The Swing Plane

Are you “on plane” or “off plane” during your golf swing? If you don’t understand this question and have a double digit handicap, you should get acquainted with the facts in this article.

I have recently given some major consideration to why being on the “correct plane” is important to having an accurate and powerful golf swing.

It is important to know the geometry of a “correct” swing plane and I will try to describe it as simply as possible. Here is my explanation.

When you swing a club efficiently, there are 5 possible times that the club passes through a parallel to the ground position. These 5 positions would be roughly described as follows: 1. Halfway up the backswing, 2. At the top of the backswing (not all players are perfectly parallel here), 3. Halfway down to impact, 4. Halfway up to finish, 5. Just before complete finish.

Here is the key! At every one of these 5 positions, the club is not only parallel to the ground, it is also parallel to the target line!

If your golf swing does not correspond correctly to these swing positions, your swing is out of balance. As in life, if we are out of balance we are not efficient. The penalty as it relates to golf is that a club “off plane” does not adhere to the principles of physics, you know, the rules that govern the motion of the universe.

An off balance club doesn’t move fast and it doesn’t move in the right direction. That means big slices and short tee shots.

If you find yourself plagued by this disease and are a victim of bad golf shots, you need an injection of my “Smart Golf Lessons”.

Come and see me at The Golf Center at Sports Ohio in Dublin and start the process of getting your golf swing ” on plane” and on the road to improvement.

Please practice slowly and deliberately. Talk soon, Keith

 

What about Rickie Fowlers golf swing, Part 1

I saw a series of pictures featuring Rickie Fowlers golf swing in the August issue of Golf Magazine.

Here is what I think is great about Rickie’s swing and how it can help get your swing path more from the inside. Remember that creating more of an inside swing path when you deliver the club to impact, helps turn your bad slice into a playable draw ball flight.

Below, picture labeled #2, shows how in the “move away”, that Rickie’s club head is in a position outside his hands. You may have not have realized that Rickie was in this position. This is a similar position to Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk at their move away positions. We are all familiar with Jim Furyk’s “loopy” golf swing. I think it is a great golf swing, very effective and repeatable.

I have always taught my students that if you have problems with an outside delivery, you must learn to keep the club more outside on the move away. The principle in physics is, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Try it. Start the club back on a “very” outside path like Rickie’s, then at the top, loop the club backwards as it drops and really get the feel of an inside delivery of the club.

Both Fowler and Furyk are known as great ball strikers.

In the second part of this review of Rickie Fowler’s golf swing, the move to the top of the backswing will be discussed. As always practice slowly and deliberately.

If you get a chance, watch the Amazing Angle training video on this website. Pay particular attention to how the Angle can help you get this outside to inside feel in your golf swing. It will feel goofy, but I bet your golf swing becomes more powerful, and you will learn to control your ball flight.