Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit.
The golf swing plane is one of the most important aspects of a good golf swing. Without a proper swing plane, you will struggle to make consistent contact with the ball, and your shots will not be very accurate. Golfers of all levels can benefit from learning about and practicing the correct swing plane.
Elusive Golf Swing Plane
The swing plane for golfers is often regarded as the most elusive part of the entire swing sequence because it is not something that you can see. It is important to keep the club on the correct path in order to make consistent contact with the ball and achieve accurate shots.
There are a few things that you can do to help ensure that your swing plane is correct, including practicing regularly and using a practice aid like a mirror or a video swing analysis.
A properly executed swing plane will result in more consistent contact with the ball, and ultimately more accurate shots plus lower overall scores at the end of 18.
What is the golf swing plane exactly?
The definition of a golf swing plane is the angle at which the club moves through the air. When the golf club moves along this correctly path, the end result is often an awesome golf shot.
These are the most important benefits of having a good golf swing plane:
First, it will help you to make more consistent contact with the ball, which will lead to more accurate shots. Second, practicing the correct swing plane will help you to develop a consistent swing motion, which is crucial for playing your best golf. Finally, having a good swing plane will help you to achieve more distance off the tee and on your approach shots.
Fixing your swing plane
Unfortunately there is no single way to fix a swing plane for golf but rather, it’s a combination of different practices and strategies that come together.
This is definitely true – while there are some general tips that can help you to correct your swing plane, it ultimately depends on your own individual swing and what feels comfortable for you.
Golfers of all levels can benefit from experimenting with different practice drills and techniques in order to find what works best for them. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to the golf swing plane!
5 Ways to Fix Your Golf Swing Plane
Here are five ways to fix your golf swing plane starting with your Setup.
- Proper Setup
- Initiating the backswing (takeaway)
- Mainting club angle
- Body angle throughout the swing
- Impact position
How to have a proper Golf Setup
To have a proper golf set up, you will need to make sure that your feet, hips, and shoulders are all parallel to each other. You should also make sure that your weight is evenly distributed between your feet, and that your arms are hanging down by your sides.
To initiate the backswing, you will need to take the club away from the ball slowly and smoothly. The best way to do this is to hinge your wrists and keep the club on the correct swing plane.
You will also need to maintain the angle of the club throughout the entire swing motion. If the club starts to move too far above or below the correct swing plane, it will be difficult to make consistent contact with the ball.
Your body angle should remain constant throughout the swing as well. If you start to tilt too far in one direction or another, it will be difficult to maintain control of the club and you will likely lose accuracy.
Finally, make sure that you hit the ball at the correct impact position. If you hit it too early or too late, you will not be able to achieve maximum distance or accuracy.
Initiating the backswing (takeaway)
To have a smooth backswing, you will need to take the club away from the ball slowly and smoothly. The best way to do this is to hinge your wrists and keep the club on the correct swing plane.
You will also need to maintain the angle of the club throughout the entire swing motion. If the club starts to move too far above or below the correct swing plane, it will be difficult to make consistent contact with the ball.
Maintaining Club Angle
Throughout your entire golf swing, you will need to keep the angle of the club constant. This can be done by ensuring that your wrists remain in a neutral position and that you are taking the club back on the correct swing plane.
If the club starts to move too far above or below the correct swing plane, it will be difficult to make consistent contact with the ball.
Body Angle Throughout The Swing
To maintain a good body angle throughout your golf swing, you will need to keep your weight evenly distributed between your feet. You should also make sure that your arms are hanging down by your sides and that your shoulders remain level.
If you start to tilt too far in one direction or another, it will be difficult to maintain control of the club and you will likely lose accuracy.
Impact Position
To achieve maximum distance and accuracy, you will need to make sure that you hit the ball at the correct impact position. This means that you should contact the ball with the sweet spot of the clubface in order to minimize spin and maximize distance.
If you hit the ball too early or too late, you will not be able to achieve maximum distance or accuracy.
