Couple Questions...

First off, I hear people talking about swinging "in plane" and I've even seen a few youtube videos of people analyzing shots, showing an imaginary plane and how the club follows it. But how can I know if my swing is in plane.

Today i hit about 45 balls with my driver, about 7 of them were good( about 205 yards down the middle.. I've only been playing for about a month or so). So, I know I have the potential to hit good ones, but the inconsistency is off the charts, and I'm nearly positive my swing is the cause, but don't know how to tell if i'm in plane.

Secondly, on the few shots I hit well, I didn't really think about form, or grip. I looked back and forth between that 200 yard sign and the ball, vizualizing the ball and thinking I can do it. Am I going crazy or does that visualization stuff actually work? heh,

Thirdly, Most of the shots I hit good were in a row. Example. I would hit 3 good drives in a row, Shank/Top/Mis-hit 8 of them in a row, get 2 more drives perfect. Is this normal?

Thanks, Joe.

Although there are probably issues with your swing, it isnt the first issue that you should be concerned with.

To develop a good swing, you first need the basic fundamentals of setup. Posture, grip, alignment. All are extraordinarily important. I made a thread last night that provides a very comprehensive video on proper grip. The thread is called something along the lines of 'gripping the club'. You must have a proper grip...there are no two ways around it. You can also find videos from that same organization on youtube...and i'd also recommend checking out Shawn Clement's videos on youtube. Look through those to find videos pertinent to learning a proper setup. The ones where you didnt think about form were hit well because you were able to eliminate tension from your body. You allowed your athletic tendencies to take over and provide a good tempo and you were able to strike the ball within rhythm--keeping the club on plane---not necessarily on the proper plane--but you were able to keep the club moving on some sort of constant plane. Of course, abandoning grip and all that isnt going to work out for you in the long run. And not to put you down...but you dont want to be hitting 205 yard drives for the rest of your golfing career...although that is certainly good for someone with your golfing experience. The reason why you were able to hit some good shots in a row is because, being an athlete, you have a rudimentary concept of what needs to be done in relation to the crooked stick you are holding and the little ball in front of you. Turn and then turn back to get the clubface on the ball. You then were able to create compensations based on previous results in order to assemble a movement that creates something that resembles a positive shot. These compensations were able to hold up for a few swings, but because it isnt the most efficient method of applying power to the ball...it couldnt hold up beyond those few good shots. And of course, i highly recommend getting lessons. yes, going out and golfing is fun...but lessons are certainly a worth investment if you are interested in playing this game for awhile. You'll learn a lot very quickly and professional instruction is by far the most efficient way to learn the game.

Yea, I've been all over the internet getting tips and so far they have helped a ton. The Overlap grip has now become natural to me, so in my good shots I did have the overlap grip, tried to get a straight spine (can't really tell how straight it is) and good footwork.

I thought about investing in a Golf Pro but the nearest course to me is about a 40 minute drive, and I have no clue how much this will cost. Luckily in about a month I'll be moving off to college again where i'll be kiddy corner to a course, probably a 3 minute walk away from it.

I know 205 yards is a pretty weak drive, but they did go straight and had a decent flight path which i was proud of (since i normally have a very low flight path, almost line driving it).

Thanks for the tips.


Edit: You're probably right about the athletic tendencies taking over. I've always been good at almost any sport I've tried (disregarding soccer and golf :sadface:). I do have almost everyday open to practice, since I'm working only 3 days a week. Thanks again!

yep, theres a common thread between all sports. They all need balance, rythym, coordination, strength, and mental aptitude. Since you've played sports..you probably have those down...unfortunately, not everyone was born with or has at least trained themselves to having those abilities. You just need someone to show you how to apply all those to hitting a little ball with a crooked stick.

m11 gives good advice.

In the first part of your downswing, your club is “on plane” if the butt end points at your target line. Further down, when your clubshaft is parallel to the ground, it must also be parallel to your target line to be “on plane”.

That is the usual instruction, but I call that a parallel plane. I use a slightly inside-out swing plane, because I use a slightly inside-out clubhead path.

I started watching golf lessons on You Tube and they are great, maybe it might help your game.

It takes incredible leverage and balance to go straight and long. Your 205 yards is not a weak drive, that is about average.

Any eight year old has the leverage and balance needed to skip a stone across a lake in a straight line. But doing that with a golf club is not an instinct that we are born with.