find your perfect swing

8/10/2019 Find Your Perfect Swing

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GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com February 2012 88

This is the

SI cover that

launched

Hogan’s five-

part series onhis legendary

fundamentals.

C O V E R S T O R Y : T H E R I G H T S W I N G F O R Y O U

A

nyone who has evertaught or played thegame has had a precon-

ceived idea—right or wrong—of how a clubshould be swung. Thismultitude of theories

has produced enormous confusion overthe years about the proper way to movethe club back and through to achieve solidresults. The problem is exacerbated bythe fact that 99 percent of the instruc-tion you read in books and magazines,see on TV, or receive from your coach iscorrect. It’s just that most of it doesn’tapply to you because it’s far too generalto match your specific needs. The secretto success is finding and listening to thesmall percentage of advice that does.

Case in point: swing plane. For decades we’ve assumed that there was only oneideal plane—the lone swing track madefamous by Ben Hogan and his sheet-of-glass theory over a half-century ago

(originally published in 1957 as one partof a five-part series in Sports Illustrated ). While Hogan’s single sheet of glass (tilted

to match the shoulder plane establishedat address) is fundamentally correct,it’s grossly incomplete. There are actu-ally three ideal planes, and the one youshould use is primarily determined byhow you’re built.

It’s said that form always follows func-tion, and your golf swing is no exception.Doesn’t it make sense that your anatomy

would have something to do with how youswing your clubs? I think it makes per-fect sense—otherwise, you’re putting the

proverbial square peg into the round hole,setting in motion an ineffective chainof events that, truthfully, will keep yourgame at the same level it’s languishing atright now, while also potentially exposing you to the risk of injury.

I recently developed a test (below ) thatnails your golf body type like never beforeto help you determine the shape of your best swing—the sheet of glass you shouldfollow to make your motion powerful andconsistent. The test is very simple—nopreparation or No. 2 pencils are needed—and it takes only a few seconds to com-plete. Once you perform it and decode your results, the information you gain willchange your golfing life for the good, andfor years on end. There are thousands ofswings out there for you to try, and noneis more efficient or better than the rest—except for the one that fits you.

I call it the “Elbow Hinge Test.” Stand tall and point your right thumb out like a hitchhiker. Set your right elbow against

your rib cage, just in front of the side seam on your shirt, and then fold your upper arm up without pulling your elbow offyour rib cage. Check where your thumb points in relation to your right shoulder.

Three students

of mine—Renee

Skidmore, Scott

Chisholm and

Paul Park (left

to right)—show

how unique our

bodies are, and

why it’s important

to find your own

“best” swing to

match yours.

Low-Track Golfer

Thumb points below the

top of your right shoulder.

Mid-Track GolferThumb points even with the

top of your right shoulder.

High-Track GolferThumb points above the top

of your right shoulder.

TEST:HOW TO FIND YOUR BEST SWING



February 2012 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 89

THE MID TRACKIf you tested out as a mid-track

golfer, your ideal clubhead path is

defined by the plane that extends from

the target line through the tip of your

right elbow at address (right-arm plane).

THE LOW TRACKIf you tested out as a low-track

golfer, your ideal clubhead path is defined

by the plane that the shaft of your driver (or

any club, really) sits on when you sole it

on the ground at address (shaft plane).

Although you’ve read about other waysto move your club between your back-swing and delivery positions (by slottingor applying a two-plane method), minding

your track from start to finish produces the

most consistent contact and reduces body

stress to a very low level. It’s important tonote that the three tracks are equal—noone track is better than the other two. A low-track swing, for example, won’tproduce any more distance or accuracythan a high-track swing, and vice versa.It’s a matter of what best fits your body. ➳

The Elbow Hinge Test defines your natural swing plane.

The Elbow Hinge Test exposes the

difference (if any) between the lengthof your upper arm and the length of your forearm. This is important, be-cause as you swing your right arm back in your takeaway, a longer rightforearm (compared with your upperarm) will “track” the clubhead higherrelative to your right elbow (the op-posite is true if your forearm is shorterthan your upper arm). The test defines

your ideal backswing plane, blowing

the single-plane theory right out of

Hogan’s secret dirt. It also indicates

your ideal delivery plane. While thereare other variables that determine on which plane you swing the club back( p. 95 ), missing your track comingdown forces your body to contort inorder to place an appropriate strike onthe ball (causing stress to your bodyalong the way). A lot of good playershave learned to make these compen-sating moves automatically, but mostgolfers lack the skill and timing to doso consistently and without injury.

