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The Importance of Developing the Golf Swing Plane

The term “golf swing plane” is either unknown to many golfers, or not paid enough attention to. Probably, you have to familiarize yourself with the fact that back in 1970s, Ben Hogan came upon the idea of a golf swing plane and the results are documented in many PGA record books. Developing a better golf swing plane will result in more successful game as the ultimate goal.

The simplistic view of a golf swing plane is that the club should track the same plane coming down as it did going up. It may sound incredibly simple, but many golfers tend to ignore that concept with inconsistent results. There are numerous ways to improve the golf swing plane including through muscle memory or computer analysis of the golfer’s swing. However, practice and persistence are going to bring the best results.

Muscle memory is fairly new to the golf scene, as most people believe they can hit the ball the same by simply hitting it often. The problem is most golfers stand upright during their swing, lessening their chance of staying in balance during the swing, and being forced to make adjustments on the downswing. The golf swing plane they exhibit is usually on two levels causing the club to hit the ball differently.

Proper Alignment and Balance Will Help Achieve Consistency

Hitting the ball the same way every time can be done only by swinging the club the same way every time, and without being in the proper golf swing plane that is just not going to happen. Having to make adjustments while bringing the club down would require different adjustments be made on each swing. In order to maintain the proper golf swing plane the golfer must be balanced.

By spreading the feet slightly more the normal, balance can be maintained throughout the swing. You can practice to ensure that the swing does not turn into a rocking motion and, being slightly closer to the ground, the club head is not buried in the dirt behind the ball. It may be necessary to adjust the distance from the ball as well as adjusting the rotation of the hips and shoulders. In order to maintain balance and the proper position over the ball, hips rotation is not as pronounced in what is termed a regular swing.

June 29, 2007 | In Articles |