How important is a swing plane

[Tashyboy]

Had a lesson with my driver on weds night. The bottom line was that. My swing from a previous PGA pro was straight back and straight down. Suffice to say that on my down swing I was coming over the top and hitting across the ball. The guy who gave me the lesson yesterday, showed me the angle of my club/ arms at address and showed me that is how he would like the swing plane/ line when my club is at the top. He said it would help to stop me hitting across the ball. It did.

Anyway, Weds night I had a look on YouTube to further understand the swing plane. The first video I saw basically rubbished the idea of a swing plane, saying the important thing is getting the swing path correct in the downswing from the 90 degrees/ shoulder height to hitting the ball. Now I can understand the thought process in that but. There was not a cat in hells chance of me having the correct swing path of what he showed on the video to how my old swing was.
Probably and more importantly. Why when teaching the basics of a golf swing does one pro teach differently to others. I understand different flexibility, ability etc. But surely the basics are the same.Is it not a contradiction of what the PGA coaches are initially taught. Surely they all went to the same training schools learning the same drills, lessons etc.
Thoughts on swing plane and different coaching techniques appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

YouTube is seriously dangerous, you'll find yourself down a rabbit hole before you know it.

Try and understand what and why your pro is wanting you to do and keep away from the rest.

If your pro is leaving you confused find another that you understand.

Good pro will work with what you have, physical limitations etc will mean workarounds to come up with something that resembles a functioning golf swing if the golfer makes an effort to practice what he's been taught.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Simply. There is no right way to swing a club. Look at the top 10 players in the world. Every one of their swings is different, but functional.

Once upon a time there was probably a school of thought that there was. A good teaching professional should be advising what is best for you as an individual based on your body and tendencies.

 

[WGCRider]

Honestly I think this is all about what works for you. I've had dozens of lessons over the years and sometimes they are such a joke I want to ask for my money back and other times I keep looking back at the video of the session years after.

To give a personal example a few years ago I was really struggling with putting. I think I had a 12 h'cap at the time but was regularly having rounds where I'd have 40 putts. I went to see a top coach for a lesson. He spent an hour or so watching my "process" but then his lesson was all about "clearing my mind", "focus on feel" etc. I'm a numbers guys so it just was all nonsense as far as I was concerned. A month or so later I went to see someone else. This guy was about 18 years old and one of the salesmen in a golf shop. He had a setup which was basically a toptracer for putting. He showed me that I was hitting where I was aiming (I was less than 1cm out over 10m), had me move the ball about half a ball forward in my stance so that I was hitting up on it, refused to sell me a new putter and then told me to go away and practice reading greens. With the confidence that my putting stroke was fine it made the world of difference. Within months I was averaging 33 to 34 putts a round and my handicap was back in single figures.

There really is not "right" way to coach. The right coach will figure out what works for the student.

 

[Crow]

A lot of stuff on YouTube is controversial/whacky in the hope that it will get more views.

If your lesson yielded good results, stick with what your Pro is telling you.

 

[HarrogateHacker]

Also went down the route of using YouTube but got worse. Have had a few lessons over winter and golf is already improved. I think us amateurs try to fix the wrong things without thinking or knowing the true cause of the issue. In answer to the original question I’ve improved my swing plane over winter but think that the relationship between swing plane and face is more important

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Most of the stuff on YouTube is just regurgitated basic teachings from the past.

There are a few such as George Gankas and Adam Young who are talking about a modern approach to the golf swing, strike and skills based approach to golf.

These are gaining traction but are still seen as a bit maverick.

 

[Beezerk]

Swing path is very important to a degree but it's reliant on other factors. A poor swing path is the fast track to destruction though.
You need to Google ball flight physics or laws to see exactly what is happening with the golf ball.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you want to learn more about swing plane and how it affects your swing and whether you are a one or two plane golfer get the Plane Truth book by Jim Hardy

 

[Tashyboy]

YouTube is seriously dangerous, you'll find yourself down a rabbit hole before you know it.

Try and understand what and why your pro is wanting you to do and keep away from the rest.

If your pro is leaving you confused find another that you understand.

