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Joe is the developer of Symple Swing marketed by Simple Golf LLC. He is also the President of GolfHelp.com, the #1 golf only search engine. Joe has been involved in teaching golf for almost 40 years and for the last 15 years has been a golf writer and publisher . He is a nationally known golf lecturer.
His background includes degrees in teaching and coaching. He has taught the traditional swing, was a certified Natural Golf instructor and now teaches Symple Swing. His passion is helping beginners and higher handicappers become successful golfers.
Develop a way to spot
check alignment problems. Your shoulders are the most important element because
your swing path will follow the alignment of your shoulders at impact. Subtle
compensations can creep into your swing if you are not properly aligned.
Without help even the best golfers can have trouble recognizing this. You must
constantly check your alignment to be consistent. Poor alignment is a major
problem for golfers who slice. Align the clubface squarely then align your
body.
Double check your
target line. If you don’t accurately know your target line, you cannot easily
tell if you are making swing path errors. Before each shot approach the ball
from behind and pick your target line. Then when taking your stance align
yourself toward your target. Better players align themselves much more
consistently than poor players. Hitting balls without aiming at a target is an
invitation for swing problems. Tape, clubs on the ground, or and "practice
partners" are all good ways to check alignment. Learn to identify the
different between a poor shot and an error in alignment.
It's Time To Get Your Short Game Together!!!
Your short game should be all about accuracy and consistency. Today we'll show you a simple method to not only make your short game much more accurate but also much more consistent.
At SimpleGolf.com we have been vigorous about making the golf swing easier by simplifying the swing movements. This short game simplification meets with almost universal success and acclaim. Although this is a technique we use with our simplified "Symple Power Swing", it will work with whatever swing method that you use. Try this an I think you'll be amazed with the results.
Here's all you have to do. When playing shot game shots “KEEP YOUR FEET TOGETHER”. This includes most shots inside 100 yards (maybe a bit farther depending on your strength and skill). Keep most of your weight on your front leg. That will keep your lower body stable giving your swing a firm base.
The only shots you shouldn't keep your feet together are the shots where you need higher lofted shots (sand and lob shots) or a wider stance for balance (hilly stances). (Note: This technique will work on many sand shots where you don't need to get the ball up too high but it does take a bit of practice.)
About now you may be asking why be asking why should you keep your feet together. The answer is simple, keeping your feet together reduces variables in your swing. That means fewer things can go wrong. With fewer things to go wrong you will increase your consistency and your accuracy. Yes, there is a penalty. You will lose 20% to 25% in maximum distance (your loss might vary slightly) but that will be more than offset by your improved accuracy and consistency. In addition you will significantly improve your distance control helping you get close to the pin everytime.
Keeping your feet together eliminates any weight shift. It also dramatically reduces extraneous lower body movement. This means the bottom of your swing arc remains constant insuring solid contact. You will be much less likely to top or fat any shots. Also important is that your backswing will be shortened which in this case is a very good thing.
Your shorter backswing means your shots for each club will be slightly shorter. Although your shots for each club will be slightly shorter, they will be far more accurate and more consistent. Figure that when hitting shots with your feet together you'll need one (maybe two clubs extra). Take one range session to practice this technique and learn your “feet together” distances for each club and you'll be ready for the course.
Here's an example how I use the technique. At 100 yards I used to hit my sand wedge. Now, I put my feet together and use my 125 yard pitching wedge. My shots are now more accurate and more consistent than ever.
The short game is all about accuracy. It is not about distance. Hitting a club a few extra yards is not important. Being more accurate is far more important and it pays big dividends.
For higher handicappers the results you'll see will be immediate. Your consistency will improve immediately. Your accuracy will improve dramatically. Low handicappers are amazed that this technique improves their accuracy so much. They've already got a good short game (or they wouldn't be a low handicapper) but with this technique they become pinpoint accurate.
Simplify your short game by getting your feet together and I'm sure you will see an immediate improvement in your short game accuracy and consistency. The Best Training Aid Ever Made
I’ve seen about every golf training aid made in the past 50 years however I believe the all time best golf training aid is the small modern digital still camera. I’m referring to the type that not only takes pictures but also takes video clips (most of them do). I honestly believe that a small digital camera that takes video clips will help you more than any other golf training aid out there.
