If you know much about golf instruction, you’ll know that golf swings can be lumped into one of two categories – one-plane swings, and two-plane swings.

There is a fundamental difference between these two types of swings, and the underlying technique used to produce them. In other words, if you are a one-plane swinger, you are going to want to focus on using mechanics that properly support that method. Mixing fundamentals between these two categories is likely to lead to ugly results. Once you have picked your direction, do your best to keep going that way and build the rest of your swing around that choice.

In this article, we are going to shine the spotlight on one-plane swings. Is a one-plane golf swing right for you? What does a one-plane swing look like? How does it differ from a two-plane swing? We are going to answer these questions, and more, in the content that follows. There is no guarantee that a one-plane swing will actually wind up being the best bet for your game but educating yourself is worth the effort anyway. The more you know about the golf swing, the better able you will be to make decisions regarding the future of your game.

After you are finished with this article, it would be a good idea to read up on the two-plane swing as well. Understanding both of your options will make it easier to select the right one for your needs and abilities. You really don’t want to be going back and forth during your practice sessions, working on one technique and then another, so try to make a decisive choice and stick with it.

If you are a little bit nervous about picking one direction and going with it for the long run, remember this – it is absolutely possible to play at a high level using either type of swing. There have been plenty of top-level players who utilized two-plane swings, while many others opted for a one-plane technique. You aren’t trying to pick the ‘better’ option here, as they both can work nicely. Instead, your job is simply to pick the one which will best suit your needs.

All of the content below is based on a right-handed golfer. If you happen to play left-handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary.

What is a One-Plane Swing?

Before you can even think about deciding between a one-plane or two-plane swing, you first need to understand the difference between the two. Even if you have heard these terms tossed around on the driving range or out on the course, you may not know exactly what they mean or why they are important. We’ll work through this topic here in this section, so you can have a clear picture in mind before we go any farther.

The idea behind a one-plane swing is that you are going to swing the club on a single plane from start to finish (or, at least, pretty close). The plane of your swing is the angle established by your club shaft as compared to the ground at address. From there, you’ll maintain that angle for the most part as you move up through the backswing and on into the downswing. As you might have guessed by now, a two-plane swing is one in which the shaft is going to switch planes as the swing develops. This type of swing is more upright than a one-plane action, as the club is going to be lifted up higher into the air as the backswing moves along. Later in the article, we’ll get into what these differences mean for your swing and how they will impact the shots you can produce.

It's great to understand that a one-plane swing is going to require you to swing along a single club shaft plane from start to finish, but how do you evaluate your swing when it happens so quickly? If you just watch your swing unfold in real speed, even on video, it’s going to be tough to tell whether you are using a one-plane or two-plane technique. An experienced golf pro would be able to make such a judgement after just one or two swings, but you likely don’t have such a trained eye. Fortunately, there is one position during the swing which can be used to make an accurate evaluation of the overall technique.

Perhaps the best way to judge whether you are using a one-plane or two-plane swing is to pause a video of your swing at the top of the backswing. As long as the video has been recorded from the down-the-line angle, you should have a great view of the position of the club at the top. Is the angle formed by the club matching up with what you established at address, or is it in a more vertical positon? Also, where is your left arm? If your left arm is matching up with the angle of your shoulders, it’s a likely bet that you are using a one-plane swing. Should your left arm happen to lift higher up into the air when your backswing is complete, you’ll be venturing into two-plane territory.

If you aren’t able to make an assessment of your own swing which you feel confident in, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with your local teaching professional. Pretty much any golf teacher is going to be familiar with the concept of one-plane and two-plane swings. Ask your chosen pro to watch you hit some shots and provide feedback on whether you are firmly in one camp or the other. It’s possible that you are sort of straddling the line at the moment, blending elements of each type of swing together. Whatever the case, getting input from a professional before moving on is an idea which could bring some clarity to the process.

One-Plane Swing – The Pros

With the definitions out of the way, let’s get down to the business of talking about what you may stand to gain if you decide to use a one-plane swing. Of course, you can never assume that every single ‘pro’ will apply to you, as each golfer is different. You might find that some of the points on the list below come to fruition in your game while others do not. However, this list is a good starting point, and it may provide you with some motivation to get out and try a one-plane swing for yourself.

