Swing plane is the vertical angle and path where your club travels from address, backswing, and through impact. It is the circular motion your club travels across your body during rotation and swing back. Many players do not understand the importance of golf swing plane checkpoints, or even the overall concept of swing plane.
Golfers do not realize that the swing plane plays a crucial part in the success of a golf shot. Without the proper swing plane, your performance as a golf player will see no improvement. But with the right knowledge and more practice, a proper golf swing plane is definitely attainable.
Swing On Plane
We often hear advice about swinging on plane. But why is it important?
To become a better golfer, one must acquire the right techniques for a swing. By simply staying in the swing plane, you will be able to create more power and accuracy for your shots. Swinging on plane means:
More consistent shots and straighter ball flight
Solid and clear-cut impact
Fewer shot issues - slices, hooks, thin and fat shots
We already discussed single plane swing and two plane swing in our previous blog. Today, we will further discuss how to set your swing plane properly. How do you know that your swing plane is correct? Here are some golf swing plane checkpoints you need to know.
How do you know if your golf swing is on a plane?
Checkpoint #1: Address Position
Everything starts and everything could go wrong in your swing if you are not properly set in the address position. The initial positioning and assembly of your hands and arms are essential to reaching the top of your backswing on plane.
Your club’s shaft should be at a 45-degree angle to the ground and directly pointing to the plane line. The line inside the target line is the extension of the bottom of the shaft.
Checkpoint #2 Takeaway
Many golfers go off the swing plane immediately during the takeaway. This is where the most common swing plane issue is committed, and that is lifting the club away from the body or pulling it closer as they move. Doing this during takeaway pushes your club head off the swing plane and forces it to reroute which results in a steeper swing plane and over-the-top backswing.
As you swing your club, the shaft should be parallel to the ground and plane line.
As you go chest high, the butt of the club should be pointing down to the plane line.
Checkpoint #3 Top of backswing
One of the most crucial golf swing plane checkpoints is the top of the backswing. However, this is also one that is difficult to check. It relies more on your “ feel” rather than looking at your shoulder and hand positions at the top of your swing. You can’t go over the top at this point or you are basically off the swing plane as you go through impact. However, reach the right swing plane angle and you’re set to have no issues with the rest of the downswing and impact.
At the top of backswing, the shaft should be parallel to the plane line again and the clubface square.
Additional checkpoints:
Downswing:
Halfway through your downswing, the butt of the club should be pointing at the target line. These golf swing plane checkpoints are identical to the takeaway position.
Clubface:
From the top of the swing and coming down to impact, your clubface should be square when it strikes the ball.
Impact position
Basically, as you come down to downswing, your target line and the plane line should be the focal point. The only difference from your address position to your impact position is that your hips are aimed more to the left of the target, and your weight is also shifting to the left.
Tempo
The right swing tempo is ideally 75: 25 or 3:1. This means that your backswing should take 3x as long as your downswing - backswing takes 3 seconds and downswing in 1 second.
If you’re able to reach your checkpoints while staying in the right tempo, there is minimal chance for your swing to go wrong. There are 3 key points to remember in golf swing plane checkpoints. Your club should be - pointing to, parallel, and pointing to as you go through the swing sequence.
Using SwingPro Plus training aids will help you achieve better control and direction of not just your club but the entire swing as well. Using a training aid will help you find the fault with your swing plane. Practice your swing and apply the checkpoints starting from your setup and your divot.
