My S&T Lesson with Nick Clearwater

[varsityhacker]

One man’s journey and some observations along the way

Last Thursday I spent over 2 hours with Nick Clearwater and took my first one on one lesson with a qualified S&T instructor. As some may know I have been dabbling with S&T for sometime with some success and a lot more failure. I have the videos and the book so I understood the swing enough to be dangerous to myself and I could talk the lingo lol. But, for some reason the swing never really clicked. So when Nick contacted me and asked if I wanted to take a lesson I said sure with some hesitation and told him that I was a terrible representative of S&T and that Mike and Andy would be embarrassed if I ever told anyone that is what I was working on. They already get enough heat from the golfing community the last thing they needed was me modeling the pattern for the general public. Nick was gracious enough to still want to do the lesson.

When we meet he had me hit some balls using my normal swing, which we looked at. All my old faults were there to see, stalled hips hanging back on my right side flipping the club (it's like watching a bad 70's porno movie, you know it's bad and shouldn't look but you can't help yourself). Any way that swing as bad as it is on film still manages to get me around the course shooting in the 70's. However the weak link in my chain has always been my irons (bad compression) you can flip your way around the course with your driver and wedges but your irons won't play that game. That is why I really liked the idea of S&T, stay centered move to the left, hit on the backside of the circle seems logical and for my faults a good swing pattern to use.

Knowing and doing are two different animals as Nick was about to show me. Some of my observations are 1) You need to move your weight more left and the hips more linear then I thought possible. 2) The stand up move, pelvic thrust is a big deal in generating power and a keystone of the swing. 3) Maintain your flying wedges with the longest arc possible keeps the hands and club on the circle and allows you to hit the push draw. 4) The right foot is the rudder for the swing and governs the down swing and follow through, you need to bank the root foot in not have it spin out like I am use to (I was always taught that at the end of the swing you someone standing behind you should be able to see all of your spikes, this was for me the hardest part to learn) 5) I don't think must people do the back swing correctly, they roll the #3 accumulator too much aka like Tiger's practice swing.

Nick was awesome in the way he conducted the lesson we would work on one part of the swing pattern, first hitting without balls and then with balls. At each stage we would look at the video to confirm that it was being done correctly (well as good as I could get it) and he would explain why that piece of the swing was important and how it fit in the overall swing pattern. He would also explain the fault patterns and what to look for when I wasn't doing it correctly that way I could diagnose my faults so I could make corrections. Then we would layer in another piece and the process would start again. By the end of the lesson I knew what I needed to do and how to recognize and diagnose my faults. Which came in really handy when I played yesterday.

S&T for whatever reason gets a lot of naysayers but, I believe if those naysayers had a lesson with Nick or Andy and Mike they would change their opinions. The swing isn't new or revolutionary just repackaged in a modern format that is very effective when done correctly. S&T in my opinion will help the majority of hackers like me by getting them to their left side, hitting the back of the circle resulting in a compressed pushed draw. Which is what I believe Andy and Mike have stated are the reasons they put together this swing pattern in the first place.

Here are the pictures and notes from my lesson that were sent to me from Nick. If you ever get the chance to take a lesson with Nick I would do it. He is a great guy and very knowledgeable about not only S&T but all kinds of golf swings. Mike and Andy have taught him well.

[mvmac]

Nice work! Some big changes in those pics. Nick is a great guy.

[varsityhacker]

Thanks they were some big changes for sure but I like the golfer on the right much better. Nick is a great guy and great instructor the man knows his stuff.

[BrandonM7]

That's awesome dude. The differences in your pictures are night and day. I love when instruction has immediate, real results. Cool stuff.

[varsityhacker]

Well I still have a lot to work on but feel like the pieces and the knowledge are there to make the changes permanent.

[TaylorMadeAP25]

glad to hear your lesson went well with Nick, changes look awesome!