• Simplicity. You don’t need to know much of anything about the golf swing to understand this point. Rather than switching planes during the course of the golf swing, you are going to stay on the same plane from start to finish. By definition, that is going to be a simpler, more straightforward way to swing the club. That doesn’t mean it will wind up being more effective, of course, but it is a nice point to have in your favor. Golf is not what most people would call a simple game, so bringing some simplicity into the fold is a good addition. It is worth noting that the one-plane swing might not feel so simple at first, if you are switching from a two-plane swing. You’ll have to work hard on the details and it might feel a bit tricky and complicated when getting started. With that said, as time moves on and you refine your technique, you should start to appreciate the simple way this kind of swing works, and the way it holds up under pressure.
• Ability to turn the ball over. If you are one of the many amateur golfers who has never quite been able to produce a draw, you may need to switch to a one-plane swing to make it happen. The natural shape that a one-plane swing takes will help you to approach the ball from the inside, and a draw is the likely result. Obviously, there are other factors that go into determining your ball flight beyond just the shape of your swing, so a draw certainly isn’t guaranteed here. If you do want to create a draw, in addition to using a one-plane swing, you need to make sure you do a good job of turning all the way through the shot. Make a full turn going back and turn aggressively through toward the target as well. In time, those fades you used to hit may gradually turn into right-to-left draws.
• Less practice time. This goes back to the first point on the simplicity of the swing as a whole. There should be a bit less timing involved in your golf swing when you stick to a single plane, and there should be fewer moving parts as well. What that means is that you may need to practice less than you would need to if employing a two-plane swing to hit your shots. It is important to note that this does not apply during a transition phase, if you decide to swing from a two-plane swing to a one-plane swing. As you make that switch, you will need to invest plenty of practice time to master your new move. Down the road, however, it may be possible to keep your swing sharp with only intermittent practice. If you are one of the many golfers who simply doesn’t have as much time as you would like to practice your game, using a low-maintenance type of swing should be an appealing option.

There are plenty of pros to enjoy when talking about a one-plane golf swing. It is the simplicity that stands out above everything else, since that is such a big positive for amateur players. Once this swing is ‘installed’ in your game, you should be able to trust it for rather reliable results time after time. No swing is perfect, of course, and you are still going to hit bad shots along the way. However, many golfers have found success with a one-plane swing, and it’s possible you will as well.

One-Plane Swing – The Cons

At some point, we had to talk about the downsides of this type of swing. There are always downsides to cover with any kind of golf technique, including this one. In fact, if someone tells you that they can teach a technique which will offer nothing but ‘pros’ without any ‘cons’, you can feel free to ignore them. Golf is all about give and take, and you have to decide which techniques are best for your game, even with the downsides in place.

Let’s take a look at what you might be giving up if you decide to use a one-plane swing.

• Struggle to hit a fade. You probably won’t be surprised to see this point on the list, since we talked earlier about how hitting a draw should be easier with a one-plane swing. The point is the same here, only from the other perspective. If you are having an easy time hitting a draw, you will probably need to work pretty hard to hit a fade. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but it almost certainly won’t come easy. The way your swing is going to be shaped is just not conducive to producing a left-to-right ball flight. There is nothing wrong with planning on using a draw as your main ball flight pattern, but it would be nice to be able to turn to a fade from time to time based on the situation at hand. If you do opt for a one-plane move, spend some time on the range working on your ability to fade the ball gently to the right.
• Lack of power. Right off the bat, we need to say that this one is not a sure thing. Some players will struggle to produce power with a one-plane swing, while others will have no trouble at all hitting long shots. So, don’t take this one to the bank before you see how it works out for you on the range. It is worth understanding, however, that there is a possibility that you’ll lose distance when going from a two-plane swing to a one-plane technique. The mechanics of the way the swing is produced may lead to a reduction in swing speed, which will obviously lead to a loss of distance. It also needs to be said that losing a bit of power might not be that big of a deal. For instance, if you give up five yards off the tee but your accuracy is significantly improved, that’s a tradeoff you should take every time.
• A little harder to get help. We mentioned earlier in the article that you can seek help from a golf instructor when trying to figure out if you are using a one-plane or two-plane swing. That is certainly a good option, but you need to know that two-plane swings are far more common in this game. For the average golf teacher, it’s likely that most of his or her students are using two-plane swings. Therefore, that that is the type of swing the teacher is going to be most comfortable with and will probably be able to aid the most. If you do go in the one-plane direction, you should be confident in your ability to improve on your own.

If you are a player who likes to hit a fade, and wants to keep using a fade moving forward, the one-plane swing is likely not going to be a good fit. Also, if you already struggle for adequate power while making a two-plane swing, switching to a one-plane move may put you even further behind from a distance perspective. Think carefully about the pros and cons of this option before you decide to give it a try for yourself.

Playing a Whole New Game

In this final section of the article, we are going to assume that you have decided to implement a one-plane swing in your game. If you are moving from a two-plane swing to a one-plane move, it’s going to be necessary to work through a period of adjustment before you can expect your game to perform nicely on the course. This is a big change, and it is going to take you a while to work through it properly.

To help you make this transition as smoothly as possible, we have included a few tips in the list below.

