Consistent swing plane

[NotAStick]

Does anyone have any insights on practice styles or drills that will help maintain a consistent swing plane?

I know that's a very general question.

I generally try to have several swing positions I rehearse and try to match each round, but I think my problem is that my plane varies from round to round.

Recently, when my plane is on, I'm hitting 15-16 GIR. When it's not, I'm hitting 9 GIR.

I can feel the good swings. I can feel the bad swings, but I simply can't force a good swing. I find that I'm having trouble "fixing" it. I need to just quit and go chip for a few hours, or go home, because further swinging in the wrong plane just makes it harder to get back to the proper one next time.

Thinking about it, I've shot a few rounds in the 60s this year when my plane felt right on. I have shot several other rounds where I need to have 23 putts in order to keep it close to par, or I put down 30 putts and shoot 80. It feels like in those rounds, I'm swinging AROUND and I can't keep anything on line.


How the heck do I keep that solid swing plane?

When I think about "swing upright" I block it right or hook it left and spin out my hips. Gah.


When my plane is on, my drives are mostly 300+. When I don't, they're 260.

I hit a 4 iron to 2 feet last time I had an on day, and holed a shot from 100 that just about made me say "go in the hole" right after the ball left the club.

When I have that "swinging around" feeling and need to keep my score down around par, I hit a 4 iron off the tee, because hitting the fairway with a driver is just a matter of pure luck. So irritating... that it makes me want to scream... when some days, it's just a smooth stroke and right down the middle.


Thoughts?

[kfowler]

This is something I've been working on for a while now. I've seen some pretty good improvements. I've really worked on the my take away. From numerous video taping, I find that if I take the club back on plane, I almost always come down on plane. So that would be my on suggestion.

As far as drills, one I've found helpful is to set up my webcam/video recorder already connected to my computer. I place the computer in front of me and the camcorder at the DL position. Start recording. Set up to the "ball" and then stop recording. Go back to your recording and draw your plane line or take away line. Now let leave the line while you turn the camcorder back to live and reset up to the ball and practice taking the club back while monitoring yourself on the computer. I found this very enlightening.

[deronsizemore]

Is this post just a joke or do you really not have a +0.5 handicap? I can't imagine a plus handicap having this much trouble with swing plane?

[Leftygolfer]

I would love to have a bad day and hit 9 greens, but I know that at each skill level you want to play up to your potential.

I struggle with this. For me it is the take away. IF I can keep the club outside my hands and have good tempo, power is just effortless. But when I let the club get inside, over the top and pull hooks with no control or power (by my standards). I also think my bad days are dictated by bad mentally and/or bad tempo.

[NotAStick]

This is something I've been working on for a while now. I've seen some pretty good improvements. I've really worked on the my take away. From numerous video taping, I find that if I take the club back on plane, I almost always come down on plane. So that would be my on suggestion.

What software are you using to draw the line over top the video? Last time I took a lesson, the instructor bs some COOL software to do that and overlay it on other video, etc. It's been a few years since then.

I think that could help. I always reherse takeaway drills and positions but recently that hasn't felt like enough.

[timastyle]

Lefty - This may be a stupid question, but what do you mean by keeping the club outside your hand?

[NotAStick]

Is this post just a joke or do you really not have a +0.5 handicap? I can't imagine a plus handicap having this much trouble with swing plane?

Well, I'm a very "feel" oriented player. I haven't seen a video of my swing in years. But the last few rounds have been plagued by inconsistency. I was playing to a +3.1 a few years ago and I have shot several rounds in te. I'd-60s thus summer so my hdcp is actually probably going to drop at the next revision. I generally maintain control of the ball on the bad days by pure feel and timing and by playing smart. I had a pretty poor ball-striking day yesterday (by my standards) for most of the round and got 9 GIR on an easier course. When I used to keep stats, my scambling pctg was around 60% and by playing smart when i get in trouble and making a few birdie putts I can still post a 75 on an off day.

