intents although are explained a little differently. Here are some examples. with some of these you just need to filter out the pre-amble.

 

Monte's no turn cast drill, fire right hand fast.

 

With Be Better Golf,

 

Bobby Lopez, stay onsides and get rid of the club

 

Malaska Pivot,

Malaska (bit of fun?)

 

Lee Deitrick, step drill and throw the ball.

 

Tony Luczak, throw down the line, flamingo drill.

 

Aimee, swish past ball

 

 

 

the important thing for me, is to not to over complicate things, not to think about positions, but to have a natural motion and for me the step drill

[i*windows]

another club chucker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vi2qKHU2mM

[Apollo 13]

Thanks to this concept, I've all but completely eliminated my weak, slappy push fade! I was hitting tight draws yesterday, with the occasional mild hook. Doesn't sound ideal, but I'm stoked to be rid of my slice!

 

Unfortunately, I hit a few fat iron shots which isn't my norm, so that's something to work on.

 

On the other hand, I hit my longest 3 wood drive... 290 yards (GPS measured), flat, no wind... woop woop!

[GMR]

Thanks to this concept, I've all but completely eliminated my weak, slappy push fade! I was hitting tight draws yesterday, with the occasional mild hook. Doesn't sound ideal, but I'm stoked to be rid of my slice!

 

Unfortunately, I hit a few fat iron shots which isn't my norm, so that's something to work on.

 

On the other hand, I hit my longest 3 wood drive... 290 yards (GPS measured), flat, no wind... woop woop!

Congrats! Sounds promising and hope it holds!

[Tanner25]

When I was doing the club tossing thing, and getting it right, it felt as if I were letting go of the club earlier. I was just rewatching this Mike Malaska video and the pivot point he's talking about is right where I felt that letting go place.

 

http://youtu.be/XwmYdPy3rxc

 

Good stuff Petunia. Posting at 2am, you are an official golf addict! Not a bad thing.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

When I was doing the club tossing thing, and getting it right, it felt as if I were letting go of the club earlier. I was just rewatching this Mike Malaska video and the pivot point he's talking about is right where I felt that letting go place.

 

http://youtu.be/XwmYdPy3rxc

 

Good stuff Petunia. Posting at 2am, you are an official golf addict! Not a bad thing.

 

More like an official insomniac. Watching Sergio's swing in slo-mo finally put me out, though.

[GMR]

New Clement video posted to the WRX main page on club throwing! Would love to think this thread was some inspiration, but probably just coincidence...

[zebra2955]

Have had a couple club throwing sessions, if you want to call it that. Now when actually hitting a golf ball I think of throwing the club . I know this is a work in process, but today I was about 10 yards longer on my irons and actually had 8 irons and down backing up a bit. Never had that before.

 

I think what I know I will be doing over the winter. Weather permitting heading to the baseball diamond and throw golf clubs !!!

[GMR]

Have had a couple club throwing sessions, if you want to call it that. Now when actually hitting a golf ball I think of throwing the club . I know this is a work in process, but today I was about 10 yards longer on my irons and actually had 8 irons and down backing up a bit. Never had that before.

 

I think what I know I will be doing over the winter. Weather permitting heading to the baseball diamond and throw golf clubs !!!

Glad to hear it's working for you. Amazing how quickly it can work its wonders!

[Tanner25]

When I was doing the club tossing thing, and getting it right, it felt as if I were letting go of the club earlier. I was just rewatching this Mike Malaska video and the pivot point he's talking about is right where I felt that letting go place.

 

http://youtu.be/XwmYdPy3rxc

 

Good stuff Petunia. Posting at 2am, you are an official golf addict! Not a bad thing.

 

More like an official insomniac. Watching Sergio's swing in slo-mo finally put me out, though.

 

OMG. I hope it wasn't the time many years ago, when he would constantly re-grip at address, that would drive me crazy full speed or slo-mo!

[Petunia Sprinkle]

When I was doing the club tossing thing, and getting it right, it felt as if I were letting go of the club earlier. I was just rewatching this Mike Malaska video and the pivot point he's talking about is right where I felt that letting go place.

 

http://youtu.be/XwmYdPy3rxc

 

Good stuff Petunia. Posting at 2am, you are an official golf addict! Not a bad thing.

 

More like an official insomniac. Watching Sergio's swing in slo-mo finally put me out, though.

 

OMG. I hope it wasn't the time many years ago, when he would constantly re-grip at address, that would drive me crazy full speed or slo-mo!

 

I don't know. If it were, I didn't make it that far.

[Silky]

I have mentioned about a thrown club flying and spinning, but there is another characteristic to experiment with, the orientation of the spin axis. A Frisbee, normally thrown, spins horizontally with a vertical spin axis. An ax, normally thrown, spins vertically with horizontal spin axis. What should the "optimal" spin axis of a thrown golf club - more vertical, more horizontal? I bet it is a mixture as the result of pivot turning and extending. I found out that if my intent is more Frisbee-like, I could exploit the turn (around the spine) more powerfully. The opposite might be true for other people. Note that this is the intent of making the club flying towards the target with a certain spin orientation, not the backswing nor transition.

 

Shawn Clements mentioned that we are inherently gravity genius. A better description should be we are inherently inertia and momentum genius. I hope that I have not over complicated the subject and we are still discussing in our genius domain in this thread - the intent.

 

Happy throwing!

[GMR]

I have mentioned about a thrown club flying and spinning, but there is another characteristic to experiment with, the orientation of the spin axis. A Frisbee, normally thrown, spins horizontally with a vertical spin axis. An ax, normally thrown, spins vertically with horizontal spin axis. What should the "optimal" spin axis of a thrown golf club - more vertical, more horizontal? I bet it is a mixture as the result of pivot turning and extending. I found out that if my intent is more Frisbee-like, I could exploit the turn (around the spine) more powerfully. The opposite might be true for other people. Note that this is the intent of making the club flying towards the target with a certain spin orientation, not the backswing nor transition.

 

Shawn Clements mentioned that we are inherently gravity genius. A better description should be we are inherently inertia and momentum genius. I hope that I have not over complicated the subject and we are still discussing in our genius domain in this thread - the intent.

 

Happy throwing!

Not positive but I would hypothesise that the ideal spin axis would be roughly perpendicular to the lie angle of the club. Therefore wedges more axe-like and drivers more Frisbee-like.

[zebra2955]

Ok after playing a few times after chucking some clubs. I have found my iron play has gotten much better, longer, more accurate. Now I seem to be pulling my driver and fairways woods. Any suggestions ?

[bigseanc12]

How many of you struggle with the throw a little due to being a lefty that is golfing as a righty?

[GMR]

Ok after playing a few times after chucking some clubs. I have found my iron play has gotten much better, longer, more accurate. Now I seem to be pulling my driver and fairways woods. Any suggestions ?

Congrats. Wish I could help but anything I'd throw out there would be a complete guess. Have an old driver or 3 wood you can practice throwing? Maybe your body reacts differently because of the longer length, flatter lie, etc... Only way to know for sure is to try the drill with the club you are struggling with!

[Pete1979]

I tend to get quicker results by associating a feeling during different elements of the swing so going to try a few of these out, I use the split hands at the range before I start hitting balls now to get the feeling and that seems to get things going better than just a few practice swings and hitting. I've also found that focusing on a spot ahead of the ball has helped get contact on the downswing and higher up the face, really reduced the thin shots.