Shawn Clement: has anyone used his analogies or techniques???

[outlaw1984]

I always like getting responses on certain things like this just to see what would spark up.....so just as the title says...has anyone ever used any of his techniques????

 

Is he legit????

[chri55]

What techniques do you refer to specifically?
Grip? I feel his instruction on the grip is as good as you can get. It worked well for me although I tend to grip a little weaker than he suggests.
Swing to target? IMO no better way to get the ball to go where you want it to with the flight you want. It's a feel thing and takes practice to get right but it flat out works. Ask Bubba or Jack.
Braced Tilt? Basically creating a stable neutral base to build your swing. Mine is less tilted than Shawns but my swing is quite different from his.
Swing the hammer? This one didn't really sit well with me. Will be better for those with stronger grips.
Let gravity govern your swing? Basically let the arms fall. The club will release to the target. Took some time to get this to work but it does. The ball will go very far with little effort.
Drills? Feet together and one legged drill are imo the two most important drills a golfer can do if they want to learn to swing with power.
Results? I've been playing for six years. Got down to a 15 hc after two years (first year shooting over 100). After working with other instructors i saw small gradual improvements. Dropped to 10 after a few months after Shawn. Down to 6 the next year. Stayed around 6 this year but shot a personal best 71. Took money from a few scratch players at my course playing straight up.

So basically a lot of what Shawn teaches worked for me. However here are the caveats.
I have a personality that cannot accept not doing well at anything. I worked very hard to get those results. Some may feel those results are not that impressive but this was done with three kids (twin boys age five now) and my own business. So I have other priorities, I just manage my time. But I was determined. Second, I live 50 minutes from Shawn's club so I had four spring lessons over two years with Shawn. Take it for what it's worth.

I feel what he teaches has merit. But I consider myself a student of golf and have taken a lot from others (highly recommend monte's vids) so I took bits and pieces and used what works for me. It just happens that a lot of what Shawn teaches worked for me.

[ALIF]

The way he explains things in his videos just connected with me. The lightbulb finally turned on after watching his videos.

[Gbyeball]

Is he legit?

He has been in the industry for close to twenty years and has a taeching academy on a good golf course in Toronto. So yes I believe that makes him legit.

Oh and for what it is worth I took lessons there for two years. Shawn is as nice a guy and just as enthusiastic and engaging in person as on his videos.

[Cwebb]

He's totally legit, is a great teacher and obviously communicates his thoughts and techniques very well.

At the end of the day, each of us, after doing a full array of "homework", has to decide whether we're going to figure out what compatable bits and pieces we want to use from different teachers, or attempt to "simplify" things by sticking with one teacher's methods.

My opinion is the most balanced package usually comes from putting several different angles and opinions together, to form a useable final result.

[Matt10]

I'm a big fan of Shawn. I've said that everytime his name comes up. You can just tell how genuinely nice he is - and not only that - he explains exactly what you're supposed to be doing. I've never learned that well from an instructor that I've never met.

[rhh7]

I have really enjoyed his videos. Interesting fact, Shawn can shoot scratch either right-handed or left-handed!

[zerix]

Good videos, good concepts, great at explaining things. Funky looking swing but it works for him, very much a swinger of the club and also has great hand-eye coordination.

[nikuk]

Have been playing the game sincerely for three summers (7 month season in western NY), was a horrible 125+ scorer for a while, but enjoyed the game and challenge and those few good/great shots.

Intently scoured the interwebs, and tried three local PGA "pros" before stumbling upon Shawn Clements and focused primarily on his teachings over last winter. Have shot right around 100 in 17 out of 20 rounds this past summer, including four rounds in the 90s. I work 50 hours a week, have a family and a home to care for so I realistically steal maybe 4-6 hours a week to practice in my garage hitting area or at the range weather dependent.

I'm not a 100% SC swinger, as I like to study alot of material, but my swing, and my [i][b]course management[/b][/i] is probably 85% based on his videos and his site's forum.

