There are many swing keys to focus on when discussing correct golf swing mechanics, but one that if you can understand and master will lead to more consistent golf. The golf swing plane has been talked about a great deal but not well understood, so hopefully this piece will give a perspective on it that will make some sense to you. We will not talk about the body and how it relates to the swing, but will only concentrate on the angle the club shaft takes throughout the golf swing, and all the hands and arms should do is make sure the club stays on this golf swing plane.

First, imagine setting up to the ball, but you are watching yourself from behind. Now you will see that, depending on how you comfortably set up, the shaft of the golf club will form an angle to the ground, probably around 45 degrees. That is not only the angle that you will start and finish with, but the club angle you will maintain throughout the entire backswing.

The difficulty in comprehending this is because the club moves in a three-dimensional plane, so it will have to lose this 45 degree angle to the ground, but will continue in the same arc, or swing plane. Said another way, if you were to draw a line on the shaft of the club at address, then extend that line three dimensionally to the top of your back swing, the shaft of your club would never deviate from that angle. Additionally, the face of the golf club would maintain a similar angle with the club shaft.

To digress just a bit, if the club face is kept at this angle throughout the back swing, it will not be difficult to square it to the ball at impact. As a result it will never have left the proper position throughout the back swing; therefore a great deal of adjustment will not be necessary. But let’s get back to the golf swing plane of the club shaft.

At the top of the back swing we want to give the club a little power burst, and that comes with the wrist hinge. One of the great things about this swing is that it almost creates a natural swing hinge, as the weight of the club face will naturally cause this to happen. Just remember a couple of things: don’t grip the club with too much tension, and always keep the club shaft and club head on the proper golf swing plane we have been discussing.

When bringing the club back into ball contact position, keep everything on the same plane as when you brought the club back. Getting into body position just a little (I know, I said I wouldn’t- yard signs), but all this swing plane action gets a lot easier if the spine angle stays the same. That means you should have no rocking back and forth, and maintain the posture and balance throughout the swing.

All this perhaps sounds complicated, but its basic concept is to keep the swing very basic and simple. When the golf swing plane is kept on the same level, you have minimized the problems that will crop up.

Learning about the proper golf swing plane is part of the Simple Golf Swing that we think all midand high handicap golfers should strive for. Golf Swing Basics is another article we think you will find interesting and helpful. Sean O’Kelly is an avid golfer and writer living in London.

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Golfers are lucky in that, prior to hitting the ball, they have an unlimited (though do not take that too literally!) amount of time in which to prepare themselves.

For instance, you may have the best tennis backhand in the world but if you are not in the right position on the court to hit the ball as it comes to you, then that ability is irrelevant.

Please do not underestimate the importance of a good address position in golf. If the static part of the game is wrong, then the swing will undoubtedly be adversely affected. The beauty of attaining a good set-up is that it can be, and indeed in my opinion is, best practised indoors in front of a mirror, where you can see exactly what you are doing.

One simple fact to remember in golf is that what we are doing and what we feel we are doing are very often two entirely different things. So let’s look at what a good address position consists of.

The left hand

Your hands are your sole contact with the club, and their job is to control the clubface, and to return it squarely back to the ball at impact. Most beginners find the correct grip feels far from natural and tend to grip the club in a manner that feels comfortable, but which is, in fact, incorrect.

A good grip does not guarantee that you will be a good golfer, but a poor grip means that you will have to make compensations in your swing and you will never get the best out of yourself, so do take time to acquire what I believe is one of the most important fundamentals of golf.

With the clubface square to the target, position the grip so that it sits under the pad at the heel of the hand and lays diagonally across the palm resting in the forefinger. The end of the grip should not dig into your palm, so allow about a quarter of an inch to extend beyond your palm. This will mean your little finger will be about an inch from the end of the grip.

Now close the fingers around the grip, and position the thumb just to the right of centre. Do not stretch your thumb down the shaft as this will cause tension in the muscles at the front of the forearm. The last three fingers, rather than the thumb and forefinger, should provide most of the pressure. This will place the club in the palm and the fingers of the left hand, providing a very secure and snug fit.

Hold the club up in front of you and you will see that two to two-and-a-half knuckles are visible, and that the ‘V’ formed by your thumb and forefinger points to the right side of your face, approximately to your eye.

To test if your grip is correct hold the club out horizontally in front of you, and release the thumb and last three fingers. If your grip is correct the club will now balance under the heel of your hand and in the crook of your forefinger. If you have placed the club too much in the centre of your palm rather than diagonally across it, the club will probably fall to the ground.

Find out how to:
1. Bit of text Adopt a good grip
2. The Vardon overlapping hold

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