GEM Training Aid

[Duffer Mark]

I swung the club several times and didn’t get much out of it. Maybe I need more weight and/or more time with it. 

[smoova]

Build the DIY version for $15 or so just to try it out.  I will say this: if you play a push-draw, using this thing will make you hook the ball into your left ear.  😂

 

That said, it might be helpful for my youngest who is just an occasional golfer and struggles to close the clubface.  

Edited November 4, 2022 by whitemb

[yoose]

On 11/4/2022 at 5:20 AM, Duffer Mark said:

I swung the club several times and didn’t get much out of it. Maybe I need more weight and/or more time with it. 

How much weight did you use? I used 10 washers but it doesn’t balance face up so I think I need more weight also. I used a 6” bolt for the rod but it looks longer in the video. 

[Volkz86]

I mad the DIY version from YouTube with 24 washers with a 7.5” rod and a 4.5” rod. Having taken lots of practice swings with it my initial result ends with a blocked shot to the right when my usual shot shape is a push draw or snap hook if I get over the top.
Not sure how I feel about this thing training aid as a 14hcp golfer who is working with a coach and seeing improvement, it’s probably not doing me any favors. Big fan of Monte’s NTC, for me the hands place the body where it should be. 

[Duffer Mark]

@yooseI used 10 or 12 washers (guessing without going to count). And I also used a 6” rod. 

[sutty86]

Looking to knock one up this week , will have a trip down to the hardware store this week.

I struggle massively to release the club 

[getitdaily]

17 minutes ago, sutty86 said:

Looking to knock one up this week , will have a trip down to the hardware store this week.

I struggle massively to release the club 

Knock one up...

 

Guessing you're from across the pond? Whole different meaning of that term in America. 

[sutty86]

2 hours ago, getitdaily said:

Knock one up...

 

Guessing you're from across the pond? Whole different meaning of that term in America. 

'Knock one out" is the phrase over here 😂

[ilikegolf]

On 11/3/2022 at 3:39 PM, Duffer Mark said:

$9.44

 

This looks great! whats the name of the clamp, going to try and find it at the hardware store. Thanks1

 

[Duffer Mark]

@ilikegolf here’s my Home Depot receipt. I used a 6” carriage bolt but I think I’m going to try an 8” to see if that works better. 

[yoose]

On 11/6/2022 at 6:39 PM, Duffer Mark said:

@yooseI used 10 or 12 washers (guessing without going to count). And I also used a 6” rod. 

Thanks. I used 10 washers, will add a few more to get it the toe balances up. 

[Cwing]

Anyone measure the total weight of the real deal?

[nikeblades00]

9 hours ago, Duffer Mark said:

@ilikegolf here’s my Home Depot receipt. I used a 6” carriage bolt but I think I’m going to try an 8” to see if that works better. 

Is that all you need? I think I will take this receipt and see if I can find it. I'll do the 8inch rod as well. Thanks for posting!

[Duffer Mark]

@nikeblades00, that's all I used. 

[nikeblades00]

I read online someone tried putting an adjustable wrench and clamp it tight to bottom of the grip. I just tried it and it feels interesting.  Not sure if this weighting is proper but gives a quick feel on the concept. 

 

[golfarb1]

3 hours ago, nikeblades00 said:

I read online someone tried putting an adjustable wrench and clamp it tight to bottom of the grip. I just tried it and it feels interesting.  Not sure if this weighting is proper but gives a quick feel on the concept. 

 

Tighten a Six inch wrench using some duck tape for stability 

Edited November 10, 2022 by golfarb1

[glk]

Looks like some creative ways to train for dodgeball

from my experience best be ready with a good story to the spouse.

Edited November 10, 2022 by glk

[golfarb1]

55 minutes ago, glk said:

Looks like some creative ways to train for dodgeball

from my experience best be ready with a good story to the spouse.

There is good reason to be skeptical of any training aid. “Be better golf “has highlighted a number of training aids . Among them is the below aid . Are you skeptical of the below aid , which was also featured on “ Be better golf “?

