How to make a simple swing plane tool.

By: Steve McMurray MPT

If you love to golf but are frustrated by an inability to hit the ball consistently, you may have tried any number of gadgets or advice only to end up more confused than ever.

The key to consistency is to engrain the golf swing into your muscle memory so that a consistent and pain free golf swing becomes second nature to you.

There are a variety of way to accomplish this. One of the best things that you can do is find a patient golf instructor to help you identify and correct the problems that you are having with your swing.

Among other things, he or she will instruct you in following a swing plane. This is simply the path that your club takes as you move it through your impact with the golf ball. Understanding this path and how it effects the flight path of the ball is essential to understanding how to negotiate the golfing landscape.

There are a number of expensive tools that can be used to try and develop a consistent swing but as the child of depression era parents, I prefer frugality and love simplicity whereever possible.

That is why the following description of a simple swing plane tool appeals to me as it may appeal to you also:

This idea was shown to me by William Breland of http://www.gologolfitness.com

Take an old, but straight golf club, cut off the club head and put a new slipover grip on either end of the shaft.

Purchase a couple of small keychain pen lights (I use maglights that I found in a WalMart camping section).

Secure each of these lights in either end of the shaft by cutting a small 'x' into the end of the grip caps. Insert the mag lights and secure them with your favorite adhesive tape.

Place a long strip of tape on the floor that represents the target line.

Make sure each of the pen lights are turned on and line up as if to address a ball.

Slowly swing through the backswing and then the downswing, impact point and follow through.

What you want to do is have the light path follow the target line as you move through your swing.

As the club head end light leaves the target line on your backswing the grip end light should align with the target path until you reach the top of your backswing.

As you begin your downswing, the grip end light should follow the target path until the club head end light aligns on the target path all the way through impact.

As you continue on through follow through and the club head end light leaves the target path, the grip end light should align on the target path until you reach the end of your swing.

Doing it slowly will reveal the areas in which you have a hard time maintaining a consistent swing arc. If you work with a golf pro on this, he or she can fine tune your movements to maximize your body position at backswing, impact and follow through

It is often the case that some basic alignment flaws can be corrected. In addition you will be able to feel where you are having motion restrictions or difficulties. These can be addressed with stretching and strength coaching.

This is where the services of a licensed physical therapist who is trained in golf swing mechanics can be very useful.

Steve McMurray MPT
http://www.ezgolfrx.com

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

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