GEM (Golf's Essential Move) Training Aid

[iacas]

Fix Your Swing With The GEM Golf Swing Trainer

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Golf's Essential Move. Commit to improving your golf swing. Your golf revolution starts here.

There's the site and a video showing the product off a bit. The GEM is basically:

• A trio of sticks (two of which have threads on both ends).
• A clamp that attaches to the bottom of your grip.
• A weighted ball (it weighs 128g or 4.5oz).

A golf ball, btw, weighs 1.62 ounces or about 46 grams, so the weight is almost 3 golf balls in weight (2.78 golf balls).

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The "essential move" is basically what many will call "releasing" the club, or what some will call "rate of closure" or "rolling the hands over" or all kinds of things. Like many training aids, the GEM claims to do a lot of things, but mostly…

I've been testing it for awhile now, and I hope to have some videos here before the end of the year.

Also, if I like the product, I may set up an affiliate deal and code for y'all. But, the tens of dollars I might make on that are not going to change my opinion of anything, and I'll be using this topic to share my thoughts as I go.

 

[The Flush]

I saw it suggested somewhere that you could get the same/similar effect by clamping a pair of vice grips the shaft (of an older club).

Any thoughts on whether that would provide the same benefit?  IDK how much this training aid weighs compared to vice grips or how important it is to have the weight at the end of the rod vs spread out more over the length of vice grips.

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, The Flush said:

I saw it suggested somewhere that you could get the same/similar effect by clamping a pair of vice grips the shaft (of an older club).

The center of gravity wouldn't quite be the same. This concentrates the mass in the ball at the end with an aluminum rod. It'd also be more likely to slip around, rip up your grips, etc. Just as you said in your second paragraph.

There are a lot of things you can fudge or kinda do… and this would be one of them. You could thread a pool ball or metal ball onto the end of a screw and clamp that to your club, too, but your time and energy are worth something, too.

[woodzie264]

Looks like something I could use…to reinforce bringing the club back and UP rather than flailing my right elbow behind my shirt seam.  Something to consider

I wish I had the type of brain that would think of these sort of things so I could quit my job and play more golf 

[Denny Bang Bang]

Have seen this pop up a few times over the past month, curious to see what everyone thinks.  I can definitely get a bit handsy in order to put the face on the ball, maybe this could help take the hands out of play a little and use the body more.

[iacas]

42 minutes ago, Denny Bang Bang said:

Have seen this pop up a few times over the past month, curious to see what everyone thinks.  I can definitely get a bit handsy in order to put the face on the ball, maybe this could help take the hands out of play a little and use the body more.

I think it kinda does the opposite. 😄

[Denny Bang Bang]

On 12/19/2022 at 6:37 PM, iacas said:

I think it kinda does the opposite. 😄

Oh.  I figured if one was too handsy the weight would provide feedback (or provide feedback for multiple extremes… too handsy, or not handsy enough).

[iacas]

8 hours ago, Denny Bang Bang said:

Oh.  I figured if one was too handsy the weight would provide feedback (or provide feedback for multiple extremes… too handsy, or not handsy enough).

I'm sure it would do… something. It's not quite the same, though, given the CG and total weight and whatnot. The farther the weight is off the axis of the shaft the more effect it has.

[vemp05]

Erik,

Any word on some of those videos w/ the GEM that you had previously mentioned last month?  I got mine last week; I think there's some potential in it, but I'm curious what you think and more importantly how you think best to use it.

Thanks man.

[iacas]

58 minutes ago, vemp05 said:

Any word on some of those videos w/ the GEM that you had previously mentioned last month?  I got mine last week; I think there's some potential in it, but I'm curious what you think and more importantly how you think best to use it.

I recorded one, but even in slow mo you can't really see what it does. I've tried a few times to put something coherent together from it, but… I'm going to film a little more tomorrow after some lessons. I think I'll talk through it. Maybe film multiple angles.

[mdl]

On 12/12/2022 at 7:06 PM, iacas said:

Also, if I like the product, I may set up an affiliate deal and code for y'all. But, the tens of dollars I might make on that are not going to change my opinion of anything, and I'll be using this topic to share my thoughts as I go.