[glk]

34 minutes ago, golfarb1 said:

There is good reason to be skeptical of any training aid. “Be better golf “has highlighted a number of training aids . Among them is the below aid . Are you skeptical of the below aid , which was also featured on “ Be better golf “?

What?   Im making a joke about putting a wrench as a diy - you never watched the movie dodgeball, i guess.   If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball - Patches.   No opinoin on this aid.

Edited November 10, 2022 by glk

[zacgolf]

 

[RoyalTroon]

Clever knockoffs!

[Duffer Mark]

On 11/9/2022 at 6:32 PM, nikeblades00 said:

I read online someone tried putting an adjustable wrench and clamp it tight to bottom of the grip. I just tried it and it feels interesting.  Not sure if this weighting is proper but gives a quick feel on the concept. 

 

Fix your swing with The Golf Wrench!

[Swisstrader98]

Well, I bought the GEM after watching a few of the YT vids on the product and after my first range session with it, there is definitely something there. No knock on all the DIY projects here with trying to mimic the GEM with hardware store items or crazy wrenches, but I suck at DIY projects 😂

 

First, I swung the GEM  a few times in my living room and thought it didn’t feel much different from my regular swing (unsure if that was a good or bad thing)…a bit of a pain getting the thing initially attached to my grip, but then headed off to the range on a bit of a windy, rainy day to hit some balls. .

 

At the range I did the recommended 10 practice swings (used PW), then tossed off the rod and took a real swing and time after time, baby draws and probably a good 10-15 yards longer than my normal PW….then just did “rinse, lather, repeat” with GEM on, GEM off. Each swing felt effortless, meaning I didn’t try to kill it, just did the “toe up on BS, toe up on FS” mantra and thought a bit about releasing the club. The beauty of this thing is that I didn’t have to think all the much…just swing the club with the GEM on, take the GEM off and then rely on muscle memory and trust what was happening. Pretty shocking results for a normally cynical  guy who’s played golf for some 30 years and didn’t expect all that much. 

 

Then tried same with my 5 iron…10 practice swings, then normal swing and pured probably 3-4 out of 5 shots and again effortless. I then tried with driver, which I thought would not work as well as irons, because I dont see many of the reviews mentioning driver all that much and I was just hammering my drives. Some of the best drives I’ve hit in years. 

 

Wife then joins me on the range. She has a pretty decent swing, but absolutely hates her 7 iron (unsure why,just says she cant hit it) and I initially watch her attempting to hit it and she’s maybe 110-120 and mainly weak fades. I then have her do the routine with the GEM, and within 2-3 swings, she starts hitting baby draws and now her 7 iron is going 135-140. She’s also shocked. 

 

Some pros and cons:

Pros:
1) You get INSTANT feedback from the GEM. Doesn’t take a millions swings to start to see results and results are very impressive 
2) Pure quality machining. It appears as if the GEM is hand tooled on a machine and made in Scotland, so not a Chinese knock off or cheaply made item 
3) The release just feels unforced with the GEM. One of my biggest faults was always forcing the right hand to turn over which can weak havoc w my swing or when I tried to do the toe up thing like a lot of the pros do, I would never feel comfortable and always with inconsistency results. 

 

Cons:

1) Having to screw the long GEM rod on and off each time is a bit of a pain in the arse and initially installing the GEM is also not 1-2-3, meaning takes a couple mins. Unsure why these guys didnt use one of those push button easy on/easy off things for putting the rod on and off and a better way to clamp the device on to the grip. Not the end of the world, just a bit of an inconvenience. 
2) Because the machining of the GEM is hand tooled, there were some metal burrs left on top of screw holes that could easily cut or scratch you. They need to run a sander or file the burrs 
3) They should make the carry pouch both bigger and more secure. Easy for pieces to fall out and while it fits all the parts when you take the whole thing apart each time, I like keeping the metal ball attached (no reason to unattach it), but then if you leave the ball on, the rod sticks out of the carry bag….just not the best and I may try to figure out a better pouch on my own. 
4) Although I read the instructions on use of the shorter rods, I’m still not sure I get when to use the longer vs the shorter rods. I just stuck with the longer one for now. 

