Don't Make My BIG MISTAKE | Stop Pushing The Club! 

One of the best, comprehensive lessons on how to move the clubhead. Thank you.

Great video. Once you’ve conditioned yourself to be a pusher (usually paired with a strong grip) it’s difficult to change. Many of us think we are dependent on that dominant arm to generate our swing’s power. But what power you do generate is inefficient and inconsistent. Once you start trusting and feeling that lead arm pull you finally experience effortless power, and what it’s like to trap a ball to generate and unleash potential energy. Been taking lessons for a couple months and still trying to make this my consistent swing.

Excellent video Clay. This is what The Golfing Machine (TGM) calls "swinging" (pulling the club). However, this is not the only method great players use(d). There is a method TGM calls "hitting" (pushing the club via muscular force to straighten the bent right arm on the downswing ) . Hitting does require timing when to straighten the arm, whereas swinging requires no timing. In swinging the release is automatic, which makes swinging the easier method to execute once mastered, especially under pressure, when having to "time" something can become problematic. Hitters have short backswings and finish the swing faster than swingers, who have long, fluid swings. Hitters that come to mind are Tony Finau, John Rahm and JB Holmes. If strong but not very flexible, then being a hitter is the better choice. If flexible but not very strong, then being a swinger is a better choice, which is why most female golfers are swingers. If you are both strong and flexible , then you can experiment and find the method best for you.

Been watching you for years thanks for the hard work

I know this video is two years old but somehow I haven’t seen this one yet..I think your explanation of pushing vs pulling the club is about as good as I have seen. I think us amateurs have a tendency to push because we are hit conscious and by pulling the club as you demonstrated it’s almost impossible to get too handsy which is no good too. By the way you have a very nice swing too👍👍

Several years ago I used to work with a teaching pro who worked with a handful of PGA Tour players at the time. He explained it to me like this: There was a farmer sitting on a fence taking a break from his chores. He sees a guy pulling a long length of chain down a country road and asks the man, "Hey man, why are you pulling that chain down the road?". The guy pulling the chain looked at the farmer and said, "You ever try pushing one down the road?" .

Clay You are the best teacher I have watched or have had in person for that matter on showing where the right elbow needs to be and then further the "tour twist" of how to move the hands in the down swing. I get it watching your videos for the first time ever. The implementing it is well.... another thing entirely. Mind you NOT your fault but my game has fallen completely apart. I have tried everything and SOOOOO want to feel just once that solid contact you have every dang time :) Even your bad shots in your videos (where you try to hit poorly) I would KILL for. I am stuck in Minnesota the land of the cold till end of May so I have been working hard on all your moves. We had one nice day and I took it to the range and it was hideous. I don't mind paying whatever your course costs or doing whatever you suggest, but can you walk me thru what you think my next best step is. John "I am about to hang it up" Graham Thanks Clay!! I truly love your teaching :)

This makes perfect sense.Im left handed and learned to swing a club rt handed.Iv always thought it made more sense to pull.The trick to is to use your mind to visualize the plane as you swing the club.If your already a pretty good golfer your are going to be shocked at want this does.Visually see the inside path to down to line of flight and swing on that plane.This doned on me trying to find something that would help me play better.I instantly started hitting my irons straight and long.It wasn't something that was here today and gone tomorrow.You can not swing on plane pushing the club.At least I can't. Centrifical force takes over when you can swing the club on the correct plane.You fill like your pointing the butt of the club at the ball the first quarter of the down swing.It almost instantly turned me from not being able to hit a green to being able to hit greens all day long.

Loved the video ! Being left handed , and playing golf right handed made a huge difference . Ball striking is so much better . Thanks Clay !

Clay I've learned more about the golf swing from you than I have from all the in person lessons I've ever taken

What a great swing thought, can’t wait to try it!

I think this is an essential concept for anyone looking to make better use of ground forces. Through impact, you're pushing hard off the lead leg to pull the grip up and away from the ball to cause the club head to swing and accelerate through the ball.

Clay, can you explain why we play golf with our non dominant hand? Doesn't it make sense to use your right hand as lead hand for right handed golfers?

Great swing thought! Again, I love the indoors and screen. I can see so much more detail, the sound is better and I can see the actual ball flight without you having to pick up a monitor. Great work and great setup!

Your swing has gotten better over time. I can see the difference from a year or two ago.

Thank U so much for reminding me of the importance of the left hand/arm in the impact zone - Yes I am one of those who the last years have been overdoing the right arm pushing movements.

Thanks for all the free great lessons.. you’ve improved my swing by 100%

You are the best clay. I wish I could take private lessons from you

I just felt this near the end of my round today. I hope it sticks.

Again an awesome video! Thanks for all the great teaching feeds!

OK. I've just had a major eureka moment... This video and a few others has just made me realise I was trying to swing the club wrong for about 20 years...🤦‍♂️ Now everything makes sense. Hands go straight down from the top pretty much to exactly where they started and around the body and up the other side and the club forces go down out and around... Now it makes no sense atall to do what I was previously trying to do which was essentially trying "steer" the club head my hands and arms out and around to the right trying to come from the "inside". This is why I now see how I was dragging the club through and couldn't get it to square up at impact without stalling standing up and flipping... Litrally coming down and getting the body and everything out the way and exiting left and up makes complete sense now...can I go back in time 20 years and start again...🤦‍♂️😒😄

I’m going to try this concept the next time I can hit some golf balls. I’ve always heard “pulling” the club is the wrong way to swing the club but I think different concepts get mixed together. Just the feeling of pulling the club from the top feels powerful and it looks like I’m releasing my “lag” later into the ball. Maybe I can pick up some much needed clubhead speed.