I use a Canon SD800 camera now and it’s a joy to use. It’s about the size of a cell phone so I can easily clip it to my belt or put it in my pocket. There are a number of other brands that make nice little cameras beside Canon (Sony, Casio, Olympus, etc.)
With my SD800 I can change from still pictures to video clips with the press of one switch. It has a 2 ½ inch LCD screen so it’s big enough to review a swing clip right on the lesson tee. Push the button once the camera starts recording. Push the button again and it stops.
I do have a “real video camera” but I just don’t use it often. It’s just a little bulky to keep it with me all the time. The Canon is so small and so easy to use I just always take it with me.
I often video swings of my students because when students can actually see themselves in action it makes a bigger impression on them than me just telling them what they’re doing wrong. When the students see themselves in action the learning progresses much faster.
The video is recorded on a plug-in SD (Secure Digital) card. To use the video I can plug the camera right into my computer or take the card out and plug that into a card reader on the computer. Most of the small cameras record the video in AVI format which is a standard Apple video format that is easily read by PC’s and Apple’s. In that format it’s easy to e-mail. If the file is real big it can easily be sent using a free large file transfer service like www.Pando.com.
Here’s The Interesting Part:
Sometimes they’ll send the video in anyway just to get their diagnosis confirmed. Almost always they are right on with what they see.
You can get a high quality small camera for well under $400 maybe under $300 and soon no doubt under $200. Add a $20 or so for a small tripod or clamp to hold the camera (in case you don’t have any golfing friends to help you) and you’re in business. The nice part of getting this “training aid” is that it can also do double duty taking pictures of the family. In most families that means it will be a lot easier to get “budgetary approval” for the digital camera than it would for some other $300 golf training aid.
A tip: It’s a great idea to video your swing when everything is really going well. Then, in the future when you’re having a problem you can compare that swing to a “known good swing”. That often make picking out what’s going wrong even easier. We should all keep a written log of our practice sessions but few of us do. Keeping a video log will really be helpful when trying to solve future problems.
You don’t have to be hitting balls to always see the problem. Most of the time your can just video some practice swings in the backyard and your swing problems will be quite evident.
When you video a swing you should record a couple of swings from behind (facing the target) and a couple of swings head on (with the camera on the other side of the ball from you).
I firmly believe that a small digital camera that takes video clips will help you more that any other golf training aid out there. If you’re not videoing your swing regularly I think you’re hurting your golf game.
Joe Davidson Symple Putting Is As Simple As It Gets
Symple Putting is a simplified putting stroke. One of the big reasons it's more accurate is because it has fewer moving parts than any other putting method. When you have fewer moving parts you have fewer things to screw up. You can Symple Putt effectively with most normal putters but it might be slightly uncomfortable if your putter is very upright.
Symple Putting's strength is accuracy. It is deadly accurate inside 20 feet. One of the things you find when using Symple Putting is that your opponents will just start conceding longer and longer putts. You know you're putting really well when your opponents start conceding 4 and 5 footers because they fully believe you just don't miss putts of that length any more.
Symple Putting anchors the lead hand to the thigh of the lead leg. It looks similar to way the famous Bobby Locke putted. Symple Putting is licensed from the Pivot Putter company creators of Pivot Putting. Pivot Putting is a patented putting method. The specially designed Pivot Putters should be released by late spring or early summer this year.
Some have asked whether Symple Putting is a legal stroke. Take a look at Hadyn Ruttter's Golf Rules column on the Scigolf home page. Hadyn answers that question.
Here is a picture of Symple Putting. It doesn't show much because the damn method is so simple that you can learn it by looking at a couple of pictures.
If you folow the link near the top of this page to Symple Swing you'll find a video of the putting method.
Joe Davidson Report on the 2007 PGA Merchandise Show
This year's PGA Merchandise show (January 25th - 27th) was great. It is "The Big Show" of the golf industry. Pretty much every body in the golf industry is under one roof for 3 days. Plus, the folks at Reed Exhibition run a very nice operation where everything runs smoothly.
I've been going to the show for 15+ years so I can make a few observations about the recent history and progression of the show. The "Show" is getting now getting a little smaller every year (since just after the 9/11 tragedy).
Here's the difference between this years show and the shows of 5 or 6 years ago. There are fewer people. I'm not talking about "official attendance statistics" here. I'm talking about real world facts. You can now easily get a hotel room near the convention center right up to the week of the show. In the past if you waited until the week of the show you wound up cross town. Previously if you waiting past October you had trouble even getting any hotel near the convention center.