While there is no one perfect way to swing a golf club, paying attention to your golf swing plane is a good place to start. By making sure that your club is on plane and that your body angle is correct, you can make small adjustments that will lead to big improvements in your game. Golf is a game of inches, so don’t overlook the importance of a good golf swing plane.
The “Hybrid” Swing Plane
Today I have another great bonus training for you to fix your golf swing plane by Jeff Richmond that explains the Hybrid Golf Swing Plane he advocates and teaches. Let’s get started…
The
Hybrid Golf Swing Plane
By Jeff Richmond
A big tenant of the one plane golf swing is to return the golf club back to the same position it was (in terms of the shaft plane line) at address. That’s what Moe Norman and Ben Hogan did.
But let’s see how some of the top golfers in the last 10 years fare as far as that is concerned.
1. Tiger Woods
2. Adam Scott
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Justin Rose
6. Henrik Stenson
7. Matt Kucher
8. Brandt Snedeker
9. Steve Stricker
10. Jason Duffner
So 9 of the top 10 golfers in the world over the last 10 years DO NOT return the clubface to the same plane line that they started at at address (Steve Stricker does).
Why did I show you that?
Because I believe the plane line should be more vertical than a one plane swing, and not as vertical as a two plane swing. Somewhere in the middle. A great model I’m going to show you in a minute for this, is Louis Oosthuizen.
But these impact pictures begs the question… are they trying to do that?
The answer is no!
Because it’s been proven that the golf swing is moving way too fast at impact to consciously do anything. So what is happening at impact is this…
The forces are so great at impact that the hands are being pulled up. That’s just a natural occurrence of the modern, powerful golf swing.
So that got me thinking how it would be good to swing on a plane that is similar to what happens at impact. Because you can talk all you want about one plane and two plane swings (in terms of the backswing and shoulder plane, left arm angle etc.). But at the end of the day, it’s what happens at impact that matters.
So my Hybrid Golf Swing Plane theory, is to swing back so that at the half-way point in the golf swing the club shaft points down at the ball. Then at the half-way point in the downswing, the clubshaft again points at the ball. I’m now going to show you this theory in action in one of the best swings on the planet.
Louis Oosthuizen is the 2010 Open Champion and has a golf swing that many believe is one of the best among professional golfers. So let’s put my swing plane theory to the test, and I’m going to draw a line through his setup at address right through the middle of his back.
Setup
Half-Way Back
Half-Way Down
Impact
Follow-Through
Pretty damn good swing, with a very consistent swing plane!
If you remember, in my last article I said a way to see if a person swings on a one plane swing, is to measure at the top of their swing the angle of the left arm and the shoulders. And if there’s less than 12 degrees difference then they have a one plane swing. Let’s see what the difference is for Louis:
Louis Oosthuizen – 22 Degrees Difference
Compare that to Moe Norman and Jim Furyk. Extremes of a one plane and two plane swing:
Moe Norman (One Plane Swinger) – 0 Degrees Difference
Jim Furyk (Two Plane Swinger) – 48 Degrees Difference
And if you split the difference between those extremes you get 24 degrees. Louis Oosthuizen at 22 Degrees Difference is almost bang in the middle.
And this swing plane that Louis uses is what I term “The Hybrid Swing Plane”.
Recommended: 3 Easy Steps To A Professional Swing Plane
Let me ask you some questions. Think carefully as you answer….
Do you lack distance on your drives?
Do you hit pulls and/or pushes?
Do you often hit fat shots?
Do you often hit shots thin?
Do you often miss the middle of the clubface?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then pay attention to every word I’m about to tell you.
The main reason why you lack ball striking consistency is because of your poor, inconsistent swing plane.
When you have a consistent swing plane like a pro you will hit the ball longer, straighter and more consistently.
There’s no doubt about that. So to make a start at doing that go here now to learn more about the 3 Easy Steps To A Professional Swing Plane program:
It’s proven to help golfers just like you to hit the ball longer, straighter and more consistently.
The 3 Easy Steps Promise
When you implement the 3 easy steps in this new program, you will be hitting the ball a lot longer, straighter and more consistently than ever… or you get your money back.
