A proper golf swing plane is what you need
It’s impossible to play great golf without the proper golf swing plane! If you’ve heard the phrase before and not taken much notice of it, stop and listen. Maybe you’ve heard your playing partners talking about swing planes before? You probably thought that we’re talking about jumbo jets or 747 air-crafts? Maybe you have some knowledge of the swing plane but don’t really understand it?
Do you feel like you have a steep downswing and most of your divots point to the left?
Do you slice or pull the golf ball on a regular basis?
If the answer is yes then fixing your golf swing plane is absolutely vital to curing these problems and hitting straighter golf shots.
The good news is it’s not that difficult to master and can be learned and implemented in just minutes.
I use the Full Circle PVC Golf Swing Trainer to practice getting the proper golf swing plane and is perfect for golfers of all levels.
LEARN FROM ONE OF THE BEST
One of the best ways to learn about the swing plane is by watching the pros. It's impossible to copy every great move they make, but we can definitely learn a lot by watching key moves they make in the golf swing. Here is a great video analysis of 2014 Fed-Ex Cup champion Billy Horschel and how he creates the proper golf swing plane every time.
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WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW OF BILLY HORSCHEL DEMONSTRATING THE PERFECT GOLF BACKSWING THAT'S PART OF A GREAT SWING PLANE:
1. MOVE YOUR BODY CORRECTLY
A lot of golf instruction when talking about swing plane focuses a lot on putting your arms here and your hands there. However as you watched in the video, if you focus more on moving your body the correct way then you will automatically find your swing is on the correct plane.
These correct body moves are explained in more detail below.
2. STRAIGHT ARMS IN THE TAKEAWAY
To get the proper golf swing plane it's vital that your golf swing begins the correct way. So many golfers get this wrong and the rest of their golf swing becomes a series of compensations trying to save the swing.
The biggest mistake I see is golfers bending the right arm too quickly in the takeaway.
This usually results in the golf club getting dragged behind their body and gets their golf swing off plane immediately.
A better way is to ensure you keep the right arm as straight as possible until the golf club gets parallel to the ground.
Ensure you turn your shoulders straight away at the beginning of the golf swing. Read this great post that explains this part of the golf swing takeaway in more detail.
Remember to keep the clubface square with the toe of the clubhead pointing to the sky.
After this, the wrists will start to hinge and the right arm will begin to bend naturally.
You may not be able to get it quite as straight and for as long as Billy Horschel does, but try to keep straight for as long as you possibly can.
3. LOAD THE RIGHT GLUTE MUSCLE
An often overlooked part of the backswing and a big key to a better swing plane is ensuring your load the right glute. This happens as a result of correctly shifting your weight to your rear side (right leg for a right-hander) during the backswing.
The most common fault golfers make is shifting their weight to the rear side but not keeping enough flex in the rear leg and as a result, they don't engage their right glute muscle.
Make sure when you shift to the right during the backswing that you retain some flex in your right leg and feel a slight stretch in your right glute.
When you do this you have maintained the swing plane through the first half of the golf swing.
4. CHECK YOUR RIGHT ELBOW AND LEFT ARM
As you keep moving through the backswing here's another great checkpoint to ensure you are keeping your swing on plane. As your wrists break and you move to the top of the backswing you need to pay attention to where both arms are positioned.
Ideally, you want your right elbow to be pointing to the ground and your left arm approximately level with your shoulders.
If you've done this right, you should be in a similar position to how Billy Horschel looks below.
Additionally, the angle of your spine should be the same as it was at set up and your left wrist should be nice and flat.
If you have done these moves correctly you will maintain the proper golf swing plane.
5. KEEPING THE DOWNSWING ON PLANE
As you commence the downswing it's vital you maintain all the good work you've done in the first half of the golf swing. There's a vital part to this to ensure you keep your swing on plane. As you shift your weight to the front leg (left leg for a right-hander) make sure you maintain the flex in both knees.
When you do this right you'll fix one of the biggest problems I see in golfers’ swings that negatively affect their swing plane.
This problem is losing the tush line, which is when their butt pulls away from the set up position and the golfer stands up and cramps themselves at impact.
Maintain the knee flex, keeping your butt out or engaged, and make sure the right foot is down on the ground until the point of impact.
You'll see in the video that Billy Horschel does this perfectly and as a result, his golf swing tracks the plane line nicely down to the impact position.
This ensures you'll keep the golf swing on plane longer resulting in more consistent golf shots.
6. VIDEO YOUR GOLF SWING
Whilst the tips I have just given you will help you get your very own perfect golf swing plane. You'll need an additional tool to make your progress even quicker. Recording your golf swing makes the job much faster as you'll be able to see all of these positions and know if you're getting them right. For the swing plane it's best to record from down the line similar to the images above so you can see all the angles better.
Recording your golf swing is really helpful in obtaining a proper golf swing plane. I’d highly recommend getting an iPhone golf application that records your golf swing and has the ability to draw lines on the golf swing.
Some great applications are ‘Golf Swing Reader’ and ‘Swing Plane’.
After I recorded my golf, I tried the swing plane training at the Easy Swing Plane.
It showed me the easiest way to get my golf swing on plane just like your favourite PGA professional.
I've recommended the Easy Swing Plane to all of my readers and have had some incredible results.
Give it a try and let me know how it improves your swing plane!
Practice and more practice
Like all changes to your golf swing getting the proper golf swing plane must be practiced.
Do it at home in the backyard in front of a mirror or even inside holding a feather duster as a substitute golf club.
Remember, correct body movements will get you the proper golf swing plane you're after.
Give these tips a try and let me know your results, I would love to hear them.
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