Also waiting time at restaurants near the convention center where the show is held was much less than ever before. The longest we waited for table without reservations was 15 minutes. In past years we often waited one to two hours.
This year the show was cut to three day from the 4 days it's always been. I don't know exactly why it was cut but it certainly wasn't because the golf industry is so healthy.
The Internet has completely changed the way golf merchandise is purchased both wholesale and retail. The show has dramatically been effected by that. There used to be a whole cadre of middle men (distributors) who call on pro shops and sold various manufacturers products. Many of the distributors are gone now, only a few are left and they are a shadow of what they once were. It used to be that the golf pros "HAD TO" attend the PGA show because that was there one big opportunity to stock up on golf products for the coming year. With the Internet that "buying show" function is pretty much over. Yeah, orders are still taken at the show but nothing like before. I can remember 30 to 40 green jacketed order takers (Titleist reps) actively writing orders at the Titleist booth years ago.
Manufacturers used to introduce new products once a year at the PGA show. The Internet has made that policy obsolete. Manufactures now introduce products all year long. They send emails to the pros telling them about new products and they put up all the details of the products on their web site. Very few really new products were introduced at the show. The details including pictures of many of the "so called brand new products" were actually announced on the Internet weeks or months before the show.
The PGA Show use to be "wall to wall" booths. After the 9/11 tragedy they started filling up the floor with non-booth "features". They actually have a driving range on the floor of the show . New this year on the floor is the "PGA Theater." Seminars and show took place there during the whole show. These seminars used to take place in meeting rooms in the convention center.
The show use to be organized in aisles and rows and it would take at least a few days to even walk by, never mind visit each booth. Now things are often organized in villages in specialty sections. That's nice but it makes seeing each booth a whole lot harder because some of these sections function like mazes. Walking the show in an organized pattern is pretty much history now. Now you have to really be paying attention to where you’re walking or you could miss a whole chunk of the show.
What I miss most about the PGA Shows from 5 or ten years ago are the low numbered small booths at the left end of the show when you entered (the practice range is now in this space). This area was where the smallest (least expensive) booths were so this is the area where all the new little companies in golf showed their always interesting, sometimes amazing new products. It had the vitality of and the action of a carnival side show. I'm sure the rest of the PGA show appreciated these new companies like a valued "side show" but, in my opinion, the vitality of those new companies added a lot to the show. Yes some new small companies were there this year but they were mixed in all over the show with the regular booths so the vitality just wasn’t there.
If I were running the show I'd find a lower cost way for new companies to have a booth in a "new company section." I'd make special rules and special prices for the new company section. I'd only let a "new company" into that section one time (or at the most two times). I'd do some special promotions for these new companies because they could really boost the interest level in the show.
I’d also consider having a special low cost section for “mom and pop” companies (maybe companies with fewer than 3 or 4 employees. The big companies may be the heart of the golf industry but the vitality of the industry rests with the small companies.
The apparel section at the show seems to be growing while the club and merchandise section seems to be shrinking. You can tell when you enter the apparel section, everyone is dressed a whole lot nicer and there’s just a quieter atmosphere.
All in all it was a great show this year. (Although, the PA announcement system was annoying at times because of feedback and loudness.) Everyone in the business really needs to attend the show. It’s a “trade only” show but if you can ever get an invitation to go you’ll have a great time. It remains the place to “network” in the golf industry.
However good the show was this year, the fact is that the golf industry is struggling big time right now. All you have to do is look at the discounting going on even with major products. There is a glut of inventory driving down prices.
The PGA does a great job of protecting their own turf and their own revenues, however looking out for the future of the golf does not seem to really be on their radar. Golf is hurting, and in my opinion, it’s going to keep hurting for decades. Golf’s feeder system is dying. Most golfer’s have gray hair now. Where are the new golfers going to learn and start playing? Most of the low cost driving ranges and low cost courses where I learned the game of golf have been turned into shopping malls and housing developments. That trend only seems to be getting worse and that does not bode well for golf or the industry. I love the game of golf but I'm am concerned about its long term health.
Joe Davidson New Q and A with Joe Just
Below Da Plane Article
Why is Golf so hard to learn?
