The concept of plane confuses some players. It also confuses some players that come to me for golf lessons. Many are unclear about what it is and what its impact is on your golf swing. Whether you understand the concept of plane or not, swinging off plane is never good.

Focusing on two points–spine angle at address and the position of the left arm on the downswing–clears up the confusion about swing plane and explains its effect on your golf swing and your golf handicap.

Several reasons exist for swinging off plane. Picking the club up with your hands or rolling the clubface open during the swing are two. The most common reason for swinging off plane is adopting the wrong spine angle at address, as I’ve often pointed out in my golf tips,

Spine angle forms the natural axis around which your shoulders should turn at a 90-degree angle. The spine angle you set at address is critical because it decides the shape and plane of your swing. It’s the reason why I focus on adopting the proper spine angle in my golf instruction sessions.

If a player tilts too far over at address, the flatter spine angle causes the shoulders to “tilt” during the swing. As a result, your left arm comes off your chest during your swing, your backswing becomes upright, and your swing plane too steep. Fat shots, deep divots, and pulls and slices are symptoms of a steep plane.

If a player leans too far back at address, the more erect spine angle causes the shoulders to flatten during the swing. As a result, your left arm squeezes too tightly against your chest, your backswing becomes flatter, and your swing plane too shallow. Hitting behind the ball, thin shots, and loss of power are symptoms of a shallow plane.

Keep in mind that a taller player has a naturally steeper swing plane than a shorter person does, and a shorter player has a naturally flatter swing plane than a taller person does.

While your shoulder turn and arm swing are related, a good backswing requires a left arm swing that’s on a slightly higher plane than your shoulders. This arm angle allows your shoulders to have more of a free passage to the ball on the downswing. If your left arm swing is off, you’ll automatically be on the wrong plane with your swing will be off.

Here’s a test I use in my golf lessons to tell if a player is on plane with his/her swing. Take a club, assume your normal posture, and swing to the top. Hold that position for a second. Now, loosen your grip and let the shaft fall.

If the shaft hits you on the top of the right shoulder, your swing is on plane. If it hits you on the head or neck, your swing plane is too steep. Conversely, if it falls behind your back without hitting your body, your swing plane is too shallow.

Employing a simple move at the top of your backswing ensures that you’re taking the right swing plane as you start into the downswing. As you begin your downswing shift your weight onto your left foot while, at the same time, bringing your right elbow back down to your body. Remember to retain the angle of your wrist as you complete this move. It’s the seat of power and the key to maximum distance.

As the weight shifts to the left and the elbow drops down, the club falls automatically into the right slot for the correct swing plane. This movement flattens the swing ever so slightly. It’s the ideal position from which to swing the club down at the ball, delivering the clubhead squarely to the ball.

In essence you’re actually employing two swing planes to hit the ball correctly, one slightly different than the other. The first comes from executing the correct take away. The second from dropping down your right elbow just before the downswing.

That slightly different swing plane is crucial. It runs right through the correct angle of your spine, the natural axis around which your shoulders should turn, enabling you to deliver a clean crisp blow to the ball with a square clubhead and good power. And that’s the goal of all golf instruction on swing plane.

I hope this article clears up the confusion about swing planes. If you work on taking the club back on the right plane and on dropping your right elbow down during your swing, you’ll see results. That, in turn, will help you lower both your individual golf scores and your golf handicap.

By: Jack Moorehouse

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The very system used to teach the golf swing is the reason golfers are unable to repeat what they are taught during golf instruction even days later.

Golfers often wonder why three days after a lesson, they still struggle to hit the golf ball as well as they did during the lesson.”

Over twenty years ago, I felt the same way. I started a quest and eventually discovered the reason for golf instruction that fades. I want to make it clear that the golf instruction is NOT the problem. Although there are countless methods of swinging the golf club, the method is not what golfers should be looking for.

The problem is that with current memory methods, your mind cannot accurately keep your golf swing in memory. Here’s why.

Current golf instruction uses Muscle Memory to commit instruction into memory. There are 2 problems with the theory:

Every swing you make is different, so the feedback from the muscles is different… And, your muscles send the brain different feedback as they get tired or stiff from swinging the golf club…

Simply put, your swing changes as your muscles loosen up, get tired or become stiff. Since the feedback to the brain is different for every swing, the brain doesn’t know which swing to remember. It happens to every golfer and no amount of golf swing instruction can make up for for this change.

The problem isn’t your golf swing, it’s that the brain is guessing every time you make a new golf swing. Those guesses are based on a general idea of the swing and the variety of past repetitions, but to be deadly accurate, your brain needs to have an exact map in memory for your body to follow.

So what is the answer? Is there a way to have a map in your mind? The answer is YES.

Just as an automobile has steering and brakes to keep it on the road, the body has a system to control body movement and keep you from injuring yourself. Although the system exists, it is not normally used consciously during body movement. Because the feedback this system provides doesn’t change, this internal system is perfect for remembering and recreating the most exact movement possible for any non-reaction movement, including golf.

How does it work? While your muscles change during use, your nervous system functions with little day to day change. The feedback system the nervous system provides is in use 24/7 and all you have to do is to increase your awareness of the feedback already in your body.

This system is based on balance feedback; your body’s reaction to gravity. It is how you are able to stand up and walk without falling down. Since balance is a key factor in the process of swinging the golf club, it makes sense that balance feedback is naturally the best way to keep it under control.

Why is balance so important? Because your body has a built in auto-balance mechanism that always works to keep you in balance no matter what you are doing. That means, if you start your golf swing out of balance, the body will fight you to re-balance your movement, which throws off the swing. Golfers around the world are fighting themselves during the golf swing and don’t realize they are doing it.

The best part about using balance feedback instead of muscle memory is that the only change a golfer needs to make to improve his golf swing and consistently repeat the same swing is to become aware of the signals in his body. That’s it. The rest happens automatically as you respond to balance signals and follow them to stay in balance during movement.

But, I have taken the process further by developing a way to use this same feedback to increase swing power, improve visualization during golf, and to remove distractions and keep your mind focused in the game.

Balance is most important during the setup because if you start out of balance, which most golfers do, your body will fight you the rest of your golf swing. It’s not possible to make consistent contact with the golf ball if your body is fighting you during the swing.

For a free setup routine that guarantees a powerful, balanced start for your golf swing go to setup routine.

I have broken the swing process down into a set of simple routines designed to improve your awareness to balance feedback. Once you have become aware of this feedback you can use it to improve every aspect of your golf game.

This process truly shows golfers how powerful the mind can be when it comes to golf.

By: Tracy Reed

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