Has anyone used...

[Witmaster]

The Momentus Club? And, if you could elaborate, does it work? I've seen a recent surge of infomercials on this item and I'm curious if all the hype is true?

http://www.momentusgolf.com/tv/

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I don't think all the hype is true, but it can be useful.

The weighting is very helpful at helping you get a feel for the club dropping into the proper slot, although it is possible for a person to still make bad enough swing faults to get off plane with it. But it should overall help a person towards the slot and plane.

It's really not a new concept, Harvey Penick has a chapter in the Little Red Book where he writes about using a weighted club to help a player get a feel for the swing. Or even his visual idea of swinging a bucket of water is on the same concept, where if you imagine how you would swing a bucket of water you ought to move your arms through the easiest path and that's where the swing plane of the golf club should go.

I've been using one since late last year and have found it very helpful in giving me a way to swing a club every day no matter the weather, and developing a better feel of my swing.

[ualtim]

I am using the Momentus and find it quite useful.

Check out this previous thread for more info

[Eracer]

I have the Momentus 5-iron. It seems to me that it is more of a strength trainer than a swing path trainer, although it certainly forces you to understand how to let the clubhead swing through the ball instead of at it.

An argument can be made that you should not use any training aids that alter the feeling of swinging a golf club. Impact bags, Swing-Setters, and those monstrosities that look like Frankenstein's flak jacket all fit into that category. I think the Momentus fits into that category as well. Swinging something that heavy that is shaped like a golf club is NOT the same as swinging a golf club - unless you are Mr. Olympia.

I prefer the Medicus. The hinge really does work to let you know when you are swinging the club properly. And you can hit balls with it, unlike the Momentus.

I still use the Momentus, however, because it really is great for strengthening golf-specific hand and arm muscles.

Someone suggested saving yourself a bunch of money by buying a used 5-iron, cutting off the grip, and filling the shaft with lead shot (available at any shooting supply store). Cap it with some epoxy, throw on a grip, and you've got a cheap homemade version.

[Witmaster]

Excellent! Thanks for the link to the previous post. I tried to search the forum but for some reason that feature isn't working on my computer.

Anyhow, your presonal review of the momentus was very insightful and well written. Thanks for your input.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Originally Posted by Eracer

I have the Momentus 5-iron. It seems to me that it is more of a strength trainer than a swing path trainer, although it certainly forces you to understand how to let the clubhead swing through the ball instead of at it.

An argument can be made that you should not use any training aids that alter the feeling of swinging a golf club. Impact bags, Swing-Setters, and those monstrosities that look like Frankenstein's flak jacket all fit into that category. I think the Momentus fits into that category as well. Swinging something that heavy that is shaped like a golf club is NOT the same as swinging a golf club - unless you are Mr. Olympia.

I prefer the Medicus. The hinge really does work to let you know when you are swinging the club properly. And you can hit balls with it, unlike the Momentus.

I still use the Momentus, however, because it really is great for strengthening golf-specific hand and arm muscles.

Someone suggested saving yourself a bunch of money by buying a used 5-iron, cutting off the grip, and filling the shaft with lead shot (available at any shooting supply store). Cap it with some epoxy, throw on a grip, and you've got a cheap homemade version.

I disagree with this some and here is the reasoning why.
I agree with you that it is not exactly swinging a golf club, but there is an important lesson in that. The weighting of the club tends to force you to follow a motion of pulling the club through the path of least resistance. Trying to force the Momentus by steering it or otherwise pushing it is discouraged by its weight, and how for an average person it is very difficult. In fact, if you are largely successful in steering the Momentus onto another path, it is not being used properly. A Mr. Olympia who could swing it the way we swing a standard-issue golf club would derive no benefit from the Momentus.

I'm going to borrow a bit from Dave Pelz and his book to further convey the lesson here. In Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, he takes some time to write about the importance of pulling a club through in a method of acceleration. The reason is because of physics--an object behind a pulling force is forced to follow behind, an object in front of a pushing force, ie think of trying to steer a Momentus, will alter its path in order to get centered in front of the pushing force, so the clubhead path will become more variant.

Or just think of times in your life when you had to either pull or push a heavy object. You found it easier, presuming gripping was no problem, to pull the object versus pushing it. If you have a little golf pull/push cart, try pulling it and pushing it. You'll see it keeps a straighter path if you pull it as it is forced to follow behind.

This is the object of swinging a golf club: pulling the clubhead through the path of least resistance. Doing so promotes clubhead speed and a more predictable path. Our difficulty with the the light clubs that we use on the course is that its very easy to steer them and introduce a pushing action into our swings. Swinging a heavy club like a Momentus, while it may help build some strength, should be largely helpful because of how it promotes you to learn to swing along the path of least resistance. If you then translate that to your regular golf club, it should whip through on the path of best possible acceleration of the clubhead.

That's why the Momentus has been useful to me. It finally gave me a way to feel where the club should be, how I should pull it through. It's damn near impossible to hit from over the top with it, and has helped to eliminate that move from my swing.

[Eracer]

RBB - I agree that that the club should be pulled more than pushed through impact. It's really the only way to "maintain the angle". And casting is a direct result of using the right side too much. However, look at the best players in the world, and see that they do indeed fire their right side through the ball. Granted, the right HAND does not control the club, but both sides of the body are active in the swing. And the right arm actively extends through impact. The right side is NOT passive. And you simply can't swing a Momentus the same way you swing a golf club. The laws of physics prevent it. So, if you want to use the Momentus to feel a smoother swinging motion, fine. But don't use it to "groove a swing".

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Of course you won't swing it exactly the same, you are moving a much greater mass than what is present, but there are some lessons to be learned in that, along with finding what may be the best path for the swing.

With the weight of a Momentus, you will tend to pull it through along the easiest path. The question is what will happen when you take your normal club and pull it through along the easiest path? You'll get the path of greatest acceleration because you'll be directing your force through the least resistance. On the other hand, if you're using strength to alter it to other paths where you are working against gravity, which is one of the effects of casting at the beginning of the downswing, you'll lose acceleration. If you lose acceleration, you're going to lose force.

I didn't say the right side should be passive. Everyone who swings a club does end up having to get the right side through, and a player who wishes to draw the ball will definitely have to involve the right side to turn the arms over and create draw spin.

If you're using the Momentus for strength training, it's a possibility that you aren't understanding it. That's okay, we don't all have to swing exactly the same way. But I think there is a lesson to be learned involving acceleration of the club and the best path which can be learned and felt by using a weighted club.

I didn't get to golf all of December due to the weather. I did get to swing a Momentus every day. When the weird weather of January came along and warmed up, I found I was swinging the club just as well if not better than during the late fall. Perhaps that was just peculiar to me because of the extreme casting I used to have, but this last Sunday off the tee I was actually grooved for a while on the tee.

That grooved feeling with the driver was rather like the feel of my arms and body using a Momentus.

[No Knack Hack]

I bought a similar club called the ReFiner equipped with a grip allignment and in the long driver form. It has the same features for a littles less money.

I really think it has helped me understand how to rotate my hands during take away and follow through.

It takes alot of practice to keep it from flopping over. In fact, I've never had anyone be able to pick it up and keep it from hinging on their first try.

I usually take a few swings with it before I begin.

You might find one on EBay or Amazon.