Actually there are three reasons. (not necessarily in this order) why golf is so hard to learn.
First, most golf instructors suck!!! If you don't believe me here is a quote from a former president of Callaway at a PGA Annual Business Of Golf Conference “It is so difficult that about two-thirds of those who try the game quit because they don't think they will ever be able to play the game respectably.” That’s not successful instruction folks.
Until the late 90’s the PGA didn't even have courses to teach PGA pros how to teach. PGA pros may try hard and be really nice people but we’re talking about success in teaching here. I used the phrase “most golf instructors suck” meaning over 50% of them. I do fully realize there are a good number of really great PGA instructors out there. Most PGA pros get huffy when I make that "50% statement" but if they'll discuss it I'll usually get them to admit they wouldn't send “their kid” to half the PGA instructors out there. You don't fail with 2/3 of your students and get a “Good Teacher” award from me. Part of the problem is in what the instructors teach. Getting even two instructors to agree on what is the “right way to swing a golf club” can be tough.
Secondly, it’s almost impossible to make sense out of most of the golf instructional material out there today. Golf magazines and golf books provide a wealth of conflicting golf information. For the beginning golfer there is no reasonable way to sort out what they should be paying attention to and what they should ignore. Some golf magazines even deliberately print conflicting instruction techniques on opposite pages and let you, the golfer, try to sort it all out. There is lots of great instructional material out there. However, finding the really helpful stuff is the hard part. Golf magazines don't have a vested interest in making your successful because ever hopeful high handicappers buy more golf magazines (and golf products) than low handicappers do.
Thirdly, unfortunately most of us aren't "organized learners” when it comes to physical skills. By that I mean that we don't go about learning a physical skill in an organized manner. Most of us are okay when learning a “mental skill” from written materials because that's what we were taught in school. You were probably had a "how to learn" class with a name something "study habits" or "test taking", etc. However, we really weren't taught "how to learn a physical skill" in school. Even "Physical Education" classes which may have tried to teach you some physical skills never taught you how to go about learning physical skills in the future.
Most people don't even realize how hard it is to learn a new skill. If the new skill conflicts with an already learned skill then learning the new skill is that much harder. Learning a new physical skill is almost impossible if you have a low frustration level. Lack of a positive attitude causes more failure in learning golf than lack of physical skill. Learning golf is tougher than most any other sports because the golf swing is an exceptionally complex combination of motions.
Most golfers don't know how to practice effectively. If you don't have a plan to practice your golf skills you'll have trouble being successful.
Develop A Practice Plan
1. Bring a notebook or a pad to each practice session. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS FOR THE SESSION BEFORE YOU START. Keep notes on what works for you and what doesn't. We often forget what we have learned and even how we learned it. It's normal to forget. That's why a written record of your progress, what works and what doesn't will save you time and money in the future.
2. Write down any drills you plan to do this session. Also, decide how you are going to judge the success of your practice. Make your goals measurable. For example, with the driver your goal for the day might be for 10 shots to average 70% between two flags on the range that are about 30 yards apart and 200 yards out. This gives you a measurable goal and a target for your shots.
3. Bring only the clubs needed and planned. It's all too easy to get in the habit of practicing with our favorite clubs instead of the clubs that need the most work. Plan what to work on in each part of the allotted time. Plan the starting time and the ending time. Too much practice can be almost as bad as too little. Limit most practice sessions to between thirty and forty-five minutes (or an hour at most).
Here's how NOT to learn golf:
1. Go to the range and bang hundreds of balls.
2. Read every golf book and magazine you can find.
3. Get discouraged at every bad shot.
Here Is What You Should Do:
1. Pick one type of golf swing or one instructor and stick with that.
2. TRY TO IGNORE ALL THE OTHER CONFLICTING ADVICE.
3. Go to the range and follow your practice plan.
4. Have a specific target, preferably a specific spot (or an object) for every practice shot you hit.
6. Do not work on one thing at a time. Unless you're a highly skilled athlete YOU REALLY CAN'T BE SUCCESSFUL TRYING TO IMPROVE MORE THAN ONE THING AT A TIME.
7. Spend at least 50% of your time practicing your short game. (from 100 yards in)
8. Develop a feedback system. Get in the habit of videoing your swing. Ask a pro or the most knowledgeable golfer you can find to look at your swing and tell you ONE THING you could improve.
