On the Green

If you have looked around you can't help but notice that golfers come in various sizes and shapes, which leads to the uniqueness of everyone's golf swing. This week as I was sitting off to the side watching people hit balls I couldn't help noticing the body language of a tall, physically fit young man apparently frustrated with the results he was getting.

When he disgustedly placed his driver in his bag I figured I better ask if he needed any help. He commented, "probably, I am just so inconsistent with my driver and it just doesn't go very far." I told him I would be glad to help him; and asked him to hit a few more balls and I would see what I could do. This young man stood 6' 4" tall which made his swing plane even with his driver very steep; however he was swinging the club low and around.

The path a golfer swings a club on is called a swing plane. The ideal swing plane that will produce the best ball flight results is determined when a golfer addresses the ball. The lowest level of the swing plane is defined by a line drawn from the ball through the shaft and continues through the body, and the upper line extends from the ball through the golfer's shoulder and beyond If a golfer swings within this area the ball flight will generally be more playable then if swung off plane.

To demonstrate to him what his swing plane should be I placed my club upside down grip butt end to grip butt end while he was in his address position. This showed him exactly the lowest level of the swing plan and how steep his path should be. I then placed a club under his shaft and asked him to slide his driver along my shaft on his take-away move. As he reached the end of my club I asked him to keep swinging the club up on plane as his shoulders rotated to the top of his swing. This correction to his swing plane helped to straighten out his ball flight, which was the first adjustment I made.

I then addressed his concern with lack of distance. I noticed he was using only one lever in his swing so I introduced the wrist-cock, which promotes a second lever that produces more power. I should note here for all my readers that a second lever could produce greater inconsistency until the golfer learns to create a firm left wrist (right-handed golfer) at impact. In this case my student adjusted very well; but he still experienced difficulty creating club head speed.

I asked him what sports he played to which he said he was a soccer player. He played very little baseball but could demonstrate a baseball swing for me with his golf club. As he was swinging I asked him to make as much of a "whoosh" sound as he could. There was a great deal of energy being created. While he did this, his posture was that of a baseball player. I gradually asked him to lower his club, get into his golf posture and keep swinging the golf club as a bat only now on the new "swing plane" consistent with his height. He did this really well.

Next, I asked him to swing the golf club the same way when he hit golf balls. He placed a ball on the tee and "whoosh," he hit the longest ball he had hit in a long time. Needless to say he was very pleased that he could swing on the correct swing plane and generate more power. I reminded him that what I was able to get him to do was new to him and he did not own it. He understood that it would take practice until he grooved the new swing, but it was clear he loved the results.

Please ask your local teaching professional if you are swinging on plane; this information will help you to get better results too.