Forget Swing Plane! Think Swing Arc, Clubhead and Hand Path

Swing Plane vs Swing Arc, Clubhead and Hand Path.

I came from the school of swing plane and that a swing must be on plane to work. That the handle of the club must point at the ball at the halfway back position and at the halfway down position. Also it must be in line with the trail forearm. To make it even better it must be parallel with the original shaft angle at address in the backswing at some point. It took a lot of convincing and evidence to make me understand and change my perspective.

Now the more I have studied the swing, interacted face to face, worked with and debated top instructors, PhD’s in biomechanics and kinesiology; I have learned that swing plane is just a term that came about who knows when. There is no true definition of swing plane in the golf swing and those that chase an “on plane” swing often don’t understand what they are trying to achieve. They are forced to make unnecessary manipulations to hit the ball. The true focus should be swing arc, clubhead and hand path.

The golf swing is an arc period end of story. The clubhead, body and arms move in three different circles making it virtually impossible for a true swing plane to exist. 

Now the swing plane purists will bring up Bryson DeChambeau as being a one plane golfer. When his swing moves on a consistent arc from the beginning to the end. His is one length clubs make that possible for him and his own unique athletic personality. He is swinging on an arc and those that will debate he is on plane will use 2D cameras as their proof. Now a planar surface is two dimensional(2D cameras) and a golf swing takes place in a three dimensional space. There is a three dimensional hand path, arc, swing direction and a resultant path at impact...but no swing plane. In the past three months I have had 33 golfers come see me with “swing plane” issues and when I eliminated that thought and had them understand their true task, they were hitting the ball better within minutes. After each lesson they worked on the corresponding drills and took their new feelings and freedom to the course. Their scores started dropping significantly and they are enjoying the game. They have blocked out all other information “coaching” and misleading/cliche terms which will stunt their development.

Now the internet and YouTube is loaded with swing plane videos and information because those terms and thoughts are buzzwords that so many “coaches” and golfers can’t resist. But ask yourself if there is a true swing plane how come no one can accurately define it in a golf swing? Then when you bring up arc in a debate they instantly change their stance.

In any industry in order to advance and innovate we must think outside of the box and challenge the status quo. That way we clear up any confusion, promote improvement and make learning easier. A golfer will understand their swing is an arc, how to control where their hands go and how to control the clubhead. It will free up their swing and they won’t be chasing positions. Stop thinking about swing plane!!