HOW TO DECODE YOUR TEST RESULTS

Finding your natural

track makes it easy to

swing with a dynamic

and efficient motion.

LEARNING THE THREE TRACKS1

2

1

3

2

3

THE HIGH TRACKIf you tested out as a high-track

golfer, your ideal clubhead path is defined

by the plane that extends from the target

line through your right shoulder at address

(Hogan’s famed shoulder plane).




TRACKS IN ACTIONThe backswing and downswing clubhead paths of some of the best ballstrikers on Tourprove that hitting it consistently long and straight is easiest when you swing track to track.

Swings backalong hisshaft planeand deliversthe clubto the ballalong hisshaft plane.

Swings backalong hisright-armplane anddelivers theclub along

his right-arm plane.

Swings back

along hisshoulderplane anddelivers theclub alonghis shoulderplane.

MR. ACCURACY

Heath SlocumTRACK: Low-to-low

DRIVING PHENOM

Keegan BradleyTRACK: Mid-to-mid

BALLSTRIKING WONDER

John SendenTRACK: High-to-high

ADDRESS BACKSWING DELIVERY



High path(right shoulder)

Check whenthe butt of the

grip points atthe ball.

Again, checkwhen the butt

of the grippoints at

the ball.

➳

90 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com February 2012

KEY STATS2011 Driving Accuracy: 74.9% (2nd) 2011 GIR: 71.4% (2nd)

KEY STATS2011 Total Driving: T12th

(300.7 yds., 61.5% fairways hit)

KEY STATS2011 Total Driving: 8th2011 Ballstriking: 2nd

Mid path(right elbow)

Low path(clubshaft)





FALLING OFF TRACK

2011: OFF TRACKA completely different

swing from what theformer World No. 1 used

in previous seasons—itmissed the ideal track

both going back andcoming down.

2010: ON TRACKBy sticking to his

natural high track onboth sides of his

transition, Kaymerreached No. 1 in the worldin just his fifth full year as

a European PGA Tour pro.



When Martin Kaymer won 5 times in 12 months between Januar y 2010 and January 2011 andsoared to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rank-ings, he swung the club back and down on hisshoulder plane (bottom sequence), which is aperfect match based on his Elbow Hinge Testresults (left ). For most of 2011, however, he triedto drop the club down on his right-arm plane (top

sequence) and his ballstriking took a big hit (hefinished 2011 ranked 114th in GIR and 155th infairways hit). Interestingly enough, the swingKaymer used to birdie nine of the final 12 holesto win last November’s WGC-HSBC Championsevent in Shanghai, China, was his old high-track-to-high-track motion. If he can stick to his naturalswing, he’s a lock to return to No. 1.

BAD TRACKING: Cost Martin Kaymer the World No. 1 Ranking

Even the best players in the world start to struggle when they fail to move the clubalong their natural swing plane. The proof is in the sequences below and opposite.

Below naturalswing plane.

Tracking onnatural swing

plane goingback...

High-trackgolfer


...and cominginto the ball.



February 2012 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 92

NOTE:

THE GOAL IS

EFFICIENCYSwings that switch tracksaren’t as efficient as thosethat don’t, but they’re areal and viable option formany golfers (and you maybe one of them). A lot ofplayers utilize slot swingsto draw and fade the ball.If you go back on a lowerplane and come down on ahigher plane you’ll probablyhit fades. Conversely, ifyou take the club back ona higher plane and swingit down on a lower planeyou’ll probably hit draws.

Ideally—and I can’trepeat this enough—youshould swing your clubsback and down on thesame plane. It’s okayto swing the club aboveyour ideal plane on yourbackswing as long as youslot down to your idealplane coming back (andvice versa if you take theclub back below yournatural swing plane).

TABLET EXTRA!See how your favorite Tourpros test out, and whetherthey’re hitting their naturaltrack. Go to golfmagazine.com/allaccess.

2011: OFF TRACKExcessive downswingslotting currently has

Villegas delivering theclubhead to the ball

way below his naturalplane, and it’s costinghim wins and money.

2008: ON TRACKVillegas was firing on

all cylinders throughout2008 (two wins and

seven Top 10s) using aswing that tracked on his

natural shoulder plane.