I've also generally managed to avoid big numbers. I haven't had a double bogey that didn't involve a 3-putt in many many rounds. I looked like I was going to get one the other day after hitting my drive OB, but I chipped in for bogey. heh. I had another OB drive (ugly pull-hook) a few rounds ago on a par 5. I blocked my second shot into the rough on the right side, nutted a 3 wood into a greenside bunker and then holed out the bunker shot for par (eagle+2). LOL Most of the time, however, I can keep things in play... I have seen a lot more fairway bunkers this week than I'm comfortable with, but I haven't been in one that was severe enough that it prevented me from getting it at least up close to the green, if not on it. I should probably go see an instructor. I don't really have the cash though. Golf is so expensive.

[SpringBokVol]

Well, I'm a very "feel" oriented player. I haven't seen a video of my swing in years. But the last few rounds have been plagued by inconsistency. I was playing to a +3.1 a few years ago and I have shot several rounds in te. I'd-60s thus summer so my hdcp is actually probably going to drop at the next revision. I generally maintain control of the ball on the bad days by pure feel and timing and by playing smart. I had a pretty poor ball-striking day yesterday (by my standards) for most of the round and got 9 GIR on an easier course. When I used to keep stats, my scambling pctg was around 60% and by playing smart when i get in trouble and making a few birdie putts I can still post a 75 on an off day.

Where do you play out in CO? I am moving to Castle Rock in July.

[NotAStick]

My new "home" course is CommonGround in Aurora/Denver. It's owned by the CGA and it's a decent track, if not a bit forgiving.

I also love Murphy Creek. Play the tips there if you want a real challenge.

Castle Rock has a great municipal course that's one of the states top-rated publics called "Red Hawk Ridge". Good stuff.

I decided I'm going to try to figure out a way to video tape my swing. I would like to see it anyway. I "feel" like my problem is subtle changes in my swing plane, but hey, I may be totally wrong. It would be cool to find out.

[NotAStick]

Lefty - This may be a stupid question, but what do you mean by keeping the club outside your hand?

I think he means.... on your takeaway, before the club gets above your shoulders, look back. Your clubhead shouldn't be behind your hands.

"Behind" in this case, meaning closer to the plane of your body. If your takeaway pulls the club back behind the plane of your body, you'll probably swing too much from the inside.

[3BillsOnTheFly]

Is this post just a joke or do you really not have a +0.5 handicap? I can't imagine a plus handicap having this much trouble with swing plane?

x2

Your setup and posture should dictate your plane.

[patz0r]

We made a really inexpensive and useful training aid using a ~3 foot long section of PVC pipe and 2 mini mag flashlights. You use some electrical tape to fill in some of the inner tube area of the PVC on each side and stick a flashlight in each side. Then just make a long straight line of tape along the ground, focus the flashlights, grip the PVC club like you would for any club you are wanting to practice, and see how the lights follow the path. When I am struggling with my full swing, I always go back to the lightstick and usually I will notice that my swing has flattened too much or gotten too steep.

[NotAStick]

x2

I wish it was that easy. My biggest fault identified in the lessons I took 2 years ago (while playing to about a 1 handicap) was that my swing plane was grossly flat. Hands were almost below the level of my head in the videos. That was partially a setup issue, but I had a bit of a Jim Furyk style double-plane swing going on too, where I was standing too upright, but somehow managing to drop the club and pull a slightly flat swing on the downswing. Like Furyk, I'm not a terribly long hitter, but when my swing is "on" it is plenty accurate. In the videos we did a few years ago, other mechanics of the swing are really good, but I was just off-plane all the time. I'm sure it's a similar issue now, but since i haven't done a video in ages, I really don't know. I'm convinced now that is what i need to do. I hate being a mechanical golfer. I'm the type of player who prefers to hit a 3/4 swing knockdown approach shot, if there is enough green to work with, instead of taking a rip and launching it into the stratosphere. Just a different style I guess. Works for me.

