One of the most important concepts to understand in the golf swing is the idea of golf swing plane. Your swing plane is an imaginary ‘line’ that is created by the club while it is in motion. The angle of the shaft of the club throughout the swing creates your plane, and swing plane is something that can vary wildly from golfer to golfer. While there are definitely some do’s and don’ts when comes to swing plane, there is no one right way to do it. However, making sure that you are swinging on a plane that works for you, and that you can swing on the same plane time after time, is important. While this might be a concept that plenty of amateur golfers are happy to ignore, it is worth your time to understand and practice.

Swinging the golf club on plane – or as close to on plane as possible – is an important skill to develop in your growth as a player. If you have heard of the term ‘on plane’ before, but never really knew what it meant or why it was important, this article is the perfect place for you to be. We’ll discuss what the golf swing plane is, why it matters, and what you can do to find it more often, in the content below.

As you read through this article, it will be clear that we are getting into some technical terrain related to the golf swing. And, while proper technique is important, we want to warn you not to go so far down this path that you lose all of the natural feel and athleticism in your game. Golf is a game that requires a blend of solid mechanical technique and individual style – and it is tough for some players to strike a healthy balance in that area. You should feel free to work on your mechanics to swing the club on plane more often, but don’t turn yourself into a golfing robot in the process.

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 the Swing Plane?

The plane of your swing is the path that the shaft of the club follows as it moves back and through. To understand this concept properly, it’s best to picture the golf swing from the ‘down the line’ position that is commonly used to record swings on video. Instead of imagining your swing as you see it looking down from your perspective as the one hitting the ball, think about standing back and watching someone else swing. If you were looking directly down the line out toward the target, you would have a great view of the swing plane.

This concept can get a little tricky to explain, so we’ll work through a few points below to help you understand swing plane and why it’s important.

• It’s set at address. When you set the club down behind the ball at address, you will not only be preparing to make a swing – you’ll also be setting your starting swing plane. The angle that is formed between the ground and the shaft of the club at address is the swing plane that you will start with. That doesn’t mean you are committed to staying on that plane throughout the swing – more on that later – but it is an important moment when you get set up and put the club in place. It’s important to note that the swing plane you set at address is going to change from club to club, since each of your clubs has its own lie angle. Your driver is likely the flattest club in your bag, while your wedges will be the most upright. So, you’ll naturally set a shallower swing plane when you address a driver than when you address a wedge. This is not a mistake or something you need to correct – it’s just part of the game.
• Determines your ball flight. The swing plane you use in the swing will go a long way toward determining the kind of ball flight you can achieve. There are other factors that come into the picture with regard to ball flight, but swing plane is a big one. Those who swing into the ball on a shallow plane that attacks from the inside are likely to produce a draw (depending on other elements like face angle). On the other hand, if you chose to swing down on a steep plane, that angle of attack will likely bring the club in from the outside and create the conditions necessary for a fade. It’s important to understand the connection between ball flight and swing plane because you can make adjustments to your plane moving forward if you want to alter how the ball behaves in the air. Want to switch from a fade to a draw as your standard ball flight? There will probably be some changes to your swing plane involved in that transition.
• More than just your arms. Since your hands hold onto the club, and your arms can swing the club back and through, it would be easy to think that it is your arms alone that determine what swing plane you are going to use. That just isn’t the case, however. More accurately, it is your whole body that is going to establish your swing plane. There are several factors that come into play here, such as how much knee flex you use during the swing, how well you turn your shoulders, your lower body rotation through impact, and more. The golf swing is a whole body action, so getting the club to swing repeatedly on the desired plane is something that your whole body will need to work together to accomplish.

If the swing plane is not something you have thought about previously, it might take some time to understand what it is and why it matters. Watch golf swing videos from the down the line perspective and imagine the movement of the shaft as a plane that is set at address and may or may not change during the swing. Over time, you’ll start to get a better feel for this concept and it may help you to improve your game down the road.

