How To Get Your Club On Plane In Your Golf Backswing

One of the most important parts of your backswing is being on plane. If you're not on plane this early in your golf swing, you will not be able to come down into impact in the correct position to compress the golf ball. I personally struggle with this exact fault all the time, and am working hard to fix it.

Don't Use Your Hands

Here is something I struggle with. The initial move away from the ball I take the club back with my hands, independent of my upper body. This gets the club behind you; off plane; and disconnected from your body, which creates an out-of-sync backswing.

The proper takeaway is a one-piece move with the shoulders, arms, and hands moving the club together. Picture a big triangle between your shoulders and hands, and you're not going to break that triangle when you take the club away.

Cock Your Wrists Up

Another thing I do is an improper wrist cock, that lays the club off too early in the backswing, which I then have to lift the club to get it to the top, with a false shoulder turn.

Instead, the proper way to cock your wrists is more up, to get the club more vertical. At the halfway back point, the butt of your club should point at your ball/target line. This is a good reference point to check when you do mirror work, or drills on the practice range.

Rotate Right Shoulder

To complete your backswing from this point is to finish rotating your right shoulder behind you. If you stop this rotation early, you will have to lift the club to get it to the top, which again creates an out-of-sync golf swing. When you rotate your right shoulder back, you will easily make a full shoulder turn, loaded with power.

Top Of Backswing

When you get to the top of your swing, a good check point is from down the line. The club should look slightly laid off, especially if it's an iron, and your hands should be slightly behind your right shoulder from this view. 

More importantly is your left arm. It should be even with your shoulder plane. If it is above your shoulder plane, you are most likely crossing the line at the top with your club, and will either hit it right, or hook it left from over-compensating with your hands.

If it's below your shoulder plane, you will be stuck when you come down. You will be too inside, which will result in an independent hand movement to square the club up.

Use A Swing Aid

One very effective approach is the use of golf swing aids. When you can find a swing trainer that is specific to your issues, you can really improve fast. In this case, a golf swing plane trainer would be the right choice to give you the correct feel of an on-plane golf swing.