Here at GolfTEC, we teach thousands of lessons a year. Most of our clients are striving for the same thing - more consistency. We hear it with almost every new client, “I want to be more consistent off the tee; I want more consistency with my iron game; overall consistency….”

If you’ve worked on your game before, you know that consistency comes from a repeatable, dependable technique. One of the keys to consistent, accurate ball flight is your overall swing plane. This article will help you understand what a good swing plane is and how to achieve it in the backswing. Assuming you’ve achieved good posture, take your backswing back to where your left arm is parallel to the ground. This is a crucial spot in the backswing. Many things could have affected your shaft plane and clubface up to this point. A simple way to check your swing plane here is to check where the butt of your golf club is pointing. At this point, it’s imperative that the butt of the club is pointed at your target line. Draw an imaginary line from your golf ball to the target and also back through the ball behind it. The first checkpoint is that the butt of the club is pointed directly at this line behind the ball. This will insure that you’ve hinged the golf club well with a good shaft angle. Now we’ve established the correct shaft plane.

Most players think they are done if they’ve achieved a good shaft plane…. Not so fast. Equally as important is the plane of your left arm. At left arm parallel to the ground, your hands should be extended directly out in front of your right shoulder. You should be able to draw a straight line directly from your right shoulder to your hands. If your hands are more parallel to your toe line, your left arm plane is too upright. If your hands are behind your right shoulder, you are too flat. Use a side view mirror to help you visualize this correctly.

Last but not least, your left wrist must be flat when you hinge (assuming a neutral grip). Keeping your left wrist flat serves two key purposes. First, it keeps your clubface square as you hinge. Second, it will keep your left wrist from over-hinging which keeps the length of your backswing under control.

These are several key components to your positioning at left arm parallel to the ground. Keep in mind this is a process. Therefore, master one key component at a time. Don’t try to achieve all three of these keys in one practice session. Once these checkpoints are achieved, you are in a solid position to help maintain a terrific swing plane. This doesn’t guarantee you a perfect plane yet, but this certainly improves the chances of a good plane. Practice well, and with GolfTEC, expect to improve!

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