$0.02

Nick

[parmark]

Shawn is the man. Most grateful that he's willing to share his knowledge like he does. And his terminology and humor make it easy and fun to watch. The Hogan Power Move alone is terrific. I hope one day to have the chance to meet and take a lesson or three in person. Love this guy!

[Pack7483]

Legit. I have become a much better ball striker just buying and watching his DVD. He seems to explain things in such a simple way that watching his videos didn't put too many swing thoughts in my head. His short game thoughts simplified that portion of my game too. I highly recommend him.

[JPGolf FL]

[quote name='zerix' timestamp='1359235864' post='6304073']
Funky looking swing but it works for him, very much a swinger of the club and also has great hand-eye coordination.
[/quote]
Shawn can hit balls with his eyes closed. He actually talks about it. Not "seeing" the ball is actually at the core of his method. And his swing looks a little goofy I think, well, because he IS a little goofy. He also exaggerates his motions in his videos for teaching purposes. People think that his method will make their swing "look" like his, not so. Minus the sometimes crazy footwork, Bubba is a perfect clement model swing. One of the best teachers out there IMO.

[kg1128]

wow shawn gets so much love from all wrx-ers. i think he's a great teacher too.

on his funny looking swing - his swing looks funny because he has a massive hip turn in the backswing. actually there's a lot to learn from that... by not restricting his hip turn, he gets 1) good synchronization of club/arm/shoulder unit in his backswing (in other words, arms don't outrace his body), 2) arms stay nicely in front of body at the top (key to not getting stuck coming down). him being a stocky dude with long legs, his hips just turn a little more than most folks and it might look a little weird. but i believe he owns a great swing.

[dmfeld22]

[size=3]Yes. I have used a few of Shawn's lessons, analogies and techniques. I'm not certain what stage your game is at, but a great place to start is the "feet together" lesson and drill. It's a fantastic lesson which emphasizes balance and power improvement. Balance, from address to finish is hugely important for straight powerful swings. His explanations are easily understood in a succinct and very effective way. His site wisdomgolf, and the youtube videos is very much worth the time and attention.[/size]

[Cwebb]

[quote name='kg1128' timestamp='1359409183' post='6316851']
wow shawn gets so much love from all wrx-ers. i think he's a great teacher too.

on his funny looking swing - his swing looks funny because he has a massive hip turn in the backswing. actually there's a lot to learn from that... by not restricting his hip turn, he gets 1) good synchronization of club/arm/shoulder unit in his backswing (in other words, arms don't outrace his body), 2) arms stay nicely in front of body at the top (key to not getting stuck coming down). him being a stocky dude with long legs, his hips just turn a little more than most folks and it might look a little weird. but i believe he owns a great swing.
[/quote]

His hip turn is a lot like Jack Nicklaus was, in that he doesn't "restrict" anything. He turns as deep as he can at the angle he's looking for, without restricting the left knee. Many of the classic players through history did this, including Nicklaus

BTW, his "Hogan power drill" video is one of the best ever. Really an awesome explanation of exactly what the hip turn should be doing in relation to a weight transfer. In part 2 in this video topic, he talks about Nicklaus and how he did this

[mookie]

Do you guys finish with your hands as high as clement does? I can't figure out how shawn gets to that finishing position. I finish way lower.

[whatsecret]

[quote name='rhh7' timestamp='1359231302' post='6303673']
I have really enjoyed his videos. Interesting fact, Shawn can shoot scratch either right-handed or left-handed!
[/quote]

Seriously?! I'm gonna check him out right now. That is quite an accomplisment to say the least!

[hmx3]

When my swing is off, a Clement´s video on youtube helps.

His drills are fantastique.

[JPGolf FL]

[quote name='mookie' timestamp='1361095243' post='6444029']
Do you guys finish with your hands as high as clement does? I can't figure out how shawn gets to that finishing position. I finish way lower.
[/quote]

Thats what most people dont get. Subscribing to a particular style or method doesnt mean your swing will look just like whoever you subscribe to. Thats what a lot of the followers on his site dont get. They try to swing "like him" rather than FEELING what he is talking about and making it their own. I employ a lot of his techniques and my swing looks nothing like his. When it comes to analogies and feels no one is better than Shawn. He never says "swing like me", he tells you what to feel and demonstrates how he feels it. Different body types may feel the same thing in different position.

