Swing plane: What does it mean and how can you improve yours?

The swing plane is one of the most important aspects of the golf swing, as it essentially controls the shape and accuracy of your golf shots. In this PGA Play tip, we explain what it is, factors that affect swing plane and how you can improve it.

What Is a Swing Plane?
 The swing plane refers to the angle that the club follows during the swing, from the takeaway through to the follow-through. Imagine an invisible flat surface or plane that extends upwards from the ball through your sternum at address. The most efficient movement of the club around your body would follow this ‘plane’

Static Factors Affecting Swing Plane:

Static factors are those present before you even start your swing—essentially, elements of your set-up.  

• Posture: The way you stand over the ball (spine angle, knee flex, balance) helps to initially set the swing plane.
• Grip: How you hold the club can subtly influence your swing path.
• Ball Position: Where the ball is located in your stance (forward, middle, back) can affect the natural arc of your swing.
• Body alignment: too often poor body alignment scuppers any chance of a repeatable, efficient motion.

Dynamic Factors Affecting Swing Plane:

Dynamic factors come into play once you start moving. These include:

• Rotation: How your shoulders, hips, and torso rotate can impact on  whether the club stays on or strays from the intended plane.
• Arm lift, forearm rotation and wrist hinge: excessive forearm rotation in the early part of the backswing can create too much arm lift and too flat of a shaft plane.
• Tempo and Balance: a rushed tempo can affect posture and balance which can affect the swing plane.
• Weight Transfer: Correct shift in transition from trail side to lead side prevents ‘spinning’ too early at the beginning of the downswing.

How Can You Improve Your Swing Plane?

Improving your swing plane can greatly improve the efficiency of your swing. Try these tips to improve:

• Check Your Set-Up: Use a mirror or video to review your address position for posture and alignment.
• Use Visual Aids: Place shafts or alignment sticks on the ground- one as an extension of your ball to target line and one as an extension of your toe line.
• ‘L’ shape drill: by the time the lead arm gets parallel to the ground in the backswing, look for 2 points:

1. The lead arm is also parallel to the ball to target line and vertically above the alignment stick that is an extension of your toe line.
2. if you were to extend a line running from the clubhead through your hands, this would also point at the alignment stick on an extension of your ball to target line. 

• Being able to maintain your posture as you rotate your torso- lifting out of your posture will flatten the swing plane- a common fault amongst slicers of the ball when the try to (mistakenly) get the club more ‘inside’ during the backswing. The reaction to this is to make a counter-clockwise loop as you start the downswing creating an out-to – in path. 

Myths:

The steepness of the swing plane doesn’t necessarily affect the club path at impact. You can be more upright but still in- to-out or flat but out- to-in. The steepness of the swing plane doesn’t always affect the angle of attack at either. I’ve seen upright swings that are very shallow at impact and flat ones that are steeper at impact. 

Swing plane is important for efficiency of movement, making centred contact more likely. 

1 Plane v 2 Plane:

There is much talk about 1 versus 2 plane swings. Basically a 1 plane swing moves more around the shaft plane at address. Think of Matt Kuchar or Ben Hogan. The arm plane is flatter. Whilst this can be beneficial to some, it does require a high level of mobility and flexibility particularly in rotator cuffs and lower torso.

For 2 plane swings think of Adam Scott or Victor Hovland. There is some arm ‘lift’ during the backswing so the arm plane is higher. Whilst this may require a little more ‘sequencing’ it can also create more speed. 

Ideally, find out what works for you and what your swing preferences are.