Across the Line Swing Plane

by Mike Baker
(Guelph ON, Canada)

I have been as low as a 5 h'cap and right now I am really struggling.

I tend to take the club inside and cross the line at the top then loop it to get back on plane.
The longer the club the messier the shot!

I am also hitting the ball low and thin - even my solid shots are low.

How can I get in a consistent top of swing position without crossing the line?

Answer

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your interesting submission. This is one that every golfer should focus on.

It sounds like you are taking the club a little too far inside the line in the back swing. To get your club and arms more on plane you will need to work on the following.

Too much hands domination here may be the culprit.

Focus on swinging back in a one piece move with the club, hands, arms and shoulders all moving together in the takeaway. A good exercise to feel this correct move is to take your address position with a club and then loosen the hands and push the butt end of the club into your stomach while holding the club below the handle on the shaft. The club head will be about 1 foot off the ground.

Turn the shoulders and feel how the hands, club, arms and shoulders move into the take away together with no independent hand or wrist motion.

Once you have completed the take away, the butt of the club should still be fixed on your stomach. Repeat as many times as necessary and notice the very slight natural move to the inside the club head makes. It follows the turn of the shoulders.

Both hands should ever so slightly rotate clockwise or open while you are practicing this move. Once you develop the feeling, do the same move by holding the club full length.

You want to see that the shaft of the club when your hands are hip high is parallel to a line running across your toe line. The hands will be in front of your sternum or the middle of your chest, with the left arm feeling also parallel to your toe line.

This halfway position in the back swing is a checkpoint to see that you have swung your arms in unison with the shoulders turning. At this point, you will be able to see the left arm is in line with the shaft of the club.

Repeat this move as many times as necessary to groove the feeling. You want a free arm motion with that slight clockwise rotation of the hands.(this opens the club face) The leading edge of the clubface should be in a square position by pointing perpendicular to the ground.

No independent hand action should be felt at all in the back swing (only the clockwise rotation from address to hip height), everything is moving back together. Club, hans, arms then shoulders in that order.

The arms and club from this position literally swing in an upwards direction perfectly on plane and you will then see that your shaft and left arm are in line to one another achieving a good position at the top of your back swing.

Let me know how you are progressing!

Louis.