Absolutely love this and can't wait to work on these swing thoughts today. This is very similar to a Chris Ryan video, but he explains it a little differently. result it the same though. Thx again for all the awesome videos. Seems you and Chris Ryan are the only two people on youtube that explain things in a way that makes sense to me when I try to breakdown why things happen.

Clay, sorry if I missed this, but does this concept also apply to driver and fairway woods?

Every golfer over 15 hcp should see this, great video

This is definitely what my coach said... Push it not pull.. nice video clay

This makes so much sense!

Hey Clay great video I also watched your other video similar to this one about getting a lighter right hand they have helped me alot , my other question is should the left side be dominant in the takeaway and down swing more than the right side since it's more of a pulling motion ? Is there a video in your catalog that might address this for me and my golf buddies thanks!!!!!

Sorry, I'm late to the party. Can you tell me if you are pulling with both hands or just the right hand? Thanks

thats a really awesome video! thanks!

Unreal video. So much of what I get from these videos are so similar to what I’ve read from Ben Hogan’s instructional books he wrote! Good stuff

Clay I learned that the follow through is a crucially important meditative part of the swing. The left hand has to bring the club to the end of the swing. It’s best not to overly use the right hand in the swing. Any thoughts towards the use of the right hand in the follow through would burden the total effort. You probably naturally have great balance and great form. I think this thought can lead to even greater consistency. Have you ever competed in the RU-vid golf tournament?

Excellent general feel lesson. What about the backswing. Does the general feel of pulling apply in the backswing?

excellent golf coach

thank you clay.

Clay, thanks for your awesome work. Please explain to me one thing. All right handed golfers are teached to do main work of the swing with their weak side, I mean with their left arm. Why do we stand on the wrong side from the beginning of the first lesson. If I had known I would stand as a lefty to work with my strong side. I think that all the problems with the right leading hand would be solved. Am I wrong? If yes, what else the roll of the right hand? Many thanks for explaining.

There should be a double like for this kind of video.

Very good detail explain, I really love this video, helps me a lot

Wow...I’ve been pulling with my lead side, but pushing with my trail hand. I never thought of using my trail hand to lift up the grip. 97 mph! that is my max clubhead speed with a driver! Not fair!

makes perfect sense, I've been doing it wrong!

Clay - can you explain what the grip pressure is supposed to be for the left hand/forearm in the downswing. I'm finding I have to grip it hard with my left hand/forearm to keep from flipping/early extending the club and to turn my wrist down/toward the target.

Clay can you do a slow mo of your hands through impact

Clay would you say you feel the pull with your right or left hand? Or both?

Good topic, your right but some great players do push, there are two types of golf swings .

I know a couple of persons that hit the Driver 250 yards only, only , with the right hand . Amazing ! Everytime I play As you say, I Play Much better ! I do not hit the grass before the ball !

Another great vid.. I have so much trouble staying low in the posture. I guess it's fear of driving the club into the ground and not making ball contact

This pulling action is SO much easier if you are lead hand dominant. For right hand dominate right handed golfers it is damn near impossible to not push through impact. Spieth is left hand dominant...easier to pull. Mickelson is right dominant. This is a huge advantage to being consistent in golf.

Great stuff Clay!

Clays on point 👍

Love this

Excellent.

Very, very good video here

Top Coach !!

Pull with hands? Body rotation? Arms? or all of them?

Great mental images.🤝

what is the model of your flight scope?

Mike Austin would highly disagree. He always stated a golf swing is a hit, not a pull. Ben Hogan even said he wished he had two right arms. Pull is almost a guaranteed way to create and over the top swing for the average golfer. The swing is a throw, not a pull imo.

The thought of "pulling up with the right hand" doesn't work for me...focusing on turning the left hip back helps me whip the club through.

An old coach told me that the left hand pulls and the right hand is just a passenger on the grip.

it’s called ...”the Money move” on tour...I’ve caddied for the Best in the game and they All agree❤️❤️❤️👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤷🏼‍♂️

Does pushing the club cause you to chunk it?

You say the problem is using too much right arm, but you dont talk about using your left only your right???? Very confusing.

I don't get all the ppl on RU-vid. Do you realize that even in the motion of a skip of a stone, the arm and elbow is still being "pulled" into the release area? Now I'm pondering for months if the term "pulling" is simply being misunderstood across the golf spectrum. 🙄

Kinda disagree with this one a bit. If you can throw the club with your trail arm like a side arm pitch or skip a stone like hogan says, it's a BIG time difference maker

Long story short, Clay's #1 club is his 6 iron...

I feel like you just changed my life ...AGAIN

Fuck, this is what i do. Thank you!

The only way babe!

I've been watching videos for several years and every day I learn something knew, golf is so annoying

Yet another "Clay following me around the course, noting all my flaws." I'm fighting this or early extension. Not sure which. Maybe both. Probably both 🤣

Every time I watch your videos to try and fix my swing I just make it 10x worse lol.

Then why did Hogan wish he had 2 right hands……