What is your swing thought for lag--plane?

[zaphod]

I thought this might be a good topic. Most golfers have issues with both keeping on plane and retaining lag. Related???

Anywho, I have one thought that gets me into position for both. Once my arms are above hip high I think of piercing the sky with the club head (behind, wide, and above my right shoulder by rotating my shoulders and hips. On the way down I simply try to pull the club THROUGH that imaginary hole I created without enlarging the hole. It's very easy for me to visualize this process so I do not have to break the movement down to components.

As long as my grip is right and I keep my spine angle all is well. To keep my spine angle I love the recent Golf Magazine?-Digest? tip about a paper back book holding the small of your back flat..

What swing thoughts do you use for plane or lag?

 

[Eracer]

OhDearGodPleaseDon'tLetMeHookAnotherOneIntoTheTrees!

 

[eclark53520]

OhDearGodPleaseDon'tLetMeHookAnotherOneIntoTheTrees!

+1

I have found that as long as i put the ball the same place in my stance(duh right?) and i take the same grip(i have a problem with letting my right hand rotate to the underside of the grip) then i pritty much hit the ball where i want...now there are obviously occasions where i think i did everything right and i still dont hit it correctly...

Most of the time when i try to think about doing something during my swing, i mess it up pritty bad, so i try to hit key points during the practice swing(s) and let that guide me during the swing. For me Less Thought = Better Swing

 

[Adam Pettman]

Look at the ball, hit it. Hand eye co-ordination and muscle memory.

 

[MCDavis]

Most of the time when i try to think about doing something during my swing, i mess it up pritty bad, so i try to hit key points during the practice swing(s) and let that guide me during the swing. For me Less Thought = Better Swing

Other than the occasional "nice and smooth" I agree with eclark...the more I think about what I'm doing, the worse I do.

I'm usually thinking about/laughing about what my buddy just said, thinking how great it is to be out on the course, wondering if my wife will be in the mood tonight...but, I digress.

And, lot's of times I'm thinking the same thing as Eracer!

 

[mont86]

OhDearGodPleaseDon'tLetMeHookAnotherOneIntoTheTrees!

Lol,,,All my swings start like this.

 

[TheWOAT]

I try to use my hands as little as possible, and I try to get my left elbow into my left love handle (im lefthanded)... that usually gives me good results.

 

[ezra76]

I don't have thoughts, I have drills. I'll swing the club left hand only, Faldo drill and also swing with 3 fingers of each hand on the club. If you swing with just the 3 fingers, you can feel it on plane, if it's not, the club will slip out of your grip. As for lag I don't really have a thought except to stay loose and swing lazy. I guess I envision the lower body starting the downswing and the arms catching up with no tension, whipping through the ball. This is what the left hand only swings reproduce. Heck, see my avatar. That's a left hand controlled swing, no tension in my right arm whatsoever. The right is being pulled through with my torso, body releases clubhead. I have a stronger left hand grip on the club and a weak right.

 

[Eracer]

I don't have thoughts, I have drills. I'll swing the club left hand only, Faldo drill and also swing with 3 fingers of each hand on the club. If you swing with just the 3 fingers, you can feel it on plane, if it's not, the club will slip out of your grip. As for lag I don't really have a thought except to stay loose and swing lazy. I guess I envision the lower body starting the downswing and the arms catching up with no tension, whipping through the ball. This is what the left hand only swings reproduce. Heck, see my avatar. That's a left hand controlled swing, no tension in my right arm whatsoever. The right is being pulled through with my torso, body releases clubhead. I have a stronger left hand grip on the club and a weak right.

I had a very productive range session last night. I was hitting really good iron shots. I've been focusing on doing exactly what you are talking about - powering the downswing with my legs/hips, and feeling my left arm being pulled down and through by the rotation of my body. I've traditional had such an "armsy" swing that it's hard to trust it, but the results speak for themselves. The lessons and drills lately have been very helpful in feeling the timing of the move. The very first lesson drill was the chair drill. That really helped me establish a better swing plane during my takeaway. Good lag comes from not forcing the right hand down at the ball (like you said). I do turn my hands over, so the right hand is involved - but it's happening much later in the swing now.

Swing plane is established during the takeaway. Do the right drills - get video feedback (or at least use a mirror). Once your muscle memory gets you into a good position at the top (without thinking), then lag is produced naturally when the lower body drives passive arms. Maintaining proper spine angle is key for me. I try to keep my head still until impact. Not rigid, but still.

 

[Clugnut]

What swing thoughts do you use for plane or lag?

My thought at the current moment is to keep my elbows as close as possible at the top of my backswing. This does three things for me.

1. Retains lag
2. Keeps me on plane
3. Flattens my left wrist

Get to the top, keep elbows together, move down in one piece with the hips.

 

[ezra76]

I've traditional had such an "armsy" swing that it's hard to trust it, but the results speak for themselves. I do turn my hands over, so the right hand is involved - but it's happening much later in the swing now.

Maintaining proper spine angle is key for me. I try to keep my head still until impact. Not rigid, but still.

E, this is exactly how it feels for me. Especially going back to a driver. I feel very nervous swinging the driver and the 3W, hard to trust it since it's so new a feeling. Like you said though, results are very good. Hitting all the woods dead up the gut a lot. It's all in my preshot routine and setup. I'm thinking all sorts of crazy bad thoughts on the downswing but the muscle memory takes over and the path is slightly in to out and clubface is square, that's all the ball cares about.

Staying down through the shot is also key for me. If I lift up, I drop my right shoulder and block it. That comes from trying to hit at the ball. I find that if I really focus on a target in my preshot, that gets me staying down and swinging through to the target vs. hitting at it. When I hit, I leave it open every time and if I try to hit and turn the right over consciously, pull hook city.