Here’s a phrase for you to remember, “Have a goal for each practice session and a target for each shot!” Just remembering and using that simple phrase will improve your golf game.
Joe Davidson
From Ron:
I'm a 66 yr old with my first set of new clubs. Do you think I could learn the basics from a book or CD/DVD? If so, what would you recommend?
Your concern about learning from a DVD is certainly valid. Golf is a great game but it isn't the easiest game in the world to learn.
Because golf has been so tough to learn we spent ten years developing an easier to learn golf swing. The result of our efforts is an amazing new golf swing called Symple Swing.
Symple Swing is a next generation golf swing, specifically engineered from the ground up to be the easiest way to produce more distance and accuracy. It is a proven repeatable golf swing which eliminates slices, yet is simple to learn with only 3 basic fundamentals. Symple Swing can now enable an average person to play good golf without practicing 8 hours a day.
We include full e-mail, forum and phone support with every DVD. That's something no one else in golf does. We can do that because Symple Swing is so much easier to learn that the traditional methods of learning golf. The relative simplicity of Symple Swing combined with our support system makes learning golf with a DVD eminently doable for the average person.
We're not saying the learning golf even with Symple Swing is easy. It still takes some work and some practice but I'm am saying that most people can do it quite well. We do provide a full money back guarantee just in case but our return rate is less that 1 percent and most of those few returns are for unique reasons.
I am willing to make a personal commitment to help you become a successful golfer. I'd be happy to talk you with to discuss any questions you have right now. nbsp; You can call me at 203-798-8489 or e-mail me at joe@simplegolf.com. If you do call I'd be happy to call you back so we could talk on our nickel. We do have a flat rate phone plan so calls to the U.S. and Canada don't cost us anything extra.
You can check out Symple Swing at http://simplegolf.com/cgi-bin/t.cgi?a=402832
Joe Davidson
Path refers to your "swing path" which is the angle your club comes at the ball. Path is measured in degrees. You path could be 0 degrees which would be dead square or it could be measured as a certain number of degrees inside. For example, a 5 degree "inside" path means you are coming at the ball on a path of 5 degrees from inside to outside. A path of 3 degrees "outside" would mean you are coming at the ball on a path 3 degrees from outside to inside.
FACE refers to the where your club face is pointing when it strikes the ball (Closed, Square or Open). We also measure that in degrees.
Here's the tricky part. What's important is where the face of the club is pointing relative to your path when you strike the ball. However, and this is the tricky part, your FACE or face angle is usually measured NOT according to your path, but it's measured as to how many degrees your club face is open or closed to the "target line."
IF YOUR CLUB FACE WAS OPEN TWO DEGREES TO THE TARGET WHEN YOU HIT THE BALL WHICH WAY WOULD THE BALL CURVE?
With a two degree open club face the following will happen:
The Rule Of Seven:
You will slice more with your driver and long irons because you hit them the hardest and they have the least amount of loft. This means they put less backspin on the ball, and more side spin, than any of the other clubs. Because you drive on 12 to 14 holes per round a slice can get you off to a bad start on most of holes. Clubs that put more backspin on the ball therefore put less side spin on the ball so they curve (slice or hook) the ball less. That's why you don't tend to slice your short irons as much as your long irons or driver.
Another problem for slicers or hookers is loss of distance. Distance is lost because of the curving flight of the ball. Also, when the club face opens the loft of the club is increased and when it closes the loft decreases. Go get a club and address the ball. Twist the shaft to the right (for a right handed golfer), opening the club face and watch the loft increase. Twist it to the left closing the club face and watch the loft decrease. Opening the club actually tilts the club face backward increasing the effective loft. The result is weak, high shots landing short of the target. Closing the club face results in a low shot curving the left.
The first step to curing the slice or hooks is to understand the real causes. Sometimes this will contradict long held beliefs which were considered gospel in their day. For example with a slice, your instincts may tell you to help push the ball with the right shoulder and try to pull it over to the left. Or you may aim a little to the left. Unfortunately these remedies result in a pull or an even bigger slice. It seems contradictory, but the only remedy for the slice will be to go against your natural impulses. You have to learn to swing toward the slice (inside-square-inside) while controlling the club face. It won't feel right at first, but the only way to improve is to make that leap of faith.
