Under plane

[mp33]

How do you correct getting too far under the plane in the downswing? I have a tendency to take the club out on the backswing and drop it to the inside coming down.

Is anyone familiar with this problem? How would you correct it?

The ball will go dead right and short.

[rogerdodger]

I have the same problem although I take it back on or under plane and further drop it. Monitoring #3 pressure point at the top of the swing, per Matt's suggestion has helped significantly. If you drop it behind, you immediately lose the pressure. Try slowing down at the top as well as swinging with your back to a wall. Slowing down while monitoring #3 has helped me the most. If anyone else has a suggestion, I will be writing them down as well.

[lagster]

I have the same problem although I take it back on or under plane and further drop it. Monitoring #3 pressure point at the top of the swing, per Matt's suggestion has helped significantly. If you drop it behind, you immediately lose the pressure. Try slowing down at the top as well as swinging with your back to a wall. Slowing down while monitoring #3 has helped me the most. If anyone else has a suggestion, I will be writing them down as well.

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Sometimes people that get the shaft way off plane at the top(cross-the-line) will drop it UNDER coming down.

However, even with this, just trying to change your ball flight can often help. Go to the right side of the range, and try to hit a left-to-right ball flight for a while. After you can do this, tone it down to a slight fade, then a straight ball. Stay away from right-to-left ball flight for a time.

[mp33]

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Sometimes people that get the shaft way off plane at the top(cross-the-line) will drop it UNDER coming down.

However, even with this, just trying to change your ball flight can often help. Go to the right side of the range, and try to hit a left-to-right ball flight for a while. After you can do this, tone it down to a slight fade, then a straight ball. Stay away from right-to-left ball flight for a time.

Thanks for the response.You are correct that this happens to me more when I try to draw the ball.I do work at fading and get more of a straight shot.

[SwingNorthtoSouth]

Yes, the wall drill helps. Don't hit too many balls, but practice that move with a wall behind you. The club should not hit the wall on the backswing or at start down. What works for me is to swing with the club head slightly off the ground. This eliminates the tension and helps me initiate the turn better and get that up in the swing.

[Matt]

When I first began with TGM, I latched onto some bad information that I still fight to this day - elbow stuck way in front, clubshaft dropping underplane, face stuck open. This resulted in either vicious hooks or huge pushes. As one would expect, my game improved immensely once I found some better information. These days, especially when I don't play much, I really need to focus on plane angle and clubface. And my rounds this year all left a lot to be desired.

At a recent range session, I wracked my brain for the tricks and ideas that brought me out of these funks when they occurred years ago. I figure I'd put them out there for the benefit of everyone with plane issues because as we know they can be extremely frustrating.

The first thing I did is envision the problem - when I got to the top, my left wrist was Turning at startdown and thus allowing the shaft to flatten and move underplane. What I felt as "on plane" was in fact underplane. The fix for this is to exaggerate it the other way. I feel like the clubshaft is very much "in front" of my body, even at the top. From there, I try to drive the butt-end of the club into the ground in front of the ball. This naturally steepens the plane angle while still allowing you to dynamically maintain lag pressure.

However, it's harder to achieve this feeling with longer clubs simply because you get the sensation that you're chopping wood with your driver. When this happens, I feel like I speed up my arms in relation to my pivot. I start down by feeling like my arms almost get past my line-of-sight to the ball before my pivot starts rotating. The underplane clubshaft is caused by the exact opposite - your pivot spinning while the arms stay back and then fall behind you. When you start feeling as though your arms move first, make sure to keep your right shoulder back and on-plane instead of collapsing it into the ball.

Of course, it takes some time before you get comfortable with these changes. At first, it feels like you can't even put the clubface on the ball from these "odd" positions. How can you go "out to right field" when you feel like you're coming over the top? After a while, though, it starts feeling more natural and the ball starts flying normally.

