If you know how to hammer a nail, you might be able to swing a golf club. Sounds odd, right? One golf instructor, Kelvin Kelly, proved it to fans.

Essentially, the idea is not about strength training or brute force. Coaches say exercises like this work because they shift focus away from mechanics and toward completing a task with intent. And Kelly explained this

“Instantly, when they grip the hammer, they put their hand to the side. So, it takes care of their grip. And it also takes care of their bent right arm. They instantly almost get into their golf shape.”

He demonstrated that by pretending to hammer a nail into a surface. Naturally, he moved the hammer first and sent it straight towards the head of an imaginary nail. But practising with a club meant imagining driving the nail diagonally.

“I’d move it a little bit in my wrist joint and a little bit of my elbow,” he claimed. “I certainly wouldn’t go that way [swaying away from the body]. I wouldn’t over-rotate that way [pulling himself around and back].”

British PGA professional Julian Mellor has echoed similar observations through his Proper Golfing platform, noting that exaggerated tasks can reduce tension and unlock speed. 

Describing how removing technical thoughts allowed freer movement, Mellor stated, “At the top of the backswing here, it just feels like you can hit it as hard as you want to, or as hard as you’re capable of.”

KJ Choi Has Another Exercise for Golfers

Earlier this year, KJ Choi echoed a similar philosophy when discussing bunker play, emphasizing simplification and intent over technical manipulation. Rather than focusing on precise positions, Choi highlighted the importance of reducing excess hand action and allowing the task itself to guide motion.

“Some people have the grip wrong and the angle wrong in the downswing,” KJ Choi noted as he showed an arched downswing. “There is always an iron shot, and the hands are too much to the left. So, we get in the bunker and get the grip first and the angle straight down.”

Needless to say, the drill is not a replacement for a full practice session. A few slow repetitions are enough to establish the correct feel, making it easier to transfer that motion back to a club.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar