Staying in Sync with the Curve, Maintain Your Swing Plane

Maintain Your Swing Plane

The swing plane in a golf shot is the path that your club-head takes as it moves away from the ball in the back-swing and through the ball in your down-swing. In an ideal world your spine would act as the axis for this swing, it would never vary in the distance from the ball. A machine with the ball on a string would always swing back and through with the same radius. However, you are not a machine; as you turn for your back-swing and pivot forward for your down-swing there are many chances for you to move closer or further away from the ball.

Keeping all the parts of your body from the knees to your head from introducing any independent motion into the swing is a challenging task. You establish the radius when you setup to the ball. The club-head is the extension of your arms and shoulders. The task is to maintain the exact distance from the ball through-out your back-swing and down-swing so that you return to the ball in the same way you addressed the ball in your setup.

Imagine a round table top sitting on your shoulders and arms with your head as a centerpiece. Your swing plane is the angle that you have established at the setup and your job is to make the club-head follow the circumference of the table-top at exactly that angle. If you are a taller person the plane will be more vertical, for a shorter person the plane will be more horizontal. The critical part is that what-ever plane that you establish at address is the same plane you finish with. When your ball does not go straight the chances are very good that your swing plane changed at some point during the swing.  Look at this on Tiger Woods by  Hank Haney .

I struggled for years to learn this thing called Golf.  I took a lesson or two, and as I have mentioned before; I spent more time getting over the lesson than learning anything new.  When I turned to the internet in 2001. The first thing I ever purchased was a book by Jack Morehouse called How to Break 80.  This was the start of something that eventually got me from 115 for an average round to the low 90′s and now to being able to occasionally break 80.  Jack’s news letter delivers timely tips, and he is the one who first pointed at Purepoint Golf for their awesome golf video training

When we think about the basics of the golf swing, we usually think about ball position, stance, grip, and so on. In other words, we think about the swing’s physical mechanics. That’s only natural, because its what most golf pros focus on in their golf lessons and what golf magazines highlight in their articles on the golf swing. It’s what I write about the most in my golf tips as well.

But not everyone agrees that these are the true basics of the golf swing. For many, the true basics of the swing are something quite different, something that has nothing to do with the physical mechanics of the swing. For these people, a swing’s true basics are four components-plane, centering, radius, and face. Golf instruction sessions focusing on these concepts are as helpful as golf lessons on the swing’s mechanics, maybe even more helpful

Swing Plane

Most golfers have heard of the concept of plane, but are confused as to how it applies to the golf swing. Plane is defined by the angle your club creates when it is ground at address. To master accuracy, the club must remain on this plane, especially while it approaches the ball on the downswing. (Actually, two planes-one formed by the takeaway and the other by the downswing-are involved in swinging a club, but the second plane is key.) This plane is the most powerful and direct route to the swing, as I discuss in my golf tips. Coming back to the ball above or below this plane results in pulls and slices.

Centering

Every swing has a center to it, a foundation defined by your head and your spine. If you want to hit accurate golf shots, this foundation must remain steady. Watch Tiger or any of the pros on TV and you’ll see how steady their heads and spines remain throughout their swings. This foundation has two angles to it. One is the angle your spine creates with your hips at address. The other involves the lateral movement of your head. Focus on preventing both your head from moving unnaturally one way or the other and your spine from moving up or down, and you will produce better results.

Radius

Radius is the distance between the lead shoulder and the clubhead. You must keep radius intact, if you want to hit good quality shots. The key is releasing your wrists at the right time. Most amateurs release their wrists early, forcing the shaft ahead of the lead arm before impact. An early release causes you to hit the ball thin, or even worse, mis-hit it altogether. If you execute the proper sequence of movements in the downswing, you’ll maintain radius.

Face

The ball travels in the direction in which your clubface is pointing at the moment of impact, minus the effect of sidespin. You must attain the same clubface position at impact that you establish at address, which is why you need to align your club properly. The key to doing this is matching the position of your hands at impact with the position of your hands at address. If you grip the club on the right side of the shaft, your hands must be on the right side of the club when you hit the ball; otherwise, you’ll mis-hit.

Conclusion

Is one basic more important than another? Not really, as I tell players who take my golf lessons. They all must be executed properly, if you want to achieve a powerful, repeatable swing. Now that you are aware of them and how they contribute to your swing, try filming yourself some day and see how well you maintain them during your swing. Also note how well you hit the ball.

Plane, centering, radius, and face-these aren’t the usual basics you talk about when discussing the golf swing, but they are critical. While the physical mechanics of the swing, like ball position, stance, and grip, are key, so are these four components. Master both sets and you’ll achieve accuracy and consistency every time, lowering your golf handicap in the process

Copyright (c) 2006 Jack Moorehouse

Author of:  How to Break 80

Did you like this article? Jack’s  newsletter has been showing up in my in box for at least 7 years.  It is great, every week he shares another tip and explains how to get that special shot accomplished.  It is one of the few newsletters that I consistently read, because they are always informative.

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Filed under: Golf Swing Sequence

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