[timtim]

I think you need to see yourself on video. You need to find a Hank Haney style of teacher who is not out to fix or rebuild your swing, but instead is looking for a few key points to improve upon. Someone who can video you and then work with you on what you do when you "feel" good and then when you "feel" bad. Someone who is willing to work with you, instead of teach you.

Then find a place with a big mirror where you can work on your positions. Maybe in a karate dojo near your house. I actually will set my swing plane using a laser pointer I got at Radio Shack, using it to determine the direction the butt of the club is pointing, and then, looking back at the mirror, put post-it notes on a big mirror at my hand and club position points of club pointing exactly at the ball, club pointing 90 degrees up, and then at club at full swing, and then swing while looking back at the mirror to check my positions. Keeping my feet in the same place. You have to do this differently for different clubs, because the plane will be different.

Here is a secret that I have noticed, don't tell anyone, this is just between you and me, your swing plane is messed up more by your body and head and right hip position than what your hands do. You don't want your hands correcting problems with your hip or knee or head. If I keep my right hip and my right knee from moving very much during the backswing, and don't let my head move back away from the target, my club goes up right on plane, and then if I keep that head position, while I rotate my hips, I hit the ball exactly where I aimed. It is funny, but when move my head away from the target on the backswing, my backswing is flatter, and I fade/slice the ball a little bit, and I feel the toe of the club hitting the ground as I feel like I am flipping the club.

Knowing this stuff about your swing does not make you more mechanical at all. Instead, it helps you to know that to hit the next ball correctly on the course, you don't need to "fix" anything, just concentrate on what your best swing is.

[iacas]

My biggest fault identified in the lessons I took 2 years ago (while playing to about a 1 handicap) was that my swing plane was grossly flat. Hands were almost below the level of my head in the videos.

If you're a one-plane swinger (kinda Hogan-ish), that's nowhere near "grossly flat." That's perfectly acceptable - hands at about the middle of your head at the top of your backswing.

[NotAStick]

Well, I went out to the range today with a friend's cellphone video camera. it's not ideal, but I got a few issues worked out.

I noticed my swing was going flat and after tweaking some things, I realized the root issue was that my stance was too wide with longer clubs and it was inhibiting my hips turning properly, so I was compensating with my left arm and making me "spin" at the ball instead of driving through it.

Quirky, but when I narrowed my stance, I was hitting it much better. The weird double-plane swing isn't that noticeable this year, which is cool. It looks more traditional, though my misses are all still blocks to the right or the hooded pull, which tells me that I'm still not quite clearing my hips enough. I need to get out and work on that some more.

I wish I could get a really competent swing coach, but I don't have a ton of money to spend on swing coaches. I dropped $100 on a range card and play twilight rounds a few times per week. I could quit playing for a week to go do some range work and drop the $120 for an hour with a good coach, but that doesn't seem much fun to me. I'm just out to have some fun If my consistency doesn't improve after doing some video work myself I may still do it, but we'll see.


Tonight I played Murphy Creek from the tips and it was playing long with all the rain we've had, plus the rough was extra long and the greens were bumpy as hell. The card says just under 7600 yards, maybe more like 7800 with the zero roll fairways. I think I ended up shooting 79 or 80. I missed a bunch of short putts though and the rating is 75.6 with a slope of 140, so it's not as bad a round as it sounds. No birdies, though I had 5 or 6 birdie putts inside 20 ft that I missed.

I did have a double on the 650 yard 3rd when I drove it in a shaggy bit of rough and then put my 6i approach into a hazard behind the green and missed the 10 foot bogey putt.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

[3BillsOnTheFly]

I wish it was that easy.

I'm a big fan of videotaping on a regualr basis. Watching yourself definitely gives you a better perspective of what's going on . I'm probably closer to the magician mindset than the mechanic, but I do know where you're coming from. Best of luck.

[Zeph]

I like to use the wrists to feel the swingplane. I've been working with getting rid of my slice and the cupped left wrist. What I found was that my swing plane was much easier to control and work on with the proper wrist action. I let the wrists guide the club and the club guide the swing. Not literally, the shoulders do that, but they are connected.