Correct Golf Swing Plane (Video) - by Pete Styles
Correct Golf Swing Plane (Video) - by Pete Styles

So, swing plane can often seem like a bit of a science to most people and they're not quite sure what swing plane is, what it should be, and how they can achieve a good on plane golf swing without problems. So here's a quick main cure guide to what is a swing plane, and how it can help you fix your golf swing.

Now, some points to remember, the swing plane will differ for different basic golfers and will differ when you're using different golf clubs. The secrets to swing plane is the movement of the golf club around the chest and the spine angle during the back swing. Now, if I imagine I've got to create a much shorter swing so I'd be gripping it lower down, I'd be tilting forward a little bit more for a wedge, my spine will be tilted more forwards, my swing plane would, in fact, be a little bit steeper in this action.

Now if you imagine I've got a very long club, maybe my driver, I'd be gripping it. It would be more out this way; my spine angle might be off a little bit more, my swing plane would now naturally be a little bit flatter around my body. So, just be conscious of how your swing plane cannot be fixed and it can't be the same with every club. And then, different golfers of different sizes needs slightly different planes as well. Now, here are a couple of key positions that I'd like you to aim for. From a good address position now, take your one piece takeaway using your chest, hands, arms, and shoulders all moving into one piece. Club head sits on top of your hands here. There's a good checkpoint for one piece. The second movement now from here up would be letting the hands and arms hinge upwards.

Now, at this point if you've got a mirror effectively where my camera is, you should have your left hand directly in the center of your chest and your sternum and the shaft of the golf club should point down to the golf ball or at least the ball to target line. So, we've got this position of calling the club face--sorry--calling the golf club too steep on plane where the club points straight down at my toes or too flat to the plane line. This is too far behind me, club pointing horizontal, not pointing down at the ball. And now, we've got one, two nice on plane position where the shaft points down at the ball.

Another really good checkpoint for you there, take your one piece takeaway, have a little look where your left elbow is pointing. If your left elbow is pointing down too far, almost down towards your toes, the shaft will undoubtedly will be outside the line. If the left elbow feels like it's pointing too far forwards this way, that's going to be off plane and too flat this way. So your left elbow should point down towards the golf ball here as you pick it up onto the plane line. Now, one last checkpoint, just to make sure you got this nicely on plane, is a checkpoint to the top. Just bear with me as I explain this through to the top position, we turn back, one, two, and three.

Now, in the top position, look at your left forearm and look at the club face, the angle on the leading edge of the club face. I would like to see that the club face there and the left forearm are on a similar line. If it's laid off or across the line, that's actually a bit of a problem. Probably a problem that is related down to something you did wrong here that's going to cause you problems at the top. But if you've got one, two, and three, and you've got those positions nicely in the right order, return down through those key areas as well, you should be building yourself a nice on plane golf swing. I hope that works well for you. But don't forget, use a mirror to practice that drill.

 2012-04-05

So, swing plane can often seem like a bit of a science to most people and they're not quite sure what swing plane is, what it should be, and how they can achieve a good on plane golf swing without problems. So here's a quick main cure guide to what is a swing plane, and how it can help you fix your golf swing.

Now, some points to remember, the swing plane will differ for different basic golfers and will differ when you're using different golf clubs. The secrets to swing plane is the movement of the golf club around the chest and the spine angle during the back swing. Now, if I imagine I've got to create a much shorter swing so I'd be gripping it lower down, I'd be tilting forward a little bit more for a wedge, my spine will be tilted more forwards, my swing plane would, in fact, be a little bit steeper in this action.

Now if you imagine I've got a very long club, maybe my driver, I'd be gripping it. It would be more out this way; my spine angle might be off a little bit more, my swing plane would now naturally be a little bit flatter around my body. So, just be conscious of how your swing plane cannot be fixed and it can't be the same with every club. And then, different golfers of different sizes needs slightly different planes as well. Now, here are a couple of key positions that I'd like you to aim for. From a good address position now, take your one piece takeaway using your chest, hands, arms, and shoulders all moving into one piece. Club head sits on top of your hands here. There's a good checkpoint for one piece. The second movement now from here up would be letting the hands and arms hinge upwards.

Now, at this point if you've got a mirror effectively where my camera is, you should have your left hand directly in the center of your chest and your sternum and the shaft of the golf club should point down to the golf ball or at least the ball to target line. So, we've got this position of calling the club face–sorry–calling the golf club too steep on plane where the club points straight down at my toes or too flat to the plane line. This is too far behind me, club pointing horizontal, not pointing down at the ball. And now, we've got one, two nice on plane position where the shaft points down at the ball.

Another really good checkpoint for you there, take your one piece takeaway, have a little look where your left elbow is pointing. If your left elbow is pointing down too far, almost down towards your toes, the shaft will undoubtedly will be outside the line. If the left elbow feels like it's pointing too far forwards this way, that's going to be off plane and too flat this way. So your left elbow should point down towards the golf ball here as you pick it up onto the plane line. Now, one last checkpoint, just to make sure you got this nicely on plane, is a checkpoint to the top. Just bear with me as I explain this through to the top position, we turn back, one, two, and three.

Now, in the top position, look at your left forearm and look at the club face, the angle on the leading edge of the club face. I would like to see that the club face there and the left forearm are on a similar line. If it's laid off or across the line, that's actually a bit of a problem. Probably a problem that is related down to something you did wrong here that's going to cause you problems at the top. But if you've got one, two, and three, and you've got those positions nicely in the right order, return down through those key areas as well, you should be building yourself a nice on plane golf swing. I hope that works well for you. But don't forget, use a mirror to practice that drill.