Ben Hogan’s Plane of Glass
By Tim Mahoney
The legendary golfer and technician Ben Hogan in 1946 developed the swing concept of an angle the club needs to swing: Swing plane or simply the shape of the swing. Throughout the years a debate has developed regarding the angle or plane of the swing: 1 or a 2 plane motion. Within the Mahoney and Troon Golf Academy we believe that it is not a 1 or a 2 plane motion, simply an on-plane swing that is determined by the club and your posture. The angle or plane that you swing the club on determines the centerness of the strike, the ability to square your club face at impact and the amount of divot. Swing plane is not a ball flight law, but simply, a golf swing preference.
The backswing plane can be viewed as an inclined angle taken at address running up the shoulders from the ball. The left arm controls the shape of the backswing, the shoulders, arms, hands and club should rotate and swing on this angle and not deviate from the intended angle. Swinging on this determined angle will allow the upper and lower body the ability to turn freely on both sides of the swing. Once golfers understand how to swing to the top of the backswing they will solve consistency problems.
During the downswing motion, the golf club MUST swing under and below the back swing plane. The shallowing of the club on the downswing is a significant power boost at impact. The slight lateral shift of the hips towards the target as the upper body is turning back, allows for a “flattening” of the downswing plane. As the hips are sliding laterally, the right elbow connects to the side as the left hips turns behind. Hands or shoulders starting the downswing establishes an over the top or steep angle. Steepness in the downswing causes toe hits, open club face and a decrease in club head speed. Create a flatter downswing as compared to the backswing results in greater power and consistency.
Drills that will assist in creating this angle: baseball swings above the ball and chip shots where the club stays below your hands on both sides. These drills will allow you to focus primarily on the shape of the swing and the intended plane.
Club face, angle of attack, centeredness of hit, club head speed and swing path are the ball flight laws that effect every shot from a putt to a chip, to a full drive. Ben Hogan’s plane of glass or swing plane is every gofer preference to golf excellence. Swinging the club on the intended angle, determined by the club and your posture will provide longer, straighter and more solid strikes.
Ball-Flight Consistency
Consistency is the number one goal of all players from Jordan Spieth to Jack Nicklaus. Distance, Direction and Trajectory make up the elements of the ball-flight. Golfers need all three elements for consistent ball striking. I believe that the sequence of learning is: trajectory, distance and direction. The three components are interrelated and we cannot have one with out the other.
Trajectory is controlled by:
1. Club Selection- the club is designed to provide loft. Allow the manufacturer to get the ball airborne.
2. Angle of Approach- the correct angle of approach provides solid impact and the proper effective loft.
3. Set-up- consistency starts here. Grip, posture, ball-position, aim, mind-set and tension level are the fundamentals of the pre-swing.
4. Swing plane- a vertical swing shape will produce high shots and a flat swing shape will produce lower shots.
5. Swing speed- without swing speed the golfer has a difficult time producing loft. Golfers with a limited swing speed will produce the same trajectory for all clubs.
Distance is controlled by:
1. Club Selection- longer clubs longer shots.
2. Length of motion- increased range of motion will assist in distance.
3. Solidness of contact- hitting the ball in the center of the racket. Path and plane are significant influences. Vertical plane produces toe hits and a flat plane produces heel hits.
4. Swing speed at impact. Body rotation, arm speed and wrist movement are the biggest influences. Overall swing speed is a goal not club head speed.
Direction is controlled by:
1. Aim- parallel lines of the eyes, shoulders, forearms, hips, knees and heels.
2. Clubface alignment at impact. Clubface at right angle to your swing path at impact.
3. Swing path at impact. A swing path that is from the inside to along the target line to the inside.
Every golf lesson and group activity I participate in every golfer is in search of consistency. Ball flight has three elements: trajectory, distance and direction. You master all three in order to gain consistency.
Grip
Golf Ball curvature is the effect of a misaligned club face at impact. Your club face is controlled by wrist cock, arm rotation and release. All three of these aspects is directly controlled by the hold or individual grip of the club. The quickest and simply the easiest means of improving your game is by perfecting your grip. A perfect grip will improve an imperfect swing plane, an imperfect swing path and imperfect impact.
Utilizing a gripping procedure will allow you to position your hands on the club consistently every time you swing the golf club.
