Pick the right swing for you

BY JIM HARDY

WITH MATTHEW RUDY

 

We can talk about the concept of swing plane until everybody is thoroughly confused, but in reality, how a "one-plane" or "two-plane" swing applies to your game is simple.

There are two basic ways to swing a golf club: One-planers move the club on the same plane as the shoulders (white shirt), and two-planers move the club on a plane that's more upright than the shoulders (yellow shirt). Neither way is wrong; each has been used to win multiple majors.

However, the fundamentals of these swings are very different, and mixing and matching them is where most players get lost. I'll show you how to identify which swing you have, and how to make it work better for you.

Breaking 100

At this level, your goal is to determine which swing type is natural for you and commit to practicing the building blocks of that swing.

Breaking 90

Whether you're a one-planer or a two-planer, the path to scores in the 80s is reaching greens in regulation.

Breaking 80

Understanding how to control the clubface -- with the trailing arm for a one-planer and the lead arm for the two-planer -- is the key to consistently scoring in the 70s.

 

One Plane vs. Two Plane

One-Planer

How to avoid the snap hook

All great players have a go-to shot -- something they can hit under even the most pressure-packed situations.

For the one-plane swinger, that's probably going to be a shot that curves from right to left. But how do you hit that shot without worrying about snap-hooking? The trick is to hit an intentional draw. The shot that just destroys the one-planer is the snap hook, which happens when your right arm stays under your left too long, then flips over at impact (above).

When you hit an intentional draw, your right arm begins rotating earlier in the swing, and you hit a more controlled draw. With that shot, you can aim at the right edge of the fairway and swing away without worrying about the lake on the left.

Two-Planer

How to avoid the push

The two-plane swinger is probably going to favor a left-to-right shape for a go-to shot. Jack Nicklaus won a lot of tournaments pounding a cut drive out there 285 yards.

The danger for a two-planer is that the act of shallowing out a steep angle through impact opens the clubface. If you don't play the ball far enough forward in your stance, that gentle fade can become a weak push slice.

When you move the ball forward, opposite your front heel, make sure you don't push your hands forward as well (above left. That pulls your right shoulder toward the ball and skews your aim to the left. Keep your hands slightly behind the ball (near left) to maintain the correct shoulder alignment. You'll hit a nice, controlled fade.

Two-planer's alignment check

A two-planer who wants to hit a fade tends to line up too square to the target. You have to be sure to allow for enough left-to-right curve when you set your aim. If you don't, you end up hitting the ball to the right of your target or, even worse, overcorrecting mid-swing and double-crossing yourself with a pull hook.

 

To determine if you're a one-plane or two-plane swinger, try the drills above. First, stand farther from the ball, bend over and hold your driver like a hockey stick. Swing in a flatter, more "around" path. Then try the second drill: Stand upright, swing back and thrust your hips at the ball before your arms swing through. If you hit better shots from the hockey position, you're probably a one-planer. If the upright shots are better, you're probably a two-planer. Match the following drills to your swing type.→

Breaking 100

Think of the basic one-plane and two-plane swings as models. There are lots of different variations within the models, but if you copy the basic elements of the one-plane or two-plane swing, you're going to be a pretty darn good player. Find the model that suits you, then work on the things that make your kind of swing better.

Breaking 90

One-Planers: You don't want to turn your shoulders on a steeper angle. If you do that, you'll just tilt forward on the backswing and tilt back on the forward swing in a reverse pivot.

Two-Planers: A two-planer comes down on the ball from a steep angle. That can make hitting short irons a challenge. The drill below with a rubber tee on a range mat helps two-planers feel a longer, flatter bottom of the swing.

Breaking 80

All great players have a go-to shot -- something they can hit under even the most pressure-packed situations. For the one-plane swinger, that's probably going to be a shot that curves from right to left.

The danger for a two-planer is that the act of shallowing out a steep angle through impact opens the clubface. If you don't play the ball far enough forward in your stance, that gentle fade can become a weak push slice.