Drills To Get Your Golf Swing On Plane

Drills to Get Your Golf Swing on Plane

Swing plane is the angle or line at which your club swings up and down on around your body and it’s determined by your spine angle and physical ability… In this video and article, we'll offer some drills and ideas to improve yours and help you hit straighter, better golf shots.

Let’s try and avoid a swing that has a huge amount of check points, instead I want you to improve your swing plane without losing your flow and rhythm. Ideally the club should go up and down on the same plane or at least not deviate offline dramatically. This would be the most efficient way of swinging. Some golfers change direction in their swings and this can increase clubhead speed in certain players but that can also make the direction of your shots hard to control. 

So we are going to look at some drills that will help you find a neutral swing plane where the club works up and down on roughly the same angle. 

The first check is to make sure your fundamentals are right to start off with. Check your aim and your posture, it should be athletic and ready to run. If your spine angle is too upright and you’re almost sat down or too tipped over then you will have to compensate for a plane that won’t naturally get back to the ball. Compensating for this uses up extra energy, making the swing inefficient.

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Are you interested in making lasting improvements to your golf game? Shoot Lower Scores is an online course from Golf Monthly designed to help you find power in your swing and hole more putts as well as how to avoid falling foul of the more challenging rules of golf. Whether you want to brush up your knowledge or learn something new; this tutorial is perfect.

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Shallow And Upright Swing Planes

You'll notice that if you stand up straight and replicate your golf swing, that your arms swing flatter around the body causing a topped or thin shot. Conversely if you tip your spine so it is parallel to the ground (so horizontal), you’ll swing your arms up and down more, this is an upright plane. What often happens in golfers that have had poor posture for some time, it they begin to compensate. Swinging only the arms up and down in a bid to get back to the ball. That's why your posture and spine angle is so important here - set your upper body over the ball from hinging at the hips. This will create an athletic posture which encourages good turn, your arms are then more likely to swing round your body on a good plane. 

Get it right and this simple posture check will help you guard against coming over the top and cutting across the ball - two of the biggest issues in the golf swing amateurs suffer with. Both cause a slice.

Setting The Correct Swing Plane

Here are some pointers that will get you on the right plane... Check that first part of the swing as this dictates where the rest of your swing is likely to travel. In the takeaway, keep the club head slightly in front of your hands (the video with this article shows you exactly how to do it). The moment it whips back on an inside takeaway path you’re in a whole world of trouble and you'll be forever playing catch up.

I love a motion based drill, especially continuous motion. If your swing captures a bit of this free flowing essence you’ll begin to swing more on plane. A fabulous gadget that will do this for you is the orange whip swing trainer (shown below). If you don't own one of these then swing two clubs together. Feel the extra weight take the club into a better swing plane naturally. You can't force the club into a poor position here - repetition with these sorts of drills will see better movement gently soak into your own swing.   

Should Turn

Another great golf swing plane drill is to place a club across your shoulders. Simply turn back and through. Turning the body and training a decent rotation will help the club stay on plane. Try this should turn drill. If you get this right the swing will feel effortless and your game will really improve.