I've tried all sorts of ideas to fix plane problems and I'm starting to believe that the best way to deal with them is to simply exaggerate the opposite. You can try to just put it on plane (with laser pointers, mirror work, etc) but more often than not you fall into the "feel versus real" trap - you think you're on-plane, you're actually underplane, it's just a big roundabout. So take your 9-iron and start trying to stick the butt-end into the ground ahead of the ball. Yes, it'll feel over-the-top and like you're chopping wood. When you start taking divots and the ball is flying correctly, start adjusting it back to where it's comfortable. If weird shots occur, go back to exaggerated. Back and forth until you've got it.

[Mike O]

How do you correct getting too far under the plane in the downswing? I have a tendency to take the club out on the backswing and drop it to the inside coming down.

Is anyone familiar with this problem? How would you correct it?

The ball will go dead right and short.

I don't ask this with any agenda, or sarcasm- I'm serious when I say "What is under plane?"

I understand if you're off plane - i.e. the clubshaft doesn't point at the plane line. I also understand if you're making plane angle shifts to flatter planes during the swing. So is "under plane"- "off plane" or is it "a flatter plane than you set up for"- I'm not sure. Or is "under plane" a description of the feel- of coming into impact too much "inside out", or does it just describe when you come inside out and block a shot. Could use some help here- it may flush out some issues or ideas I haven't considered.
Thanks in advance.

Mike O.

[SwingNorthtoSouth]

I think that the higher the handicap you are the more you should not have "hit the inside aft of the ball" plan. But rather try and put side spin on the ball with a uncocking left hand. See if you can make that ball go left. I will probably get shot for this advice, but if the club is too far inside already you are going to jam everything inside to hit the inside aft of the ball without releasing the club.

[Matt]

I don't ask this with any agenda, or sarcasm- I'm serious when I say "What is under plane?"

I understand if you're off plane - i.e. the clubshaft doesn't point at the plane line. I also understand if you're making plane angle shifts to flatter planes during the swing. So is "under plane"- "off plane" or is it "a flatter plane than you set up for"- I'm not sure. Or is "under plane" a description of the feel- of coming into impact too much "inside out", or does it just describe when you come inside out and block a shot. Could use some help here- it may flush out some issues or ideas I haven't considered.
Thanks in advance.

Mike O.

We're talking about "underplane" when the clubshaft doesn't point at the plane line (instead it points outside of it). A shift to a flatter plane angle with the shaft still on-plane isn't that big of a problem, but being flat and off-plane is a big problem. You do come into impact feeling too much inside-out and are usually left hopelessly unable to control the clubface. What feels like you "driving to the inside aft quadrant of the ball" is in reality you dropping the clubshaft off-plane and driving to outside the plane line.

Thanks Mike; your thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Mike O]

We're talking about "underplane" when the clubshaft doesn't point at the plane line (instead it points outside of it). A shift to a flatter plane angle with the shaft still on-plane isn't that big of a problem, but being flat and off-plane is a big problem. You do come into impact feeling too much inside-out and are usually left hopelessly unable to control the clubface. What feels like you "driving to the inside aft quadrant of the ball" is in reality you dropping the clubshaft off-plane and driving to outside the plane line.

Thanks Mike; your thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
I've got the image now. Don't really like the term "under plane"- although if well defined as mentioned then no problem.

If I were to translate the same thing to a different description I would say that it's:

The flattening of the plane on the downswing while changing the plane line from square on the backswing to closed on the downswing. If you've got your "straight shot" grip to begin with and then change the plane line coming down to way right- essentially no way to square the blade without throwaway.

Although, this would be something that you would really want to check on video.

Usually, things in the golf movement come in pairs. If you've got one problem then you've got another to offset it. So if you've been coming over the top- you might also be blocking the shot to prevent a big pull. Now, for that person - coming down on plane without correcting the "ingrained block" would create an "under plane" feel and an "under plane" ball flight. So instead of trying to not come down "under plane" they would want to make sure while they were coming down that they allowed better rotation of the face. So case by case. Not saying in this last paragraph that you guys were not saying that this possibility existed, or that you were not aware of it, I'm just throwing it out there since it hadn't been explicited posted.