Step 1- allow your arms to hang freely by your sides as you position the club under the heel pad of your left hand with the club planed and the club face square.
Step 2-elevate the club and establish the width of the swing. With the club in front of you position your right hand on the club. Connecting the hands by placing your life line on top of the thumb.
Grip check points include with the left hand include: heel pad on top, thumb to the right of center and no gap between the thumb and the base of the hand. Right hand check points include: life line covers the thumbs, trigger finger to the side of the grip and no gap. The golfer has three options to connect the hands: overlap grips allows for more wrist cock, an interlocking allows for more direction control and a baseball grip allows for a higher trajectory.
Perfect your grip and perfect your game. The only contact you have with the club is your grip. A perfect hold will perfect your ball flight.
“Find your distance potential”
One of the keys to playing golf in this era is to hit the ball long. As golf courses continue to be designed longer and more difficult, hitting the ball with power allows players the best chance to score. Although Tiger Woods has possibly the greatest short game in the history of the game, it is also a huge advantage the he has been consistently ranked among the longest hitters during his career. How can you hit it longer?
Quite simply, there are two keys to hitting it long: solid contact and speed. Hitting the ball in the center of the face with maximum speed will allow you to hit it as far as you can. This combined with the latest in club and ball technology can help you find your true distance potential.
The first thing you should determine is if you hit the ball solidly with your current swing. The easiest test is to use face tape that can be found at most golf shops. Place a piece of tape on your club and hit a shot. The ball will make a mark on the tape which will show you your contact point. Hopefully you will find you are consistently finding the center of the clubface. Make sure you test both woods and irons as you want solid contact with all clubs.
If you find that your contact is not as solid as you would like, look at two things to improve your swing. Make sure your posture at set up and throughout your swing is in an athletic position that you maintain during your swing. Good posture will help you swing the club around your body consistently “on plane” which leads to center hits.
Once you are satisfied with your contact point, the next key to distance is trying to increase your swing speed. In the golf swing there are three power sources that will help you swing the club faster. The combination of proper wrist action, an arm swing that puts the club in position throughout the swing and a powerful body pivot that supports the swinging action of the club will allow the club to swing consistently and produce power.
Finally, if you feel you are making solid contact and are using your power sources, make sure your equipment fits your swing. Clubs and balls that are fitted specifically for your swing will probably give you an extra few yards as well.
Learning to hit the ball longer is a very fun part of the improvement process. Examine your current swing and determine your needs. With a little practice, hopefully you will find a few more yards.
Remember if you do hit the ball farther, you will have shorter approach shots to the hole. It is important to work hard on short game distance control so you can take advantage of your distance and hit it closer. This should take pressure off your putting game and allow you to improve your scoring average.
Controlling distance with your Wedges
Golf is a unique activity where you have the combination of distance, direction and trajectory control of the golf ball. In the short game the ability to score is directly related to controlling the distance of the golf ball. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler have the ability to control the distance of their wedges within 95% of the required goal. For an example, on a 30 yard shot, Spieth has the control of his wedges to hit the ball 28.5 yards, a differential of 1.5 yards in total distance.
Distance is controlled by club choice, length of club at address, length of swing, elevation of the shot, solidness of the strike and the speed of motion. All golfers should have a minimum of 3 wedges with the lofts of 48, 52 and 56 degrees of loft. All wedges should have a differential of 4 degrees of separation. As you work with the wedges identify the distance of ½, ¾ and full swing.
Length of club at address will have a direct impact on the speed of the motion throughout. Golfers should attempt to grip down the shaft, ½ of a grip and a full grip. Combine this with different length of swings as well. A shortened club will work with a shortened swing and a long club will work with a long swing. All wedge swings should be balanced or symmetrical on both sides of the motion. A partial backswing should match a partial forward swing. The golf swing needs to be balanced in order to control speed and distance.
A mirrored impact position and address, of the will assist with controlling the loft of the club. The impact position should be identical to the starting position. Unlike the full swing where the shaft needs to be forward leaned for speed in pitching the shafts needs to match.
Solidness of the strike is the effect of the angle or plane of the swing. A vertical swing motion will produce a toe hit and conversely a horizontal or flat swing will produce a heel hit or a shank. The club must be swung on the desired angle or right angle to your spine.
Distance control in the short game is the effect of the club, speed, length of swing and solidness of the hit. Control these variables and you to will pitch like Spieth.