GEM Training Aid

[canuker]

Well, I've done two things:

1. I bought the real GEM which is currently on it's way. Unfortunately, after I ordered I quickly realized that their standard clamp will not fit my Jumbomax grips so I'm working with their customer service to get a different clamp sent out. 

 

2. Being impatient, curious, and bored, I ran out to the hardware store to make a DIY one:

I analyzed some photos and determined that the long rod plus ball is roughly 8.5 inches long which is what I based my "design" around. 128 grams also seems to be getting thrown around as the official unofficial weight of the ball so I tried to hit that as best I could.  

I think I made a poor washer choice and went a little too small/light thus I had to use a lot more washers and I'm wondering if this is throwing off the design a bit from a COG perspective. Who knows. I might head back to the hardware store tomorrow to get something a little more hefty. 

Took some swings out in the front yard after I built it and it definitely feels interesting. I get the whole toe up/toe down thing and can feel what I need to do to stop the wobble. 

I'm going to take my new toy and myself to the range tomorrow to hit some balls and see what happens. 

Posted a couple of photos of the GEM team checking out the weight balance to compare to mine. Also, I just through this thing on some old 7iron that was in the basement for now. 

[Dufferonius]

14 hours ago, canuker said:

Well, I've done two things:

1. I bought the real GEM which is currently on it's way. Unfortunately, after I ordered I quickly realized that their standard clamp will not fit my Jumbomax grips so I'm working with their customer service to get a different clamp sent out. 

They make an alternate clamp set that fits jumbo grips?  Because, by the way mine fits on the midsize GP CP2 Pro grips on my irons I've suspected it won't fit on the GP CP2 Pro jumbo grips I'm moving to.

 

I've been meaning to try it (I have jumbos on everything but my irons now), but, haven't gotten around to it.  (Or have been afraid to find out.)

[canuker]

2 hours ago, Dufferonius said:

They make an alternate clamp set that fits jumbo grips?  Because, by the way mine fits on the midsize GP CP2 Pro grips on my irons I've suspected it won't fit on the GP CP2 Pro jumbo grips I'm moving to.

 

I've been meaning to try it (I have jumbos on everything but my irons now), but, haven't gotten around to it.  (Or have been afraid to find out.)

Yes I emailed GEM and they said they just started making a jumbo-sized clamp. 

My Jumbomax Utralite XS grips are 1.15" in diameter so that's very big. Too big for the regular clamp size or so I thought?

[Dufferonius]

20 hours ago, canuker said:

Yes I emailed GEM and they said they just started making a jumbo-sized clamp. 

I just checked the standard clamp on a GP CP2 Pro Jumbo on one of my wedges.  It does fit... kind of.  But, rather than the teeth of the clamp grabbing the grip, the inside edges of the sides of the clamp do.  The clamp's teeth never contact the grip.  That's not much clamping area.  I'm concerned that, with long-term use, this might mar or damage the grips.

 

So I just sent them an email, sharing that concern with them, and asking about acquiring one of the new, larger clamps.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

ETA: They quoted me $25 for the larger clamp + $10 shipping (approximate numbers converted from pounds).  $35 all total isn't bad.  I told them to go ahead and send me the invoice.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Dufferonius

[canuker]

This is where I think myself and a lot of others are confused. Here is a video where Milo is specifically verbally against toe up backswing and toe up follow through because it promotes too much roll and face rotation. At a glance the GEM looks like it promotes this exact sort of release.

So is the GEM directly in opposition to the kind of release that Milo promotes in this video? 
 

Here's Malaska talking about the same thing. Essentially very anti-roll and face rotation.
 

Discuss!

Edited September 1, 2023 by canuker

[zacgolf]

9 hours ago, canuker said:

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by zacgolf
Deleted

[Dufferonius]

15 hours ago, canuker said:

This is where I think myself and a lot of others are confused. Here is a video where Milo is specifically verbally against toe up backswing and toe up follow through because it promotes too much roll and face rotation. At a glance the GEM looks like it promotes this exact sort of release.

That's the way my coaches teach it.

 

15 hours ago, canuker said:

So is the GEM directly in opposition to the kind of release that Milo promotes in this video? 

Guess so.  Don't know.  I stopped going down the YT rabbit hole when I signed-up for on-line instruction.

[canuker]

My GEM showed up yesterday but I'm away from home for a few days so I'll have to wait until next week to give it a go. 

Also, I solemnly swear to stop going down YT rabbit holes. Except for here:

Here is Padraig talking in favor of toe-up at 5:00. I love listening to Paddy talk about golf tips though so I'd recommend the whole video:
 

 
Here is a video of the AMG guys also show toe-up is fine in his shaft parallel position at 8:28. Again though, the whole video is solid:
 

Lastly, Monte talks about toe-up or "slightly hooded" both being perfectly fine in his Efficient Swing series.

GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. That's all the confirmation bias I need to feel good about my GEM purchase.

Anyway, I'm just going to practice with the GEM for a while and see how I get on.

Edited September 2, 2023 by canuker

[Dufferonius]

Received the larger clamp/adapter for my GEM today.  Cost me about $35US, took thirteen days from the time I paid the PayPal invoice until it arrived in my mailbox, and it fits my GP CP2 Pro Jumbo grips perfectly.

 

Well worth my time and expense.

 

[canuker]

Received my GEM yesterday. Have been swinging it all over the house for the last 24 hours. Definitely getting some interesting feels. I've only tried the long rod thus far. The biggest feel I have so far to reduce wobble is the classic "low and left" hand path that is often advocated for.

I also feel like im swinging through the ball with my chest. Almost like the face of the club and my chest are matched up. I videoed myself and this isn't exactly what's happening, but like I said it's a feel more than anything. 