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='TaylorMadeAP25' date='26 April 2010 - 02:37 PM' timestamp='1272307071' post='2401858']
glad to hear your lesson went well with Nick, changes look awesome!
[/quote]

Thanks man I appreciate that come from you, keep up the good work converting your classmates.

[Puppetmaster]

The new positions look great - I'm especially loving that impact position; looks all precision and power.

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='Puppetmaster' date='26 April 2010 - 02:50 PM' timestamp='1272307826' post='2401895']
The new positions look great - I'm especially loving that impact position; looks all precision and power.
[/quote]

I definitely started to compress the golf ball finally, still need to slide my hips better. But, when I do it correctly the ball flight is so much stronger.

[nevets88]

The before and after impact position is night and day. Does he teach the public or only to club members?

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='nevets88' date='26 April 2010 - 03:16 PM' timestamp='1272309371' post='2401953']
The before and after impact position is night and day. Does he teach the public or only to club members?
[/quote]

Yes the are lol. Nick teaches to the GP as far as I know you can shoot him a PM his GolfWRX id is Clearwater.

[gmbtempe]

I don't think its limited to stack and tilt teachers but in general those guys, the MORAD guys, the TGM guys all get people into better impact positions because I think thats the basis of their teaching. SnT obviously is going to get the hands ahead the most in that motion because the weight is set more left but in general I just see great pictures from the students.

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='gmbtempe' date='26 April 2010 - 04:04 PM' timestamp='1272312256' post='2402077']
I don't think its limited to stack and tilt teachers but in general those guys, the MORAD guys, the TGM guys all get people into better impact positions because I think thats the basis of their teaching. SnT obviously is going to get the hands ahead the most in that motion because the weight is set more left but in general I just see great pictures from the students.
[/quote]

My last instructor was a GED not to rip on him maybe I am a bad student but I never got to the impact position I did working with Nick for a couple of hours.

[gmbtempe]

[quote name='varsityhacker' date='26 April 2010 - 01:13 PM' timestamp='1272312830' post='2402098']
[quote name='gmbtempe' date='26 April 2010 - 04:04 PM' timestamp='1272312256' post='2402077']
I don't think its limited to stack and tilt teachers but in general those guys, the MORAD guys, the TGM guys all get people into better impact positions because I think thats the basis of their teaching. SnT obviously is going to get the hands ahead the most in that motion because the weight is set more left but in general I just see great pictures from the students.
[/quote]

My last instructor was a GED not to rip on him maybe I am a bad student but I never got to the impact position I did working with Nick for a couple of hours.
[/quote]

thats why I said in general

I see the same thing from Dana's and Dan's students, very quickly the impact alignments are better. Both are TGM/Morad based guys though but have migrated to also teaching the SnT pattern. I think Nick falls into the same camp though I don't know his background.

[tercoidegw]

Night and day!!!

Now you need some stiffer shaft in those irons!!!

[jaridyard]

[quote name='gmbtempe' date='26 April 2010 - 08:47 PM' timestamp='1272314870' post='2402175']
I think Nick falls into the same camp though I don't know his background.
[/quote]

Nick definitely has a camp background. Don't hold it against him though as he can flat out teach.... and that ain't no joke...

[Tmiller72]

Nice job!

[Geohans]

My guy is more MORAD. I don't see any positions in these pics that's any different.

My guy tells me to keep my shoulders between my knees when I take it back. No movement to the left on the backswing. Just a very firm right side to turn against. Extension is the same, far as I can tell.

Seems to me the SnT is a variation on MORAD principles? In any case, that's pretty dramatic for one day. I'm impressed you were in the seventies with the old swing! Must be a gifted athlete. or too much free time maybe?

In any case well done and thanks for postig those pics. I'd post some of mine but can't figure out how to excerpt pics from V1. Anyone help me with that?

[bioman]

In S&T, what are you mainly focusing on when impacting the ball (ie. hand foward, hitting into the ground, etc)? 

