Can An Extremely Steep Swing Plane Work?

[MikeLowry5]

I have a bad problem with swinging down on the ball and letting my lead hand (right for me as I am a lefty) dominate. This results in taking up half the earth and the ball squirming almost dead left (remember I'm a lefty).

I can correct this by going with a much steeper swing plane that would resemble something like John Daly or a young Jerry Pate (just saw Playing with the Pros with him). Extend a line through your back shoulder perpendicular to your body and one going through your head vertically. The line at your shoulder is 0 and the one going down your head is 90. I am much closer to 90 on my backswing (probably 75-80) than the shoulder. Make sense?

My instructor wants me to swing on a much flatter plane but I slice more and generally cannot make good contact with the ball while doing so because my lead hand wants to dominate and pull the club through the zone. It is evident in my divots when using this as they are generally farther back in my stance and angled to the left. When using the steeper plane the divot is smaller, out in front more and dead straight.

Can a steep swing plane work or do all players have a plane that is closer to the line through their shoulder? As I said I can "sweep" the ball much easier and hit the ball straighter when using the steeper plane.

Thanks for the help. While new to the site it has already helped me each day I read posts!

Mike

[NotAStick]

I think you're saying that your swing plane is too upright. It's pretty hard to have a consitent swing with a severely upright plane. It tends to cause inconsistent contact and is one of the main causes of a slice or uncontrolled fade. Getting your hands behind your head helps produce that inside-out swing that promotes a straight shot or even a draw. it's a matter of properly dropping your hands to the inside. Simply getting your backswing on the right plane doesn't fix the swing. you are probably "looping" and still swinging with the upright plane... plus, the loop makes it less consistent.

That said, I don't know if your golf teacher is going about it a way that will help you. Did you let him know that you can't hit it that way? There is probably something fundamentally wrong with your shoulder turn or position on the downswing and he needs to help you find it.

You might look around for a different instructor to get a second opinion, but honestly, if you're a 40+ handicap, your swing is likely not at a point where it can produce consistent shots, so the concept of "fixing" it might involve taking a step backwards in order to take two forwards. Find a coach who can get you there.