No matter what the direction of the swing path, remember the amount of the slice or hook is a function of the angle between the direction the club head is traveling (swing path) and angle of the open club face. We refer to this angle as the curve angle. The greater the curve angle the greater the slice or hook. You must understand that in order to manage the curve of your shots, you will need to control both the swing path and the angle of the club face at impact.
Joe Davidson
Sometimes the swing plane seems as mysterious as the plane on Fantasy Island. We’re going to talk about what the swing plane is, how it works and why it's so important?
You've probably heard about two plane swings and single plane swings. And you've probably heard phrase like dropping in the slot, flat swings and upright swings. We're going try define those terms and to answer some of the common questions about the swing plane.
The center of your swing is the socket of your left shoulder (for a right handed golfer). Why do I say it's the left shoulder not the right shoulder or the spine. That’s because at impact it's the left side of the body controlling things. It is the left side (upper arm and forearm) that's in line with the club shaft at impact. The top most point of the left side involvement is the left shoulder.
The left shoulder being the center of your swing arc is one of the two points that define your swing plane. That's the geometric plane that ideally your club follows on the backswing and downswing. The other point that defines the plane of the swing is the ball. So if you draw a line from just under your front shoulder to the ball at address you've just defined your swing plane. That plane indicates the position you want the club to wind up in at impact. Being On-Plane means you are on the desired plane of the swing (about 45 degrees). The swing plane is usually pictured as a large sheet of plywood or as a large sheet of glass as Ben Hogan did in his most famous book. Viewed from overhead the swing appears to be an inside to square to inside motion.
Golf Digest in the September 2006 issue has an interesting article about the swing plane. It's on page 100 and it's called The Slot Swing. It has some interesting pictures of the angle of the swing plane on pro's backswings and their downswings. Essentially, Jim McLean defines being in the slot as being on plane at impact. He goes on define through testing that the average impact position plane is about 45 degrees and can vary a bit depending on the height of the golfer. He then illustrates the swings of a number of PGA pros who have backswing planes of 48 degrees to 85 degrees. That means these pros take the club back off plane up to 40 degrees OFF-PLANE and then they have to reroute or loop their club to get it back on that 45 degree downswing path. That rerouting is by definition a two plane swing.
At impact everyone's swing plane is the same (relatively the same depending on height as mentioned above). The question is how to get there. There is an easy way (single plane swing) and a more complex way (dual plane swing).
A one plane swing is where you take the club back on a plane equal to your impact position (about 45 degrees) and your downswing is also about 45 degrees. I firmly believe a one plane swing is dramatically easier for everyone.
Can you be successful with a two plane swing? Yes, sure. But it's a lot easier to be successful with a one plane swing. Take a look at the players on the PGA tour. Most of them grew up on a golf course. Many of them have family members who were pros who guided them All of them have spent ten's of thousands of hours grooving their swings. They practice enough and are highly skilled enough to groove almost any swing. All of them are skilled athletes, many at several sports, or as Scott Hazledine has said, "They are freaks of nature." That’s meant as a compliment meaning that these guys have extremely high level skills.
Unfortunately we do not generally have the opportunity to spend that kind of time or money on grooving our golf swing. That's why we need a simple single plane swing. Unless golf is the most important thing in your life and you spend the majority of every day playing or practicing I believe you're adding unnecessary complexity to your golf swing if you anything other than a single plane swing.
I define things a little differently than Jim McLean does. I don't think there is any in the slot position. I just simply call that being on-plane. I don't believe you should drop in the slot because I don't believe you should ever be out of the slot. With your golf swing I believe you are either On-Plane or you are not. It's that simple. If you're not on-plane then you are OFF-PLANE either above the plane or below the plane.
Natural Golf popularized the high hands set up position. This position has the advantage of setting you up On-Plane automatically right at address. When you start On-Plane you have a much better chance of coming back to impact On-Plane. Again I believe if you're not using a hands high position at address you're again adding unnecessary complexity to your golf swing.
So the next question you should be asking is how you can tell if your swing is On-Plane. Video is the easiest way. Just video yourself from behind (video aiming toward the target). If you don't have a video camera, stand with a mirror or patio door behind you. Then as you do a slow motion backswing watch where the image of the shaft crosses your body. It should cross near the level of your front shoulder.
What happens if your swing is OFF-PLANE? Usually bad things happen when you are not On-Plane.
