How heavy should the sledgehammer be and where do I get one for golf training?

Shawn Clement recommends getting a 6-8 lb sledgehammer from Home Depot or your favorite tool store, though some golfers can use up to 10 lbs. The key is starting with manageable weight that allows you to feel the natural pendulum motion while maintaining control throughout the swing.

Can the sledgehammer drill really help older golfers maintain distance and coordination?

Yes, according to Shawn Clement's catapult system approach, proper sequencing and coordination matter more than raw strength. At 60 years old, he demonstrates that understanding the kinetic chain and using tools like the sledgehammer to develop feel can help golfers defy age and maintain performance through improved efficiency rather than force.

Sledgehammer — Golf Drill

Ever wonder why your golf swing feels forced and unnatural despite countless hours of practice? According to Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons, the answer lies in rediscovering your body's natural kinetic chain through an unlikely training tool: a sledgehammer. This unconventional drill uses a 6-8lb sledgehammer with feet together to teach golfers the fundamental feeling of letting momentum work for you rather than against you. By practicing chip swing motions with the heavy tool, you'll ex

How to practise it

Set up with feet together holding 6-8lb sledgehammer Let the hammer hang naturally in front of you with relaxed arms. Keep knees glued together throughout the drill.
Rock the hammer back in slow chip swing motion Feel your body naturally counterbalance as the hammer's weight pulls your arms back. Let your butt move back as arms go back.
Let momentum carry the hammer through Don't force the forward swing. Feel how your body naturally catapults around to balance the hammer's momentum through impact.
Practice continuous back-and-through motions Focus on feeling like a carpenter using hammer weight to drive nails rather than forcing with your arms.
Transfer the feel to your golf swing Take practice swings with your club, maintaining the same momentum-driven sequence you felt with the sledgehammer.

How can a sledgehammer actually help improve my golf swing?

According to Shawn Clement, using a 6-8 lb sledgehammer helps develop unparalleled coordination and teaches proper kinetic chain sequencing. You simply let the sledgehammer hang in front of you with feet together and rock it back and through in long chip swing motions, which trains your body to feel

Why do I keep rushing my downswing and how can I fix it at home?

As Shawn Clement explains, rushing the downswing is a common problem that breaks the natural kinetic chain sequence. The sledgehammer drill helps solve this by forcing you to let the weight of the tool create the tempo, teaching you to trust the natural acceleration rather than trying to force speed

What's wrong with most golf instruction and why am I still confused about my swing?

According to Shawn Clement, golf instruction took a wrong turn by focusing on too many technical positions and conflicting advice rather than natural athletic motion. He points out how golfers get overwhelmed with contradictory tips like 'keep hands inside' versus 'resist with the lower body,' when

How each of them teaches it

Coaches who demonstrate the sledgehammer drill, each linked at the second they start.

Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: WE FREED HIS GOLF SWING! Surgeon Swings Like Ryan Fox and They Wanted to Change Him (from 50:18). Swinging a weighted sledgehammer in front of the body to experience heavy momentum, forcing the hips and lower body to move out of the way naturally.
Danny Maude: Why You Don't Hit Driver As Far As You Could (from 1:42). Swing a heavy object back and forth to feel how your body naturally pivots, supports momentum, and creates a natural lever.
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: Unparalleled Coordination: The Sledgehammer Golf Swing #GolfHacks #AthleticPerformance (from 0:10). Swing a 6-10lb sledgehammer to engage the body's natural athletic response to dynamic weight.
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: WHY GOLF INSTRUCTION TOOK SUCH A WRONG TURN & WHY NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO FIX IT... (from 4:46). Heaving a heavy sledgehammer to feel momentum and force the body to react to weight rather than manual manipulation.
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: Sledgehammer Drill to improve your learning on the kinetic chain #shorts (from 0:10). Rocking a 6lb sledgehammer back and forth with feet together to feel the kinetic chain and body counterbalance.
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: CATAPULT SYSTEM GOLF SWING EXPLAINED | DEFY YOUR AGE | GolfWRX | (from 3:45). Using a 6lb sledgehammer to feel how the body must naturally get out of the way and counterbalance a heavy weight.
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: FORGET THE DEEP BACKSWING | This Changes Everything | GolfWRX | (from 6:52). Visualizing or using the weight of a heavy object to force the body to glide out of the way reactively.

Expert Tips

Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: Use a 6-8lb sledgehammer with feet together, letting it rock back and through in chip swing motions to feel the natural counterbalance and stretch as your arms swing past your body
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: Focus on feeling heavy momentum like a carpenter using hammer weight to drive nails rather than forcing the swing
Shawn Clement's Wisdom in Golf Lessons: Practice with feet together and glued knees to engage the natural catapulting system - your butt counterbalances arms going back, then comes around to catapult the arm-club unit through