— One or Two Plane Swing

Generally speaking, there are two categories of golf swings – one plane swings and two plane swings. As the names would suggest, the difference here is how many planes you place the club on as the swing develops. A one plane swinger attempts to keep the club on the same plane throughout the swing, from address on through the backswing and into impact. On the other hand, a two-plane swinger is going to alter the plane of the club during the swing, which can make things more complicated but might offer the player some advantages.

So, which of these two options is better? The answer is neither. There isn’t any reason to say one is better than the other, as both can be used to play excellent golf. In fact, you can watch a tournament on the PGA Tour and see that some of the world’s top players stick with a single plane, while others swing on two planes. In the end, you can safely assume that either path could lead you to success.

Let’s take a closer look at what each of these has to offer, and where each is limited.

• Benefit of a one plane swing. The biggest selling point of the one plane swing is its consistency. Rather than having to re-route the club as the swing develops, you are going to do your best to swing it along the same plane without any deviation. When executed correctly, this pattern can lead to a controlled, repeatable draw ball flight. If you watch a high-level player hit shots with a one plane swing, you will probably be attracted to the simplicity of the motion. It just doesn’t look like there is much that could go wrong. The club goes back on the same plane it established at address, the transition down toward the ball is made by lower body rotation, and the club swings down to impact. From wedges all the way through to the driver, the swinging action looks simple and easy to maintain. Golf is never quite that easy, of course, but the repeatable nature of a one plane swing is something to appreciate.
• Drawback of a one plane swing. For some golfers – but not all – it might be hard to generate enough speed in a one plane swing to reach their distance goals. Again, this is not something that is true across the board, as plenty of players are able to pound the ball well down the fairway with a one plane swing. However, if you are struggling to get the kind of distance you think you should be able to produce, it might be worth considering that a two-plane swing would lead to more power. The top of a two-plane swing tends to take the club farther away from the ball, meaning you will have more time and space in the downswing to accelerate and achieve a powerful strike.
• Benefit of a two-plane swing. It may feel more natural for some golfers to swing the club in a two-plane style. There is more hand and wrist action involved in this type of swing, and for some golfers that will simply feel more natural. That doesn’t mean you have to stick with a two-plane swing instead of trying to teach yourself the one plane approach – but it is something to consider if you are short on practice time. If the one plane action feels awkward to you, it will take a long time and plenty of range balls to make it feel more comfortable. Instead of putting yourself through that work and maybe never getting the kind of success you had envisioned, it might be best to stick with the comfortable nature of the two-plane move.
• Drawback of a two-plane swing. There is more that can go wrong in a two-plane action, meaning there are more potential issues to fix when your swing gets off track. If you were to use the simpler one plane method, you would only have a few places to check while trying to figure out where your swing is going wrong. For those using two planes, it can take a little more ‘detective work’ to get to the bottom of swing issues. And, of course, once you do figure out what you think is going wrong, you still have to do the work of fixing that problem. If you like to keep things simple as much as possible in golf and in life, a one-plane swing is probably the right bet for you.

The discussion above only scratches the surface of what can be said about one plane and two plane swings. There is plenty of disagreement in the golf world about which is the better method, and that debate probably won’t be laid to rest anytime soon.


— Three Helpful Keys

There is a lot of work you can do on your golf swing with regard to swinging on plane. While we can’t cover everything here in this one article, the three keys below should help to point you in the right direction. Remember, if you are serious about your game and are finding your progress stalled while working on your own, you can always seek the help of a pro to move forward. A teaching pro can identify issues with not only your swing plane, but also other parts of your technique.

