Breaking 90

Pick the right swing for you

By Jim Hardy with Matthew Rudy

Photos By Darren Carroll

September 2007

Whether you're a one-planer or a two-planer, the path to scores in the 80s is reaching greens in regulation. You have to have a realistic chance to reach all the par 3s at your course in one, the par 4s in two and the par 5s in three. For the one-planer, that comes from learning the difference between a power swing and a check swing. For the two-planer, it's learning how to swing from the inside and avoid wasting energy.

One plane

The magic starting move

You've probably heard the phrase "getting stuck," but what does it mean? When you pull hard with the left hand on the downswing, the club tends to flatten and fall behind you. It also opens the clubface, so you have to quickly flip your hands to hit the ball square.

Instead, start the downswing by letting your right arm drop straight down and your left forearm rotate toward the ground. This will keep the club on plane through impact. Your arms will feel "short" and very connected to your body turn.

NO

Pulling with the left arm on the downswing will flatten the club, leading to hooks, slices and fat and thin shots.

Two plane

Swing from the inside

A two-plane swinger's common struggle is the feeling that the clubface must close aggressively on the downswing to keep from missing right. As a result, the club goes out and around and cuts across the ball from the outside.

Instead of lifting the club and closing the clubface, swing the club to waist high on the backswing with the toe pointing straight up. On the downswing, hold off your body turn, and pull with your left forearm (right). The club will automatically slot to the inside.

One-planers on tour

Because the body and arms swing on somewhat the same plane in a one-plane swing, that method is far less reliant on consistent tempo or timing. As you can imagine, using a swing with less variables would be attractive to a tour player who is interested in consistency. Ben Hogan is an example of a one-plane swinger, and I believe he has come the closest of any player to perfecting his swing. Other notable one-planers include Sam Snead, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman. As Zach Johnson (above) showed at Augusta back in April, great ball-striking is a one-plane hallmark.

Photo By Getty Images