Good pro will work with what you have, physical limitations etc will mean workarounds to come up with something that resembles a functioning golf swing if the golfer makes an effort to practice what he's been taught.

This is all my thoughts in one going through each paragraph.
1 , within seconds I thought Ave seen enough YouTube videos ( 1 ) to say sod that.

2, having seen what me latest pro has said and shown me. Am sticking with what he is preaching. Without going off on tangents. I had a game with him a couple of weeks ago so he must of seen my rammel swing.

3, At 58 yr old there are serious golf limitations. However he looked at my stance, grip etc and there was a lot to not change but swing plane was one of them.

All that said. there is a massive amount of things I have read on other posts that answer my questions. As I am at the moment. You tube is now history and my pro is getting my Brass to educate me.

 

[bobmac]

The swing plane has no direct influence on the golf ball.
The swing path however does.
Focus on the swingpath and the clubface direction at impact would be my advice

 

[Tashyboy]

Many thanks to the responses Non of which I have thought Hmmm mmm .

 

[Beezerk]

The swing plane has no direct influence on the golf ball.
The swing path however does.
Focus on the swingpath and the clubface direction at impact would be my advice

Yes of course, I meant path when I said plane ???

 

[Jensen]

The swing plane has no direct influence on the golf ball.
The swing path however does.
Focus on the swingpath and the clubface direction at impact would be my advice

Whilst the swing plane has no direct influence on the ball, it definitely helps and makes things simpler.
By having a decent swing plane it illuminates the need for any manipulation.
An amateur with a swing plane like Tiger or Rory would have greater success than a swing plane like Jim Furyk !!!!

 

[bobmac]

Yes of course, I meant path when I said plane ???

I wasn't directing my comment at you, it was just a general observation.
Think about what the ball needs to know.
In no particular order.....

1. Speed of the swing
2. Hitting the clubface on the sweet spot
3. The direction the clubface is pointing at impact
4. The path of the swing
5. The angle of attack.

Those are the 5 biggies, the '5 Golf Laws', those are the foundations of the PGA teaching.
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no ''PGA swing'' that all pros learn to teach.

The ball doesn't need to know if your grip is spot on, your swing plane is perfect or your aim is arrow straight.
Focus on the 5 laws and you won't go far wrong.

 

[Tashyboy]

The swing plane has no direct influence on the golf ball.
The swing path however does.
Focus on the swingpath and the clubface direction at impact would be my advice

Without sounding thick. And not wanting to Google it what’s the difference between a swing plane and a swing path Please Bob.?

 

[Tashyboy]

I wasn't directing my comment at you, it was just a general observation.
Think about what the ball needs to know.
In no particular order.....

1. Speed of the swing
2. Hitting the clubface on the sweet spot
3. The direction the clubface is pointing at impact
4. The path of the swing
5. The angle of attack.

Those are the 5 biggies, the '5 Golf Laws', those are the foundations of the PGA teaching.
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no ''PGA swing'' that all pros learn to teach.

The ball doesn't need to know if your grip is spot on, your swing plane is perfect or your aim is arrow straight.
Focus on the 5 laws and you won't go far wrong.

Thats answers a question I asked.

 

[bobmac]

Whilst the swing plane has no direct influence on the ball, it definitely helps and makes things simpler.
By having a decent swing plane it illuminates the need for any manipulation.
An amateur with a swing plane like Tiger or Rory would have greater success than a swing plane like Jim Furyk !!!!

Of course, we'd all like to have the perfect fundamentals but in real life, we're not all built like Tiger or Rory or have the time and patience to perfect their swing.
Most people just want to play a decent game without embarrassing themselves and if their time is limited, it's better to focus on the important stuff to improve their game.
After all, golf is only about two things....
How you hit it
Where you hit it.

 

[Beezerk]

I wasn't directing my comment at you, it was just a general observation.

Yeah I know, I just realised my mistake once I’d read your post ??

 

[bobmac]

Without sounding thick. And not wanting to Google it what’s the difference between a swing plane and a swing path Please Bob.?

The swing plane is the angle of the swing to the ground.
The swing path is the direction the club is moving into impact