Golf Tips: Swing Plane

Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Andrew Reynolds offers golf tips on swing plane to help you hit consistently straighter shots

Golf Tips Swing Plane

Your swing plane is an essential element to your golf swing. get it on the roight path and you'll hit consistently straight shots. However, if it is out, you will be plagued by poor shots that once grooved will be hard to eradicate. That's why I would urge anyone to devote practice time to this regularly so a better swing plane comes naturally.

But what does the plane of the golf actually look like? Well, I've placed an alignment stick in the ground where the ball is positioned, pointing at my sternum. This angle essentially marks the path of the swing.

Read more Golf Swing Tips from the Golf Monthly Top 25 Coaches

One important thing to say is that as far as swing plane is concerned, there is no one-size fits all approach. Your swing plane will naturally be dictated by your physique and this is fine. Taller players will naturally have a more upright swing path and shorter people will be flatter. Keith Wood, another GM top 25 Coach offers some great tips to find your natural swing plane.

There are two great checkpoints that are worth you using. The first is half way through the backswing. The shaft of the club should be parallel to the alignment stick next to your feet on the ground. If these are in line, and you'll get a better feel for this by watching the video, you are on a great swing path. In this position my hands should not have moved either towards or away from my body.

The takeaway and swing path are linked and this checkpoint will ensure you are setting the club off on a good path. Even taking time to work on your swing path in the short game is a good idea to help you deliver consistent ball flights.

Continue to swing from there until the clubhead is pointing directly up at the sky. The angle of the club shaft here should be directly in line with the alignment stick in the ground. This is the shape of the swing you are looking for that will help you deliver the clubface square to the ball time-after-time.

These simple checks are a great way to ensure that you are neither above or below the right swing plane - there are also other ways to check swing path, all of which are worth using. If you can go back and through on one swing plane, a simple repeatable motion will deliver the most consistent results.