Don't bullshit us. We all know how greedy you are. Your integrity is for sale for less than $100 for sure. 😀

[vemp05]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

I recorded one, but even in slow mo you can't really see what it does. I've tried a few times to put something coherent together from it, but… I'm going to film a little more tomorrow after some lessons. I think I'll talk through it. Maybe film multiple angles.

Much appreciated man, thanks!  Looking forward to it. 

[iacas]

21 hours ago, vemp05 said:

Much appreciated man, thanks!  Looking forward to it. 

So… a ball was hit through a window, and it's about 50° downtown today. I didn't want to film a video while shivering. 🙂 I'll do something early next week if possible.

Anything specific you want to see or hear about, @vemp05?

[vemp05]

10 minutes ago, iacas said:

So… a ball was hit through a window, and it's about 50° downtown today. I didn't want to film a video while shivering. 🙂 I'll do something early next week if possible.

Anything specific you want to see or hear about, @vemp05?

Really just your thoughts on whether it has helped your students after using it for a while  and more how we should practice with it (ie should we be consciously trying to achieve a certain movement or basically allow the weight of the rod/ball to get our hands/body to move a certain way?).

Also after using it consistently do you think this would work for any swing or is it good for a specific fault but neutral (or bad) for another?

it’s actually relatively easy to practice with in your house because you don’t hit balls with it, and if it really does ingrain the correct motion, it could be great for those of us who can’t go to a driving range regularly but can do this for 5-10 mins every day at home.  But this is of course assuming that its goal (which as far as I can tell is to get you toe up on the backswing and then toe up again on the follow thru) is a beneficial one for an amateur golfer. 

Thanks Erik!

[iacas]

On 1/13/2023 at 1:05 PM, vemp05 said:

Really just your thoughts on whether it has helped your students after using it for a while  and more how we should practice with it (ie should we be consciously trying to achieve a certain movement or basically allow the weight of the rod/ball to get our hands/body to move a certain way?).

Oh, I can answer that one here.

1. I'm not the biggest fan of the "roll" release that the thing tries to help you with. My normal swing — and I have very good clubface control generally — doesn't really work with the GEM. It stays open and then rolls or "flips" really hard well after impact. I experimented with angling it a little to the side, but then the backswing stuff isn't great.
2. I don't mind it for the backswing - it's a slower move, so you can feel the weight pulling down pretty well. But, since you can't hit balls with it… it's still somewhat limited. If you're not going to hit balls, can't you just look at the clubface or something?
3. I've experimented with it on a putter shaft (the shaft, not the grip, as it's not quite wide enough to fit putter grips). Wedges, too. But they don't endorse that stuff yet (they might eventually) as they haven't really explored it (and it doesn't fit putter grips).

So… I like it for certain patterns, or to reinforce some things. But… I think this is one of those training aids that I think instructors should get, but regular golfers… it's a stretch.

On 1/13/2023 at 1:05 PM, vemp05 said:

Also after using it consistently do you think this would work for any swing or is it good for a specific fault but neutral (or bad) for another?

Yeah.

I'm generally not the biggest fan of training aids you can't use while hitting a golf ball. You really have almost no idea if what you're doing is "right" even if you believe it is… because there's no real way to tell.

On 1/13/2023 at 1:05 PM, vemp05 said:

it’s actually relatively easy to practice with in your house because you don’t hit balls with it, and if it really does ingrain the correct motion, it could be great for those of us who can’t go to a driving range regularly but can do this for 5-10 mins every day at home.  But this is of course assuming that its goal (which as far as I can tell is to get you toe up on the backswing and then toe up again on the follow thru) is a beneficial one for an amateur golfer.

I agree that everyone's hands will roll over. Or forearms, or however you think of it.

I'm not sure this is what I'd use to train it. I also think I prefer for some (most?) students a bit more palmar flexion, which lets you "roll" them over a little more slowly and keep more space between the forearms near the wrists.

[mdl]

On 1/12/2023 at 11:22 AM, mdl said:

Don't bullshit us. We all know how greedy you are. Your integrity is for sale for less than $100 for sure. 😀

I see the mods added a smiley face. Thanks for that! It's always dumb to assume sarcasm is clear in text without specific indication (like emojis). Erik can be prickly but to the degree that I know him he's always struck me as quite principled!

Edited January 19, 2023 by mdl