"Above the plane" backswings usually involve lifting the club with the shoulders or the hands. The club generally gets "too vertical" meaning that the butt end of the club points inside the extended target line. If you get too steep (above the swing plane) it gets very difficult to get your downswing back on plane. What usually happens is an Outside-To-Inside swing causing a pull.
A "Below the plane" swing involves bringing the hands back too much to the inside (below the swing plane) and often the butt of the club points outside the extended target line. Quite often this can result in a push or a high weak shot to the right (for right handed golfers). This can also result in a hook if the club face stays square to the target.
I believe you will see the Single Plane swing become the dominate swing of the future because of its simplicity and repeatability.
In a future column we’ll discuss how the swing plane helps you “focus” the power of your swing.
Q and A with Joe
What's the Power Thumb Grip?
From Steve:
What is the power thumb grip? How does it differ from Jack Kuykendall's or Scott Hazledine's grip?
Click on the link to Symple Swing above and you'll see a free download of the Symple Chipping EBook. Our Chippinng EBook details the basics of the PowerThumb grip on pages 3 through 5.
Joe
I have had hip resurfacing surgery, similar to a total replacement. (Left hip right hand golfer). Golf as you probably know is very challenging on he hip joint. I am a single axis player at about a 13 handicap down from a 20 and now am working thru some leg length issues with a podiatrist. With that said, is there any way to lessen the wear and tear on the hip joint? I attempt to face the ball at impact.
Hi Dave,
First, each injury question is unique so I'll give you the best answers I can with the information I have. Nothing I'm suggesting should cause you any injury, but remember if you do anything that causes you any pain stop immediately.
Let's go over the basics. Your power doesn't come from your legs. The main job of your legs in the golf swing is to provide a stable platform for your upper body to make a strong swing. Look at the current touring pros. Recently many have changed their swings to have very, very quiet lower bodies. The day's of the old "leg drive" swings are over. All that motion added little or no additional distance and was very difficult to time and coordinate.
So let's try to create a stable platform that doesn't stress your hips. There are a number of ways to do this. What will work for you depends on your flexibility and the condition of your joints.
One way that might work for you is what I refer to as a "Lockdown Stance". This is a stance that deliberately limits the motion of the lower body. (Note: It will limit your backswing just a bit but probably it will limit your backswing in a helpful way.)
To get into the "Lockdown" stance just remember "FEET, KNEES, HIPS". First you set your feet square about shoulder width, next you bow your knees outward, finally your slide your hips forward so your front hip is higher than your back hip.
NOTE: When you bow your knees outward you should be creating outward pressure with both legs. Your front leg is pushing back away from the target and your back leg is pushing forward towards the target. It's these opposing forces that are locking down or reducing the motion of the lower body. This stance will certainly help you "face the ball at impact" because it makes it pretty tough to do anything else.
One caveat: This stance feels pretty strong to most people. Some folks try widening the stance to make is even stronger. That can cause problems. If you get too wide you can easily wind up with most of the weight on your back leg in your downswing. When you have your weight on your back leg you tend to "rotate around your back hip" instead of turning around your spine like you should. When you rotate around the back hip, your front hip opens up too quickly in the swing. When your front hip opens up too quickly it causes the shoulders to open up and generally causes an outside to inside swing resulting in a big pull (or a big slice). That's why the Lockdown Stance is only shoulder width.
The Lockdown Stance can also be used as a diagnostic stance. The problems with many golfers swings can come from extra movement in the lower body. Golfers with hooking or slice problems are often surprised that suddenly everything straightens out when they use the Lockdown Stance. This means they had an overactive lower body during their swing.
Joe Davidson
Thanks for your response and info on the lockdown stance. You mentioned to move the left knee back away from target and the right knee forward toward the
target. Wouldn't this cause a knock-kneed position, as opposed to two bowed legs outward? Am I
misunderstanding something or was this an error?
Well if I said that it was an error.
The Lockdown Stance is the opposite of a knock-kneed stance. It's a bowed knee stance. Both of the knees should be bowed outward away from each other. You are in a bowed knee position but your pushing outward like your trying to slide both feet away from each other. When you try to slide one foot away from the other you're creating the opposing forces that lock you down.
I hope that explains it better. If it doesn't just ask again.
