The side arm throw is a very useful training tool for training the gross movements of the golf swing. There is a reason why pitchers and quarterbacks tend to become excellent golfers when they retire from their sports. The golf swing was once described as feeling like skipping a stone. If you have a lake, you can certainly have some fun times working on your golf swing by skipping stones, but for the rest of us, throwing balls into walls or couches can be a great training tool.