• It’s all about patience. As a whole, golf is a game which requires tremendous patience. A single round of golf usually takes four hours or more, so this is not a game for those who are in a hurry. You even have to wait several minutes between shots in many cases, which means there is plenty of downtime on the links. Just like you need to be patient while playing a round of golf, you also need to be patient while working on a swing change. The results are going to come slower than you would like, there are going to be setbacks and struggles along the way, and you may even feel like giving up. The golfers who wind up accomplishing great things on the course are those who decide not to give up when the going gets tough. Learn to embrace those struggles you have on the range and your game will benefit in the long run.
• Pay close attention to ball flight changes. It is nearly certain that your ball flight is going to change at some point during this process. If you go out onto the course thinking that you can aim the same way you did with your old two-plane swing, you’re going to be in for a rude awakening. For example, if you are used to aiming left of the target and letting your fade bring the ball back to the target, that may no longer work if most of your swings are producing a draw. So, you’ll now need to aim to the right of the target and let the draw work the ball back. That might seem like a simple change, but you may be surprised to find just how uncomfortable it makes you at first. Like anything else, you’ll get better at aiming properly for your new ball flight as you gain experience.
• Consider a few solo rounds. Golfers tend to be competitive people. There is nothing wrong with that – having some friendly competition on the golf course is one of the best parts of this game. However, when you are trying to get used to a new swing technique, playing in a group where you are going to be competitive probably isn’t the best option. Rather than allowing yourself to keep struggling with your game, it may be tempting to revert back to your old technique just to produce decent results. To avoid that temptation, try to schedule a few solo rounds when trying out your one-plane swing on the course for the first time. Without the pressure from your friends to compete and post the best score possible, you can focus on your own game and working on the technique that you hope will one day make you a better player.

Is the one-plane swing going to be the right option for you? We certainly can’t say that within the confines of this article. It might be – or it might not be a good fit at all. Remember, while there are things to like about the one-plane swing, there is also plenty to like about making a two-plane swing. After all, this is the category that includes the majority of professional golfers, so there is obviously plenty to like about going in the two-plane direction. In the end, it’s up to you to figure out whether a one-plane or two-plane technique is going to help you reach your goals on the course. We hope the discussion in this article has helped you get a little bit closer to making that decision. Good luck!

If you look into a pretty good golf swing and you're looking around on the Internet or reading some books or magazine articles, eventually you'll come across a concept of a one-planing or a two-planing golf swing and here's a little video to help you understand the benefits of one, the benefits of either one or what the differences are.

It's best viewed from a side on angle, so if I just turn side on to you here. Basically, your two-planing golf swing is a normal golf swing that would come straight back to the camera up to the top and then drop down slightly behind the angle that it went up on, hence the two planes, one up plane and one down plane, a slight shallowing of the downswing and into the golf ball and I say the normal swing. It's the swing that you would see most commonly used by the professional players on the TV and taught by most PJ golf professionals.

The one plane, now they're slightly different to that in that from a good addressed position, the club will come around the body and ultimately finish in the position where the left arm plays very close across the shoulder plane, so the left arm doesn't go up in the air, but it comes around the lot flatter and then the club would come back down the same line, so the club goes up and down on a similar plane.

It's a little bit more like the idea of spinning around a single plane here or helicopter rota-blades that rotates around a single axis and the single axis is this tilted forwards, the blade comes down and the blade comes down, so we swing on a single plane. Now, there's some debate about which is the better swing, which works out better for hitting. Straight shots, long shots, high shots, short shots, but there's no real right and wrong answer. If you look at the world's best players, most of the world's best players will swing a slightly two-plane action. Certainly through most of their careers, be straight to the back, dropping down on the inside.

However, two very, very good players, Ben Hogan, who is a little bit more one plane and Moe Norman, who is renowned as the world's best ball striker — was the world's best ball striker, very much advocator of very single plane, one plane golf swing. A plane swing would normally produce a drawing action because it tends to come a little bit more from the inside of the golf ball, so it attacks the ball a little more inside than can draw the golf ball, but finds it very difficult to fade the golf ball. You'd find it difficult to fade from a one plane swing, you'd be more inclined to hit postures of blocks that happen to the right hand side of the golf course.

So, it's a bit difficult to work out exactly which is the best swing for you. What I would suggest is if you're a slicer of the golf ball, if you have a tendency to come over the top and chop, try and work towards a more one plane action because if you're slicing the ball and your left arm is getting high, the risk is it comes even higher and steeper on the downswing. You chop across and make a very sort of, almost a two-plane swing but the wrong side of the first plane. If you can make a more one-plane flutter, more pulled down, and the left arm stays more across the chest, you might find it easy to draw the golf ball.

Next time you're at the driving range, practice with a mirror right behind you where the camera is there, have a few backswings and have a look and see whether you feel like you're more two-plane up and down or more one-plane around and around and just work out which one you are and then maybe modify your technique to balance that out a little bit.