A good example..... Start this video at the 1:10 mark. Notice the "different builds" of all the trebuchets. SOme have short legs, long arms, long legs, short arms, tall, short, etc.... They all look much different in action yet they are using nearly the same levers and forces to acomplish the task.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c1CQdYs2as"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c1CQdYs2as[/url]

[mookie]

[quote name='thesponge' timestamp='1361112743' post='6444635']
[size=4]Thats what most people dont get. Subscribing to a particular style or method doesnt mean your swing will look just like whoever you subscribe to. Thats what a lot of the followers on his site dont get. They try to swing "like him" rather than FEELING what he is talking about and making it their own. I employ a lot of his techniques and my swing looks nothing like his. When it comes to analogies and feels no one is better than Shawn. He never says "swing like me", he tells you what to feel and demonstrates how he feels it. Different body types may feel the same thing in different position.[/size]

[/quote]

That makes sense. But you're the first person that has ever told me this about Clement's swing. I followed the forum for awhile and watched all of his old videos (before he got the cool intro music, HD video, etc.). No one on the old WIG forums (at least while I was there) was ever able to give me a simple, straight, and clear answer (like you gave above).

But again, it makes sense. The Clement ideas I experienced the most success with was the idea of being target focused instead of being focused on the ball. The weight transfer in relation to the head was something that also worked and hearing Monte's recent teachings about good cliches/bad cliches reinforces that point.

But because I was always worried about Clement's finished position, I always used to think that my backswing wasn't upright enough, and I kept taking it back steeper despite the fact that I was getting disconnected on the bs. Also tried swinging more and more to right field just to try to get into that finished position. Funny, because that type of thinking already goes against what Clement teaches.

In any case, thanks for the reply; I'll go check out some of Clement's newer stuff.

[Badgergolfer2]

Clement can be a little long-winded and full of himself but he has some good ideas. I dont subscribe to all of his ideas (his braced tilt is excessive, IMO and his tilted super spiral theory is interesting at best) but again, he has some really good ideas.

[JPGolf FL]

Clement full of himself? What videos were you watching? He seems extremely humble to me. Knowledge can be mistaken for condescension sometimes.

[Russtopher]

I took up the game this past summer. I played a few rounds and in a charity scramble, but the majority of my time was spent at the range, just trying to learn how to hit that damn ball, and attempting nearly every trick/tip/hint/idea I picked up from message boards and YouTube.

Then I found Shawn's videos and spent a decent amount of time watching and absorbing them. What he was describing in his drills and how to approach the game made a lot more sense than just about anything else I had tried, so I figured "why not" and gave his techniques a try. Like a lot of other people, I tried to make my swing look exactly like his, including the braced tilt, and it was horrible. Then I spent my last few range sessions before winter attempting to swing to the target, understanding that hitting the ball was not my job, and "get out of the way, get out of the way". My distances all went up, and my horrid driver slice calmed itself into a (nearly) playable fade.

I agree with some of the comments above about too many players trying to look just like him, when in fact just incorporating a few of his ideas and techniques can give you that "ah ha!" moment. I do Perpetual Motion Drills without a ball every morning for about 10-15 minutes (inside with no ball) and I feel like my swing has become very natural, and not something I'm forcing my body to do. I'm hoping it translates to the course this upcoming season, and I bought his DVD set to watch until then. All good stuff.

[ALIF]

[quote name='Gaijin_Golfer' timestamp='1361130159' post='6446287']
Clement can be a little long-winded and full of himself but he has some good ideas. I dont subscribe to all of his ideas (his braced tilt is excessive, IMO and his tilted super spiral theory is interesting at best) but again, he has some really good ideas.
[/quote]

Hmmm, that's exactly the opposite feeling I got. I've watched a least 50 of his videos and never has he come off full of himself. If anything, he comes off as a really decent, caring guy who wants to help you get better at golf. His videos have truly helped me. The Hogan power drill one finally made the light bulb in my mind turn on.