 

Number one thing, at least for me, is doing the “toe up on the BS and toe up on follow through” and just letting the club release more naturally. Just let the club release, meaning dont force anything. 

 

All that being said, this is EASILY my best purchase of a training aid for golf I’ve ever seen after 30 years of playing this great game. Playing a round tomorrow so will see how it translates to the course, but that’s on me, not the GEM😊

I have  posted the same thing on the STeve Johnson’s YT channel and the Be Better Golf site as well.

 

Any questions or criticisms, feel free to fire away 😊

[sutty86]

just put this together at work.

I'll have a blast later, btw I don't think I've ever hit a draw on purpose.

So we will see!

Hardest part for me was cutting down the threaded rod!

[Badshaft]

I bought the Gem and received it yesterday, so far it gives really good feedback loop. I have been hitting into a net and with practice swings in between. My strikes have improved instantly for sure.

 

It looks like there is something to this - It helps with sequencing and getting your hands through the ball correctly which have always been an issue for me.

 

I think possibly one of the keys to make this work is to have passive hands and forearms when you swing the GEM. It almost kind of guides the club in the correct manner when I do that or it seems so when you get it in the right positions.  

 

I am playing today and I'll report back if it helped on my round or at least my strikes. 

 

 

[sutty86]

I noticed immediately my striking was much better , 

[Swisstrader98]

I promised an update on my GEM experience, but bear in mind, this is only after about 2 range sessions and one time out on the course. 
 

Range sessions are still superb. Put GEM on, take 10 practice strokes, take GEM off, hit balls and it’s like magic. 
 

Played yesterday in a pretty windy day and while I hit some real quality shots w the GEM-like swing, I still don’t trust it enough to make it work (only been a week!) and some shots especially w driver were complete crap.
 

Think I’m too focused on toe up in the backswing and that’s still very new to me, so still a work in progress. 
 

Something tells me I need a lot more reps with the GEM before it starts to feel more natural on the course. 

[Swisstrader98]

2 hours ago, Badshaft said:

I bought the Gem and received it yesterday, so far it gives really good feedback loop. I have been hitting into a net and with practice swings in between. My strikes have improved instantly for sure.

 

It looks like there is something to this - It helps with sequencing and getting your hands through the ball correctly which have always been an issue for me.

 

I think possibly one of the keys to make this work is to have passive hands and forearms when you swing the GEM. It almost kind of guides the club in the correct manner when I do that or it seems so when you get it in the right positions.  

 

I am playing today and I'll report back if it helped on my round or at least my strikes. 

 

 

Good feedback.
 

The other thing that helps when doing “air swings” w the GEM is to keep a super light grip on the club and just let the GEM guide your swing path, hands, arms, body, etc 

[Badshaft]

I practiced with the GEM before i left for my round - 7I-5I-3W used the Gem on all three with practice in between. Left for the club and had very solid ball striking round with tough conditions. Temperature was 30-40-50 with winds all day- 

 

I can say with pretty good confidence that the GEM is a go to for me. It really worked for me and got better ball striking. 

 

One a par4 that we have had a head wind I measured at 30mph with a hazard at around 240 - I struck my club off the tee dead straight but high into the wind with not a bad shot over - Well my next shot my old habit of not getting my hands through the ball crept in and I fanned the shot to the right and knew right away why- 

I played many shots longer into places that I hadn't seen in quite a while - into and with wind cheats-

 

I need to work with it more so I can get more consistent- But today was very encouraging with ball striking - 

 

And @Swisstrader98 keeping a light grip on strikes is a "Key" I had to keep reminding myself of - Great Advice!

 

More to follow next week-

 

 

[Cwing]

Looking forward to long term usage reviews.