• Make a clear decision. You don’t want to find yourself caught between a one and two plane swing style. There are technical elements that go with each of these kinds of swings, and you really don’t want to be blending them together without any rhyme or reason. You could wind up with a rather messy golf swing if you don’t have clarity on your preference for a one or two plane swing technique. For instance, a one plane swing requires an aggressive turn of your body through the downswing, while your hands and wrists stay pretty quiet. A two-plane swing will still have plenty of body rotation, but the hands are going to do more through the hitting area. If you don’t know which one you are trying to use, you might not be using the right underlying techniques to support your goal of swinging the club on plane. Consider the benefits and drawbacks of each plan as they relate to your game and make a clear choice that will then guide the rest of your technique decisions.
• Resist the urge to change. Once you have done a bit of work on your swing plane and you feel like you are making some progress, resist the temptation to change to the opposite style of swing once things get tough. This is a hard game, and it isn’t going to be easy even in the best of times. So, if you go through a rough patch where you aren’t hitting the ball very well and your scores are a little disappointing, don’t give up on everything you’ve been doing and go in the opposite direction. That kind of rash decision will only make things harder on yourself in the long run. Part of making progress in golf is having the patience and big picture perspective to understand that there will be some struggles along the way.
• Video is your friend. Your feel can lie to you with regard to what the club is doing during the golf swing. You might feel like you are making a certain type of swing only to later see on video that you are actually doing something entirely different. Get into the habit of frequently recording your video on swing during practice sessions so you can keep tabs on what you are doing and make any necessary corrections before you go too far in the wrong direction. Thanks to the availability of cell phone video recording, you probably have a video camera on you at all times. Just use your phone to grab a quick video or two and you can watch the recording back while you are still at the range. This is a great technological advantage over years gone by, so be sure to use the availability of video to help you become a better golfer.

Pursuing an improved swing plane is a good way to work toward lower scores – but you should never expect anything to come easily. Take your time as you make any necessary changes to your swing plane and don’t rule out the possibility of getting professional help should you happen to see your progress stall.


— Swing Plane in the Short Game

While you aren’t going to be making anything near a full swing for most of your short game shots, you will still want to keep the concept of swing plane in mind. Specifically, for short game shots, you want to be keeping the club on a single plane. The motion you make to hit putts and chip shots is not long enough to allow for switching planes and doing so would only complicated things (and harm your consistency). The only exception to this rule of thumb would be explosion shots from a greenside bunker, where you may find it more effective to swing on two planes (more on that in a moment).

For putts, the plane you establish at address is the one you should stick with throughout the stroke. In fact, it can be helpful to think about maintaining that plane while you hit some practice putts. Set up over the ball and address your practice putt as normal. Then, before putting the club in motion, think about maintaining the plane of the club back and through. This thought alone may be enough to encourage you to keep your hands and wrists out of the stroke, as moving those part of your body could send the putter away from the initial plane. Instead, you will want to use your shoulders to rock the club back and through, which should lead to a smooth stroke and it should keep the putter on plane nicely.

The idea is much the same for a standard chip shot from a good lie. You will want to keep the club on plane from start to finish, even if you do hinge your wrists just a bit in the backswing in order to set the club and prepare for a downward strike. Changing the plane of your swing during a chipping motion, such as lifting the club up into a steeper position, is something that could lead to many negative outcomes. If you often chunk your chip shots – hit the ground behind the ball before you hit the ball itself – it may be because you are changing the plane of your swing. Just like with your full swing, you can use video to analyze your chipping action and make sure you aren’t making things more complicated than they need to be.

One place where a two-plane swing can be useful in the short game is when you step down into a bunker to hit an explosion shot. In the bunker, a steep angle of attack can help you get the club down into the sand and under the ball effectively. And, since many explosion shots require a pretty long swing to build up the speed necessary to blast the ball out, you have enough time to use two planes in this kind of swing, where you really don’t when putting or chipping.

To make this happen, try standing a little closer to the ball when you are in a bunker for a greenside explosion shot. Then, use your shoulders to make a big turn and allow your wrists to hinge during the backswing. As long as you position the ball forward in your stance, you should be able to rip the club under the ball cleanly with enough speed to lift it out of the trap and onto the green. Of course, it’s important to practice this kind of shot before you expect it to work for you on the course.

Learning to swing the club on plane can be a legitimate breakthrough in your golf game. When you start to swing the club on the right plane over and over again, your ball flight will become more predictable and you’ll hit your targets more frequently. No one is perfectly consistent in this difficult game, but it’s exciting to start seeing the ball fly in the right direction on a regular basis. Good luck and have fun!