The Long Game Assessment

Golf Tips: Swing Plane Faults That You Can Fix Fast

Would you like to develop a sound, simple and reliable basic golf swing? I’m sure that you know there are countless golf lessons online as well as a great deal of video golf instruction that describes the drills golf teachers use to improve golf swing faults, but very few golf instructors actually get to the root cause of why most golf swing problems begin in the first place.

In this golf instruction article I’m going to share with you a simple way to improve your basic golf swing plane so you can hit consistently longer and straighter golf shots, increase your golf confidence and develop lower score golf scores.

The majority of golf swing faults produced by amateur golfers can be traced back to a faulty swing plane that is not aligned correctly both in terms of its alignment to the target and its alignment to the plane angle it originated on.

The engineers that designed your golf clubs understand the importance of the swing plane but unfortunately when golfers purchase golf clubs from a golf shop or pro shop, as a rule they don’t get a user manual with the golf clubs that describes how the golf clubs should be used correctly.

Kind of funny really when you think about it, considering that most expensive items you purchase have some form of instruction manual with them.

Anyway, there is one inarguable fact that you need to know and trust about improving your basic golf swing. The fact is that you need to swing your golf club on or very close to the original swing plane if you want to really improve the way you hit the golf ball.

The original swing plane is the angle of the golf club you’re using when you address a golf ball. From driver to putter every golf club is built on an inclined plane angle because the golf ball is positioned to the side of you and in front of you.

This plane angle is slightly different with every club in your bag and so your job is to rest it on the ground as it was designed with the club face pointing directly to your target and then build your golf swing around it.

To do this effectively you need to hold onto the golf club lightly enough that the club face doesn’t aim off line. Many amateur golfers I’ve taught at my golf school over the years squeeze the grip so tightly that the club face is twisted which creates golf swing alignment errors leading to common golf shots like slices, pulls and even fat shots.

If your grip pressure is higher than five on a one to ten scale (with ten being too tight) then you are squeezing too tightly. Also when you hold onto the grip your right hand (right hand golfer) should be positioned on the side of the grip so that when you open the palm of your hand up it would point straight down the target line.

When your hand is placed under the golf grip (facing the sky), or on top of it (facing the ground), you will in all probability alter the swing plane direction as you swing back away from the ball. Remember to build your golf swing around the design of the golf club which means that your rest it on the ground and point it towards your intended target. When you swing it away there are two basic but very important stages that your golf club should travel through.

Basic Swing Plane Stage 1:

1. The golf club should swing directly away from the ball without lifting upwards abruptly or traveling inwards or outwards too quickly as it goes back. Imagine for a moment that your golf club was laying flat on a piece of cardboard on the same angle as the golf club and that the club simply traveled backwards and forwards along the card board until the club head and shaft was parallel with the ground.

Basic Swing Plane Stage 2:

2. Now, if the golf club traveled further back the club head would now be higher than your hands but would still be on or close to the piece of card board. As it travels back the grip end of the golf shaft would point directly to the base of the card board where the golf club once rested.

The golf shaft angle is maintained as it travels from the start of the back-swing to the top and into the down swing and follow-through phases.

The best way to learn to do this is to practice with a pitching wedge and swing it back until your left arm and golf club form an angle that would represent the letter ‘L.’ In this position your left arm would be horizontal and the golf shaft vertical-although it would point towards the target line.

When you swing into the follow-through you again form a horizontal arm position only this time it’s with your right arm, and the golf shaft would again be vertical and pointing down towards the target line.

I call this golf stroke the ‘Level 1’ basic golf swing as it’s the first stage of the full golf swing. Just like a house needs a strong and sound foundation to be built upon, your golf swing needs a strong and sound foundation to swing upon. By practicing the level one golf swing you are building the type of support your golf swing needs to control the distance and direction of the golf ball easily.

Remember that it’s easy to just swing away without really thinking much about what you’re doing. But consider that the golf clubs only real purpose is to achieve a sound impact and you will realize the importance of swinging your golf club on its correct plane angle.

Even if you can’t make it out to a driving range or practice fairway, practice the level one swing often and you’ll notice a considerable difference in your shot-making consistency within three months.

Every sound golf swing has a level one position built into it and so can yours so start practicing your golf swing on a daily basis and in the hours, days and months ahead you’ll discover the power and purpose of the on-plane basic golf swing.

Lawrence Montague has been one of Australia’s leading golf teaching professionals for more than twenty years and owns one of Australia’s top golf schools based on the Gold Coast in Queensland http://www.goldcoastgolfschool.com.au.

He also co-owns Pro Tour Golf College, the only pro tour prep college for aspiring male and female golfers who want to play golf on tour based in Perth, Western Australia.

You can visit his popular golf instruction channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/golfconfidencepro where he has produced more than thirty free high quality golf video lessons to improve you golf game.

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