how to swing on a flatter plane

hi all
im sure you are all sick of me trying to solve my driver problems
a friend mentioned that my swingplane is too steep when using driver
my swing plane seems to work fine with all the other clubs!
just not sure how i go about solving this!
do i drop my hands lower?
could it be my takeaway ?
confused.com

Afternoon,

It's kinda hard to say without a vid.

To take a purists point of view, your posture and swing should allow you not to have any compensations from club to club.

What's your drivers dominant bad shot? Additionally, what's your bad shot with your irons?

hi neil
long time no hear
i will try to get a video on here asap
ive been fitted for a driver but its a mixture of pull,straight and push slice.
7i-pw shots are spot on, 5i,6i and hybrids are straight with the odd slight fade.

Hidy Hi! Yeah been away for a while but I'm back on the golfing trail now.

Sounds like a similar mixture of shots that I used to have, and still occasionally suffer from.

From your description through the clubs it sounds pretty much like you're applying the same swing through the bag. We all know that the flatter the clubhead the more sidespin we impart. Your short irons might well be going straight (meaning to the target) because you actually aim slightly right of target and pull them straight. Add this to a longer iron with a flatter face you've got more sidespin, so you hold it off, opening the face and cutting it in an attempt to stop pulling it.

Get down to your driver and hitting a consistently straight one is even harder with compensations. The pull happens when you're aiming right of target and try to square the clubface, pulling it left slightly across your body (will automatically happen as the balls further forward in the stance). Combine holding it off and approaching more from the inside (to stop pulling it) and you've got the pushy cut, time it right and it goes straight.

Any of the above can come from steepness in an attempt to pull the ball back online from a closed stance.

In the interest of keeping it simple pror to seeing a video, as an off - the- cuff - guessing - generalisation (! ) check your alignement through the bag!

If you do find you're closed, when you open up with your current swing you'll starting pulling your short irons left, cutting your longer irons straight and pulling your driver miles left (! ) or pushing it straight!! Then you can address your steepness of plane!!!!!!!!!

Easy!....................

BROUGHT TO YOU BY OPENUPACANOFWORMS.COM/SOUTHEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But please don't take me too seriously! It's all guesswork from information provided!

Peace.

Hi Slats,

I've mentioned that I suffer the same (use my iron swing with my driver).

The way I flatten it out is to feel like I'm taking the club back wide (as opposed to up) - like I'm really reaching back. Then the same downswing - it usually produces good results. (Much better than the popups/big slice that come the other way).

Along with video, could we also get an invetory of your swing at this piont in time?

Description of driver - head (brand, loft), shaft (brand, flex), club length

How far you hit your:
3wood
5iron
9iron

neil,s2k3 and lp42
thanks for the replies
got something to work with now
will post a clip as soon as i can

hi s2k3
drivers are tm e200 steel head 10.5* tt tx90 reg steel shaft @ 43.5" long
tm r7 425 10.5* re-ax reg graphite shaft @ 45" long

cobra mspeed 3wood 200-220yds
5iron 170-175yds
9iron 130-135yds

I needed to do this to get a better clubhead path for my fairway woods - I found a good way to achieve it was to swing around the body more by just concentrating on swinging the club with the left hand only - start off by swinging around the body only using the left hand and not lifting the club up so much, this, you will find this is easier to do the more you swing around the body as opposed to 'lifting' the club. Now, also grip the club with the right hand too but so loosely it is almost not even touching the grip. Just do this over and over and then hit a few balls with it - just concentrating on the left hand only. I was amazed at the results, the contact was miles better and there was no difference in distance than when I gripped it with two hands and really ripped it, I could produce amazing club head speed like this and the ball went further than I have ever hit it before at the range (220 yds with a 3 wood)

I know Hogan said he would have liked two right hands - but when it comes to the fairway woods - the left rules for me! - I am not saying this is the correct way to do things or that I know enough about golf to be able to teach but - it works for me, it might work for you.

Good luck

thanks for the reply john
going to take all the advice and try them out at the range

Sometimes when I’m getting too steep with the driver back swing, or when I’m deliberately demonstrating or practicing a "one plane" swing, I try to keep my back elbow closer to my side by letting it fold relatively earlier in the back swing.....more and longer "connection". By keeping the back elbow "in" it will tend to stay "down", thus forcing a flatter back swing. This may not be exactly what IS happening, but this is what I try to FEEL is happening. Just something you might try.

something very simple - when you setup - make sure your shoulders are sqaure or slightly closed. I know I have a tendency for my right shoulder too far foward at address which prevents me from rotating the shoulders properly. I get on a steep plane and tend to pop drives. Set up with ball at your left armpit (assuming righty) and feel almost as if the left side of your body is next to a wall. Right shoulder may feel back a bit. On the Backswing keep the left arm-body shoulder connection and simply tun you shoulders. Hope this helps.