A Be Better Golfer called Otis sent me a video in May from the Steve Johnston YouTube page where Steve is using a new training aid. It was unlike anything I had seen before.
I have been thinking about the inherent problems with a golf club's center of mass (COM) for a while now and I thought GEM might really be onto something special. So I emailed them about it and I didn't hear back from them for about 5 months. Eventually there social media manager contacted me and sent me 2 units.
It is a counterbalance bar that hangs 90 degrees off the edge of the shaft. It comes with 3 different length bars.
This last week I have been testing the GEM and putting some of the early results on my Instagram
I'll be making a YouTube video about it on Monday or Tuesday.
My first thoughts. It is a very strange feeling. The COM of the club with the GEM on keeps the club hanging TOE UP, so It squares itself. At first it felt VERY GOOD, and I really god the sense that the body was squaring the club and not the wrists (the opposite of what you would think but that is how a lot of pro's have described it to me). My wife saw me swinging it and thought it looked like I was going to really wack myself with the bar.
I REALLY FELT open when I was making the practice swings with the longest bar and I thought, this MUST be looking awesome (it surely FELT awesome) SO I filmed a few swings. I was wrong. They looked horrible. Something was off.
Although The swings were VERY open at impact (which is great for me) I was never getting the club DOWN to the level of the ball and ALL my practice swings looking VERY STEEP (which is a lightly nicer way of saying masselity OVER THE TOP). I went to bed that night pretty confused about these results. I knew it was showing me something but I wasn't using it the right way.
The next day I took it to the range to use with my friend and professional golfer David Heinen (one of the top junior golf coaches in the country). After hitting some really great shots while flip flopping between the GEM arm and regular full swing shots. I would hit some really well but then STILL had that steepening shaft on the way down (above the Functional swing plane).
Then I got a very strange idea and went with it. I was having a hard time getting the clubbed DOWN enough. OPEN enough seemed to be a given while using the GEM but the club has to go DOWN, OUT and FORWARD. So something my wife had said a few nights back click. She had said be care not to hit myself with the bar. Hmmm. "What if on the downswing I do everything I can to Wack myself in the leg leg with this bar?"
It is a counterbalance bar that hangs 90 degrees off the edge of the shaft. It comes with 3 different length bars.
This last week I have been testing the GEM and putting some of the early results on my Instagram
I'll be making a YouTube video about it on Monday or Tuesday.
My first thoughts. It is a very strange feeling. The COM of the club with the GEM on keeps the club hanging TOE UP, so It squares itself. At first it felt VERY GOOD, and I really god the sense that the body was squaring the club and not the wrists (the opposite of what you would think but that is how a lot of pro's have described it to me). My wife saw me swinging it and thought it looked like I was going to really wack myself with the bar.
I REALLY FELT open when I was making the practice swings with the longest bar and I thought, this MUST be looking awesome (it surely FELT awesome) SO I filmed a few swings. I was wrong. They looked horrible. Something was off.
Although The swings were VERY open at impact (which is great for me) I was never getting the club DOWN to the level of the ball and ALL my practice swings looking VERY STEEP (which is a lightly nicer way of saying masselity OVER THE TOP). I went to bed that night pretty confused about these results. I knew it was showing me something but I wasn't using it the right way.
The next day I took it to the range to use with my friend and professional golfer David Heinen (one of the top junior golf coaches in the country). After hitting some really great shots while flip flopping between the GEM arm and regular full swing shots. I would hit some really well but then STILL had that steepening shaft on the way down (above the Functional swing plane).
Then I got a very strange idea and went with it. I was having a hard time getting the clubbed DOWN enough. OPEN enough seemed to be a given while using the GEM but the club has to go DOWN, OUT and FORWARD. So something my wife had said a few nights back click. She had said be care not to hit myself with the bar. Hmmm. "What if on the downswing I do everything I can to Wack myself in the leg leg with this bar?"
THAT WAS IT. The MAIN drill in using the GEM is to swing it 10x then take it off and hit a shot without the arm on.
So If I made those 10 swing feeling that in transition and the downswing I was going to turn that rod (with the weighted ball on it) and HTROW it in-between my legs and hit myself in the groin. That would slot the club perfectly, Then my body with get out of the way and rod wouldn't actually hit me (thankfully!).
When I saw the video of these practice swings I knew it was totally different. It was not over the top or even steep but it WAS STILL very open. That is the PARADOX I always ask golf teachers about . HOW DOES A GOLFER GET OPEN WITHOUT GETTING OVER THE TOP.
Hitting balls was really amazing now. I hit the 3 best feeling iron shots of my life in a row (video above).
They felt super compressed and it is just a different feeling to impact the ball with your chest facing the target. It's like a different game. I still have some testing to do with the GEM and I want to take it to a trackman or GC Quad to see what is happening but I like it a lot.
If you want to try the GEM for a great discount (10% off AND free shipping thru the end of 2022)
Go to THIS LINK and use the code BBGOLF10
More soon stay tuned.
THAT WAS IT. The MAIN drill in using the GEM is to swing it 10x then take it off and hit a shot without the arm on.
So If I made those 10 swing feeling that in transition and the downswing I was going to turn that rod (with the weighted ball on it) and HTROW it in-between my legs and hit myself in the groin. That would slot the club perfectly, Then my body with get out of the way and rod wouldn't actually hit me (thankfully!).
When I saw the video of these practice swings I knew it was totally different. It was not over the top or even steep but it WAS STILL very open. That is the PARADOX I always ask golf teachers about . HOW DOES A GOLFER GET OPEN WITHOUT GETTING OVER THE TOP.
Hitting balls was really amazing now. I hit the 3 best feeling iron shots of my life in a row (video above).
They felt super compressed and it is just a different feeling to impact the ball with your chest facing the target. It's like a different game. I still have some testing to do with the GEM and I want to take it to a trackman or GC Quad to see what is happening but I like it a lot.
If you want to try the GEM for a great discount (10% off AND free shipping thru the end of 2022)
Go to THIS LINK and use the code BBGOLF10
More soon stay tuned.
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