couple driving questions

[Dr. Slice]

i have been really inconsistent on my drives. so my first questions is...

when you start you backswing is it supposed to be narrow? like bringing you hands past the ball, or more of a swooping swing? i dont really know how to explain it

and what is the proper swing plane when you drive? how can you tell that you are on plane other than using a mirror?

[shortstop20]

The backswing should be nice and wide, with a straight left arm. Don't sway back in an attempt to get wider though.

Buy a stick, shove it in the ground behind you at the same angle as you have your driver set at address. This will help you find the swing plane.

[double_j]

i have been really inconsistent on my drives. so my first questions is...

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you can go as low as your sig indicates without knowing the answer to the question above, your long/mid irons and short game must be magic!

Good advice above. Don't worry too much about keeping your left arm straight as this will happen naturally with good extension. Many people tend to have a little bit of bend in their left arm due to their individual level of flexibility and it's really not a bad thing. The important thing is to make your backswing as wide as you comfortably can. I focus on taking the club away along the target line, my main thoughts are "keep the club along the target line as long as possible" and "make sure my arms are fully extended halfway through the backswing (with the butt of the club pointed down the target line)". From that point on, you really can't help but to finish your backswing on plane. The stick advice is a good one. Remember that there's no secret formula to figuring out the right swing plane. All you're trying to do is to keep the backswing at the same angle as the clubshaft at address.

[injury]

Beginner here with the same problem I've been working on...so take the following for what it's worth.

Drill that is helping me feel a good start of the takeaway (and as a side stopped me from jerking the club back and keep wide). Take a club, grip way down on the shaft so that the shaft extends up at least between your foreams arms bisecting the "triangle" so many texts mention. Assume an address position and take the club back, the goal of the drill is that the shaft should stay stationary splitting that triangle in the first part of your backswing. if if jumps to either forearm it's a sign of an incorrect start (rear forearms jerked your hands back, jumps to the front side it's probably something like starting a wrist cock from the bottom or something similar causing you to lift the clubbhead from the bototm).

I personally was also having trouble with not really turning my upper body and was keeping my back arm too pinned to my body. So for that I modified the above drill and put that shaft all the way to my gut and worked on starting with that connection turning back with the upper body and maintaining that triangle, and progressively worked letting the shaft down a little at a time.

[bunkerputt]

when you start you backswing is it supposed to be narrow? like bringing you hands past the ball, or more of a swooping swing? i dont really know how to explain it

...and neither can we infer what you mean. But the takeaway is designed to get you started to the top, which is designed to put you in the optimal position to start back down which is designed to get your hands ahead of the ball at a proper impact position. Make sure to keep it in that perspective. Some people take the club back with their hands (Nancy Lopez) and let everything else start a bit later. I think most people generally start hinging the club right away. The point of all of it is that you are not out of sync at the top. You want the coil to complete from the ground up so that you can sequence the swing from the ground up. Your ankles should finish their turn very slightly before the hips before the torso before the shoulders before the arms before the wrists (and consequently the club). If you are out of sync, you either have too much time, too little time, or improper order among or between those sections of your body's involvement in the swing. Your question doesn't have an easy and quick answer.

and what is the proper swing plane when you drive? how can you tell that you are on plane other than using a mirror?

The proper swing plane depends on your spine angle at address and your transition. Upright posture (Ben Hogan) means a flatter plane. If you plant left and rotate to start your swing, you can hit the ball from a flatter position on the backswing, so the plane looks flatter. If you drive the legs a lot with a lot of lateral shift, you need the arms higher so that the shift drops the club onto the proper plane since the right shoulder is lowering and, as a result, the club is coming in more from the inside.

Obviously a mirror or camera are the best ways to get on the right track. But a good way without them is to take the club to the top and let it drop by loosening your grip some. It should tap you on the right shoulder (for a righty). In time, you'll develop a feel for where your hands should be in the air just like you develop a feel for where your pockets are on your pants. It's a natural part of human spatial awareness. Don't fight it, just get in the ballpark and let your athleticism guide you.