Taking it to the range this evening and might play a quick 9 afterward. Will report back!

Oh and also, I have been using a SKLZ grip guide with this and have also been playing around with having my (also new) Swingyde attached. It makes for a hilarious looking frankenclub but they all seem to play well together. 

 

[canuker]

4 hours ago, canuker said:

Received my GEM yesterday. Have been swinging it all over the house for the last 24 hours. Definitely getting some interesting feels. I've only tried the long rod thus far. The biggest feel I have so far to reduce wobble is the classic "low and left" hand path that is often advocated for.

I also feel like im swinging through the ball with my chest. Almost like the face of the club and my chest are matched up. I videoed myself and this isn't exactly what's happening, but like I said it's a feel more than anything. 

Taking it to the range this evening and might play a quick 9 afterward. Will report back!

Oh and also, I have been using a SKLZ grip guide with this and have also been playing around with having my (also new) Swingyde attached. It makes for a hilarious looking frankenclub but they all seem to play well together. 

 

Alright, first range session went god awful. I literally had my worst range session in two years? I'm not sure what the hell happened but after swinging this thing trying to prevent a wobble for the last day or so, my real swing turned into an aggressive over-the-top move. I've never experienced anything like it. I was shanking and slicing damn near everything. 

I legitimately don't know how I managed to mess things up that bad with this training aid? I think that in the effort of preventing wobble I figured out a way to do so by coming way OTT and didn't realize it. 

I blew through 100 of the most embarrassing balls I have ever hit at a range and had to get another 100 just to try and desperately find some of my old feels. I had to go back to doing little waist-high to waist-high swings with a 9 iron to attempt to find my old swing again. Every time I went past left arm parallel I sliced the living daylights out of it. I'm talking 90 degrees to the left, completely unplayable. 

I was striping them (relative to my skill level) at the range session I had before them GEM.

Long story short, this thing is WAY the f*** in time out until I can get a playable 3/4 swing figured out again. Hopefully tomorrow I can undo the damage. 

Very disappointed. I'm not giving up on it yet as I realize there must have been some user error but I'm going to need to be very careful about how I try and use this again. 

[Dufferonius]

Wow, @canuker, sorry to see this 😕

 

I had a similar problem with the Orange Whip: Found out that whenever I warmed-up with it before a round I played much worse.

 

I haven't even tried my GEM, other than a few abbreviated swings indoors. (Was an interesting feel--I'll say that.) I'm still working on down-swing training with my on-line instructors. I figured on putting the GEM to work after I'd gotten my swing where I wanted it--as a refinement aid.

 

Just as not all swing tips are suitable for all swings: I imagine not all swing training aids are suitable for all swings. Sounds like this may be the case for the GEM and your swing?

[canuker]

It very well might not be a good fit for my swing. I'm not going to blame it all on the GEM though. Might just be a bad match up. I think another hundred balls will get me recalibrated to my old swing.

That said, I'll try it again but not right away. If I don't return it I might wait until next season. There are only a couple of weeks left in the golf season out here in Whistler so I want to be able to play a fun couple of rounds before everything shuts down. My old swing needed some more (who's doesnt) but it was playable atleast. 

Hopefully you have better luck than me. 

[jamiesd]

Just ordered one of these bad boys for my winter program here in freezing cold Scotland.  Toyed with making my own one but just went for the real thing.  LETS GO!

[getitdaily]

On 9/14/2023 at 9:19 PM, canuker said:

Alright, first range session went god awful. I literally had my worst range session in two years? I'm not sure what the hell happened but after swinging this thing trying to prevent a wobble for the last day or so, my real swing turned into an aggressive over-the-top move. I've never experienced anything like it. I was shanking and slicing damn near everything. 

I legitimately don't know how I managed to mess things up that bad with this training aid? I think that in the effort of preventing wobble I figured out a way to do so by coming way OTT and didn't realize it. 

I blew through 100 of the most embarrassing balls I have ever hit at a range and had to get another 100 just to try and desperately find some of my old feels. I had to go back to doing little waist-high to waist-high swings with a 9 iron to attempt to find my old swing again. Every time I went past left arm parallel I sliced the living daylights out of it. I'm talking 90 degrees to the left, completely unplayable. 

I was striping them (relative to my skill level) at the range session I had before them GEM.

Long story short, this thing is WAY the f*** in time out until I can get a playable 3/4 swing figured out again. Hopefully tomorrow I can undo the damage. 

Very disappointed. I'm not giving up on it yet as I realize there must have been some user error but I'm going to need to be very careful about how I try and use this again. 

This is what I thought would happen. And I wonder how many people had something like this happen but won't admit it 

 

This device never had a solid explanation for what swing fault it was supposed to fix...

 

Hey, but it looks.cool...

[Delacroix]

I just found my GEM after a big move across the country

 

I really feel like people are complicating the training aid with all these videos and all the conversation about toe up to toe up or square to spine angle etc rolling flipping etc

 

The training aid is supposed to let you feel what a correct swing can feel like

 

Swing the aid gently and let your body respond... if it feels weird you are most likely adding something to the swing

 

The golf swing is simple... what happens is we as adult humans think we need to add or change or participate in the swing to make it work

 

Look at a child hit golf balls... are they adding anything?

 

Put the weight on your club and put forth little effort as you swing the club and let the clunk of the weight reveal itself

 

The golf swing is a transfer of energy... it is a natural transfer of stored energy and centripetal force ... the hands and body are more or less just along for the ride

 

The issue is our muscles are so tense and strong that we feel like "oh... I have to swing this stick to make it work" when in reality nature swings the stick we are just holding on to it

 

Many people can't feel the club head.... this greatly allows one to do so

 

That's all. Just relax and swing it back and forth and let the forces reveal themselves