[idiotbox]

i wish i lived closer, i would take lessons from him. anytime my swing or game gets out of whack, i check out his videos. appears to be a great guy with a passion for teaching the game.

[avguy]

I have a following of a totally different swing style I also found online originally, and look similar in how I pull it off. But, without hijacking the thread in diverging directions/teachings, I had become somewhat frustrated in it AFTER I went to a full day teaching Academy with the pro. It actually put me into too much swing thoughts, and changed me into a worse iron striker, quickly. I only shelled out the bigger $$ than my meager salary could afford cuz my driver and overall tee shots were not well. I was a decent iron player, above average long hybrid to fairway woods.

Thankfully, I found Shawn about 3mos. ago. I was just incorporating his approach into my previous one above, used exclusively for almost 3 yrs. When I joined the Wisdom Forum and shared this, one of the more in the know there warned me about blending Clement with my current - "won't work." Well, I am unique, an untalented golfer who is a self-made althlete. Heck, nearly 50, I run 25 mi/week, lift wts 3-4 days/week - most guys my age out on the courses look nothing what that has done for me over 30 years.

"Your Job is Not to hit the Ball" and "Swing the Feel, then Feel the Swing, letting the ball just get in the Way". These things plus straight up & down easy effort gravity for the arm/club unit really work well - and are NOT technical small minutia swing thoughts.

My PGA Pro I do follow did praise my arm swing (in his Academy), and did mention that there is a greater golfer ready to explode out of me - I believe this. But, he sorta messed up what my body/posture are doing. Using the Clement feel of "momentum and picturing that ball sailing to a target" is a far better approach to take even though I limit my backswing/turn to save my back - older method. The two methods CAN be combined, and this season I can't wait to get it in gear.

[SattP]

Anyone trying to copy his finish position is probably on a bad path. Even that series where he was reaching that lefty all those lessons had the guy finishing with a much more wrapped around finish.

As for Clement, I was doing well with his style and then totally lost it. Like months of a really simple swing that never failed me then it went away. I'm certain I got into my own head at some point but I did have great success across the bag.

[DeadPoets]

Was OTT my entire life until I found Clement’s “throw the club down the fairway” drill. Now I’m not focused on hitting the ball, but instead on my target. 
 

only thing I struggle with is trying to stay behind the ball without getting too my weight stuck in rear foot in BS. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by DeadPoets

[DavidH88]

where to start... Shawn's videos came up in one of my Youtube recommendations and boy has his teaching has helped me no end. He is so down to earth and like others have said the light bulb comes on  after a few viewings. I watched one on irons and went to the range and instantly picked up 10 yards with all clubs. 

 

One I like is the simple shot shaping videos, I remind myself of Fade - Forward, Draw - Back (as in ball forward for Fade and Ball a little bit further back for Draw. 

 

still working on my woods but getting there lo ^_^ well worth a watch 🙂

[tm3]

On 2/17/2013 at 4:52 AM, JPGolf FL said:

[quote name='mookie' timestamp='1361095243' post='6444029']
Do you guys finish with your hands as high as clement does? I can't figure out how shawn gets to that finishing position. I finish way lower.
[/quote]

Thats what most people dont get. Subscribing to a particular style or method doesnt mean your swing will look just like whoever you subscribe to. Thats what a lot of the followers on his site dont get. They try to swing "like him" rather than FEELING what he is talking about and making it their own. I employ a lot of his techniques and my swing looks nothing like his. When it comes to analogies and feels no one is better than Shawn. He never says "swing like me", he tells you what to feel and demonstrates how he feels it. Different body types may feel the same thing in different position.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c1CQdYs2as"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c1CQdYs2as[/url]

 

Great explanation.  I had pretty much dismissed Clement because his swing looks so "wrong."

 

16 hours ago, DavidH88 said:

where to start.

 

No kidding, where to start.  He has a bazillion videos to wade through!