Understanding the D Plane

[outlaw1984]

Can someone run me in the right direction?

[Harmonious]

Google "D plane".  You'll find all you need.

[jamo]

The Golf Evolution video (below) is good, and John Graham has some good stuff as well (http://johngrahamgolf.com/blog/the-d-plane/). [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK8sW5nUFbQ&list;=UU7rdIi1b8OYuXbxE4Y4KJyw&index;=4&feature;=plcp[/VIDEO]

[Paradox]

I watched some D-plane stuff last night but I still didn't understand how its supposed to help me and how I get the correct D-plane..maybe I'm too dense to pick it up from the videos I watched.

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by Paradox

I watched some D-plane stuff last night but I still didn't understand how its supposed to help me and how I get the correct D-plane..maybe I'm too dense to pick it up from the videos I watched.

Just the realization that a "correctly" hit iron is actually traveling in-to-out at impact (before the bottom of the swing arc is reached and a divot is taken). Conversely, a correctly hit driver is actually traveling out-to-in at impact, since you are making contact after the bottom of the swing arc.

Some people have had success with their drivers by setting up with a little bit of a closed stance.  The idea is that this will alter the swingpath a little bit to counteract the out-to-in movement of the clubhead. It seems to help me, anyway.

Some folks also try to set up to their irons with a little bit of an open stance so that, at impact (so the d-plane theory goes), the clubhead will  be square to the target rather than traveling outward.

Hogan's altering of his stance for each club may have been an early realization of what the d-plane was.  No one knows for sure. But he was an astute observer of his swing, so it wouldn't surprise me.

[Adam Young]

just to avoid confusion - just because you are hitting down on an iron does not mean the club is swinging in to out in relation to the target, only in relation to the swing direction.

A swing direction/plane of 3 degrees left and 5 degrees down can produce a straight path through impact with most irons. If your swing direction was 10 degrees left, the only way you could make that go in to out is with an overly steep 20 degree downward angle of attack, or more. This would never be a good thing.

So it is still possible to hit down on a ball and have a left swingpath. Angle of attack is only an influence. Swing direction is a bigger influence (it's 1:1 with a driver).

[Righty to Lefty]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Just the realization that a "correctly" hit iron is actually traveling in-to-out at impact (before the bottom of the swing arc is reached and a divot is taken). Conversely, a correctly hit driver is actually traveling out-to-in at impact, since you are making contact after the bottom of the swing arc.

Some people have had success with their drivers by setting up with a little bit of a closed stance.  The idea is that this will alter the swingpath a little bit to counteract the out-to-in movement of the clubhead. It seems to help me, anyway.

Some folks also try to set up to their irons with a little bit of an open stance so that, at impact (so the d-plane theory goes), the clubhead will  be square to the target rather than traveling outward.

Hogan's altering of his stance for each club may have been an early realization of what the d-plane was.  No one knows for sure. But he was an astute observer of his swing, so it wouldn't surprise me.

Oh yeah Harmonious welcome to the dark side!! To me understanding the D Plane and the Ball Flight laws should be the first things that are taught to any golfer when first start to play because they are simply that important to understand.  Once you understand D Plane you can truly understand how to get yourself in position to execute shot shapes.  And then after the ball flight laws are truly understood then you will never ask yourself why a shot flew the way it did.

[iacas]

I might surprise Harmonious a bit with this but I think all the talk of the D-Plane is over-rated and over-stated and over-done.

It's great to know but honestly it takes a few seconds. If hit the ball down more (because you move the ball back in your stance, move your head forward in the downswing, whatever) you'll send the path a little more "out" than you otherwise would, and vice versa.

That's it, as far as playing golf is concerned. That's about all you really need to know.

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Just the realization that a "correctly" hit iron is actually traveling in-to-out at impact (before the bottom of the swing arc is reached and a divot is taken). Conversely, a correctly hit driver is actually traveling out-to-in at impact, since you are making contact after the bottom of the swing arc.

Relative to the baseline or swing direction, yes. But you can also line that up to the left, hit down on the iron, and have the true path of the club being to the left of the target. Or vice versa with the driver, of course (but H knows this).

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Some people have had success with their drivers by setting up with a little bit of a closed stance.  The idea is that this will alter the swingpath a little bit to counteract the out-to-in movement of the clubhead. It seems to help me, anyway.

Bingo. That's the vice versa of my above bit.

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Hogan's altering of his stance for each club may have been an early realization of what the d-plane was.  No one knows for sure. But he was an astute observer of his swing, so it wouldn't surprise me.

I agree. Hogan played a fade but the ball moved like a yard or two - it wasn't a big sweeping fade. Most pros move the ball only a little.