Joe Davidson
Thanks! I do understand and tried it with GREAT results! Amazing how this quiets the legs. You’ve given me the best piece of advice I’ve had in a long time. I thank you and my metal hip thanks you.
Glad I could help.
Joe Davidson
Hi Jeff,
Interesting questions. Let me go through your questions (and comments) one by one.
I find it very easy to remain on plane on a short backswing. The problem occurs when I take a fuller backswing. So, I have a few questions about your description of being "on-plane":
Many people get into trouble at the top of their backswings, that's very common. You don't need a big backswing to hit the ball a long ways. Look at J.B. Homes. He's as long as anybody on the tour and he has an extremely short backswing. Alan Doyle on the Senior Tour only has about half a backswing and yet is extremely successful.
I'm a big proponent of a compact backswing. Realize I'm talking about a compact turning of the torso here as opposed to lifting of the arms in an "arms swing".
1) First, a plane is defined by 3 non-linear points, not two. So in addition to the shoulder socket and the ball what is your third reference point? Is it the target?
Technically you're are correct about the 3 points. What most people have a problem with and what I was trying to describe was the angle of the swing plane. I actually don't care about the third point. From a practical standpoint that's just not a problem with most people. If I give people a third point all they see are triangles and they get confused. When I'm working with a student if they ask (and they almost never do) I tell them to think of the third point as being a spot on the extended target line a few feet behind the ball.
I use the mental picture of one of those big white circular swing trainers when I describe the "swing plane" to students. I ask them to picture themselves standing in the swing trainer with the trainer set so the trainer points at the ball and it is set at an angle so it bisects their body just a bit under their front shoulder. Although I refer the shoulder as the point that defines the plane, few people really know where "the shoulder" actually is. Because of bone structure and construction of shoulder joint (plus the way we hold the club) the armpit is probably a closer to where the actual swing plane is than the top of the shoulder. At address I tell students to point the butt of their club at their front armpit which sets them on-plane nicely.
To check the angle of the swing plane I ask my students to look at where the shaft bisects their body on their backswing. (Picture viewing them from behind.) The shaft should bisect their body at the level of their front should at address.
2) As you move your left arm back, as soon as you pass about 45* your left clavicle begins to move closer to the ball, thus your shoulder socket also gets closer to the ball. Since one of the 3 points that comprised your original plane has moved, has the plane itself moved? If not, you've lost one of your original 3 reference points, so how do you keep the swing on-plane at that point?
Our bodies are not perfect machines. Yep, theoretically the plane moves. However, we're not talking about theoretical here; we're talking about "practical." What I'm trying to do is create a workable motion for folks to understand and then repeat as a single plane swing. We’re just trying to create a simple repeatable swing. I'm trying explain things in terms that people will understand. Most of all I'm trying NOT to confuse them.
The angle of the plane is set at address with your hands high. Your goal should be to make a swing that tries to closely follow that plane angle. Will it be perfect? NO, people aren't perfect. If we technically describe a completely perfect swing system for one person it would likely be less than optimum for other people because of physical differences and limitations. As has been said before, "Golf is not a game of perfect."
So yes the plane theoretically moves. However we're not tracking the club on-plane to the millimeter through it’s complete range of motion. Our goal in golf is to keep our physical movements within an acceptable range of parameters. Human motion is not very precise. If we can get our motions consistently within an acceptable range of parameters we will be extremely successful.
3) On the downswing, your left shoulder socket could be "on plane" and yet be a different distance from the ball than it was at address. How do you ensure it is the right distance from the ball at impact? Is it a matter of timing? Do you stop the rotation of the shoulders at some point? Something else? How do you reestablish the proper distance between the shoulder and the ball so that you hit the ball squarely?
We insure the right distance at impact by reducing (limiting) the motion of the lower body. The modern golf swing is much more upper body dominant that the golf swing of 30 years ago. Forty five years ago I learned a leg drive swing. Today we realize that all that extra motion of the leg drive swing did little for power and the timing needed made it almost impossible to execute consistently.
So, how do you get back to the proper shoulder position at address? Actually there is an easy way to do that. Rotate around your spine in your backswing and KEEP THE POSITION OF YOUR HEAD STEADY (at least relatively steady, it doesn't have to be frozen). If your keep you head steady and you rotate around your spine on your backswing your shoulder will always come back to the right position.
Joe Davidson
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Joe Davidson