If you’ve wondered where Camilo Villegas has dis-appeared to, check the results of his Elbow HingeTest at left and the swing he’s used throughout2010 and 2011 (top sequence). He’s another ex-ample of a great young player who has fallenoff his natural swing track. Villegas measuresout to be a shoulder planer (high-track golfer), but he’s currently swinging as a mid-track golfer

(right-arm plane). In previous seasons he swungthe club on his natural shoulder plane (bottom sequence) and flourished—two wins and morethan $4 million in earnings in 2008. Last yearhe hit only 57 percent of his fairways (140th)and only 60 percent of his greens (163rd) whileearning $1.2 million, the lowest season moneyhaul of his career.

BAD TRACKING: Caused Camilo Villegas to Take a $3 Million Hit

BACKSWING DELIVERY

BACKSWING DELIVERY


High-trackgolfer

On naturalswing plane.. .


...and perfectlyon his natural

plane for delivery.

➳





PRACTICE: HOW TO GROOVE YOUR BACKSWING TRACKOnce you discoveryour ideal plane, takesome time during yournext range session toget a feel for nailing it

every time you swing.

TRACK ITSet an aiming rodinto the groundjust right of thehosel (top photo),then angle it awayfrom the target lineabout 30 degreesto give you roomto swing ( bottom).Then follow thedirections at rightfor each track type.

LOW-TRACK GOLFER

MID-TRACK GOLFER

DRILL SETUP

HIGH-TRACK GOLFER

If you’re a low (shaft-plane)tracker, position the aimingrod so that it matches theangle of the shaft (left

photo), then make slow-motion backswings, guidingthe shaft of your driverup the aiming rod until atleast the point at whichyour left arm is parallel tothe ground ( right photo).

If you’re a mid (right-arm-plane) tracker, position theaiming rod so that it pointsat your right elbow (left

photo), then make slow-motion backswings, guidingthe shaft of your driver up

the aiming rod until at leastthe point when your leftarm is parallel to theground ( right photo).

If you’re a high (shoulder-

plane) tracker, position theaiming rod so that it pointsat your right shoulder (left

photo), then make slow-motion backswings, guidingthe shaft of your driver upthe aiming rod until at leastthe point at which yourleft arm is parallel to theground ( right photo).




If your right

arm folds

immediately, it

will direct the

club back on

the shaft plane,

regardless of

your best track.

ATTENTION!

VARIABLES

AT WORKThe actual route your clubtakes on the way to the top isdetermined by variables otherthan the results of your ElbowHinge Test. Things like chestthickness, shoulder width, andhow your right arm likes towork in an athletic motion allcontribute to how your clubsnaturally want to track back.

Here’s what Imean. Take yournatural addressposition without aclub and press yourpalms together.Without separating

your hands, swing your leftarm across your chest withoutturning your shoulders. Yourright arm will naturally do one ofthree things: move back and up(top photo, below ); move backand down ( middle), or fold infront of your right hip ( bottom).

The trick is to not fight yournatural tendencies during yourbackswing. It’s more importantto hit your downswing track. Ifyou get at least that part right,your game will improve fasterthan ever before.


PRACTICE: HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHERSWING THOUGHTSTO STAY ON TRACKOnce you have a feelfor swinging yourclubhead back andthrough on your naturaltrack, remove the rod andhit some shots for real.Most students doa pretty good job ofnailing their backswingtrack after working withthe aiming rod. The trickis in the downswing,because the deliverysystem for each trackdiffers. Follow theguidelines below foreach tracker type.

HIGH TRACKER MID TRACKER LOW TRACKER

If you’re a low (shaft-plane)tracker, you should feel asthough you’re delivering theclub to the ball using only yourhips. Your lower body turnshould initiate your downswingand literally pull the club intothe impact zone. This willhelp flatten your angle ofattack and allow you tohit your natural track.

If your right

arm folds back

and up, it will

direct the club

back on the

shoulder plane,

regardless ofyour best track.

If your right

arm works back

and down, it

will direct the

club on the

right-arm plane,

regardless of

your best track.

If you’re a mid (right-arm-plane) swing tracker, youshould feel as though you’redelivering the club to theball using only your trunk(hips to chest). Think aboutusing more of your midsectionthan lower-body turn, and tryto get your shirt buttons inline with the ball as youmake contact.

If you’re a high (shoulder-plane) tracker, picture asteeper downswing, withyour shoulders poweringthe club into impact as yourotate them toward the target.A good feeling to have isthat you’re turning your rightshoulder under your chin withyour left shoulder higher thanyour right as you strike the ball.

Use shoulder power to track high. Use your torso to track mid. Use hip power to track low.

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