[DeaconEsq]

Wow nice job. Those pics look like night and day!

[iteachgolf]

Nice work guys

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='tercoidegw' date='26 April 2010 - 05:25 PM' timestamp='1272317103' post='2402259']
Night and day!!!

Now you need some stiffer shaft in those irons!!!
[/quote]

Those shafts are s300 tipped a half inch to play like an x100.

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='jaridyard' date='26 April 2010 - 06:05 PM' timestamp='1272319536' post='2402356']
[quote name='gmbtempe' date='26 April 2010 - 08:47 PM' timestamp='1272314870' post='2402175']
I think Nick falls into the same camp though I don't know his background.
[/quote]

Nick definitely has a camp background. Don't hold it against him though as he can flat out teach.... and that ain't no joke...
[/quote]

If he can teach a rock like me then he can teach anyone!

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='Tmiller72' date='26 April 2010 - 07:20 PM' timestamp='1272324027' post='2402531']
Nice job!
[/quote]
Thanks.

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='Geohans' date='26 April 2010 - 07:32 PM' timestamp='1272324755' post='2402565']
My guy is more MORAD. I don't see any positions in these pics that's any different.

My guy tells me to keep my shoulders between my knees when I take it back. No movement to the left on the backswing. Just a very firm right side to turn against. Extension is the same, far as I can tell.

Seems to me the SnT is a variation on MORAD principles? In any case, that's pretty dramatic for one day. I'm impressed you were in the seventies with the old swing! Must be a gifted athlete. or too much free time maybe?

In any case well done and thanks for postig those pics. I'd post some of mine but can't figure out how to excerpt pics from V1. Anyone help me with that?
[/quote]

I have always been a pretty gifted athlete that is why golf has been so vexing to me, it is the only sport that I have played where I couldn't play to a high level very quickly. And the only reason I am able to hit the ball is that I have exceptional I hand coordination lol.

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='bioman' date='26 April 2010 - 07:44 PM' timestamp='1272325471' post='2402595']
In S&T, what are you mainly focusing on when impacting the ball (ie. hand foward, hitting into the ground, etc)? 
[/quote]

There's more to it, but the main goal is to get to the left and hit the ball in the back of the circle ensuring low point in front of ball.

[Hstead]

I love these kinds of posts. Before and after pics from a lesson. Just Awesome. Thanks

Those are some dramatic changes. Your ball flight has to be a TON different. I would think you are hitting it much farther and straighter?

Nice job. By the way, I am not a S&T guy, but I do not bash them either. I took lessons from Plummer about 12 years ago before he "hit it big". He didn't help me much. Everyone has to find what works for them. It looks like Nick is working for you.

[JD3]

Those before and after pictures say it all.

He has you both understanding and doing in one lesson.

I'm jealous!

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='Hstead' date='27 April 2010 - 09:03 AM' timestamp='1272373413' post='2403611']
I love these kinds of posts. Before and after pics from a lesson. Just Awesome. Thanks

Those are some dramatic changes. Your ball flight has to be a TON different. I would think you are hitting it much farther and straighter?

Nice job. By the way, I am not a S&T guy, but I do not bash them either. I took lessons from Plummer about 12 years ago before he "hit it big". He didn't help me much. Everyone has to find what works for them. It looks like Nick is working for you.
[/quote]

Yes I am more then a club longer when I do it correctly, unfortunately when I don't get my body moving to the left far or fast enough it's a push that stays left instead of drawing but at least I know what I did wrong. When I played on Sunday I was surprised at how far I was hitting it into the wind normally any wind kills my ball.

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='JD3' date='27 April 2010 - 09:04 AM' timestamp='1272373443' post='2403614']
Those before and after pictures say it all.

He has you both understanding and doing in one lesson.

I'm jealous!
[/quote]

Pics don't lie, and don't be jealous just shoot Nick a PM.