The beauty of golf is that there are many ways to get the job done. Previously, I focused on the inside out swing, designed to induce a right-to-left shot shape. However,  in this review, my mission is to eliminate your slice by teaching you how to tell if you have a flat golf swing.

In addition, I will outline the pros and cons of swinging this way to help you decide if it suits your game. While it can keep you straight and help maximize ball speed and distance, you rely heavily on timing, which is a lot to fathom as a beginner.

What is a Flat Golf Swing?

Below, golf coach Mark Crossfield describes a flat golf swing as your hands working around your body. Effectively, the clubhead finishes behind your lead shoulder instead of above it. 

In this next video, the PGA Tour showcases Sergio Garcia’s swing, providing a prime example of a player who flattens the plane as he commences his downswing. However, his posture, hip, and shoulder rotation help him get the ball back on plane. A 2014 CBS report quoted Geoff Ogilvy saying that Sergio’s ball-striking skills are in the league of Ben Hogan.

However, that doesn’t mean you should emulate the Spaniard. Because there are severe risks associated with this setup.

If a flatter swing backswing is working for you, and you get the club parallel to your target on the downswing, then stick with it. Just be careful not to lower the shaft on the way down as it is increasingly difficult to keep the club on plane for solid contact. 

You need to extend your shoulders and hips to get the clubface rotation to get the clubface square at impact. That can lead to you leaving the club face open and prompting a slice or pushing it right.

Ultimately, a flat backswing is not an issue. It is how you go about bringing your club shaft parallel with your target on the downswing.

How to Tell if You Have a Flat Swing

Following the advice of Crossfield, we know that we have a flat plane if the clubhead is behind your left shoulder for right-handers.

Furthermore, Me And My Golf suggest that your swing is flat if the top of your right arm elbow sits against your torso. That may restrict your arms and makes it difficult to free them up and enable them to guide the club back on plane. Failure to do this leads to an in-to-out path and leaves you susceptible to fade or slice.

The third way to identify if you have a flatter plane is to video your left arm movement during your backswing. Master Instructor Anne Cain recommends that you pull your left arm across your shirt and swing back instead of up.

The best way to identify these points is to attend a few coaching sessions with an expert. But, if you prefer the DIY approach, you can video yourself while practicing and look for the above clues.

Pros of a Flat Golf Swing

Clubhead Speed

Cain explains that swinging your golf club along a flatter plane causes your club to travel further than on a steep angle of attack. That enables you to generate optimal velocity on your downswing and connect the ball cleanly, producing a high coefficient of restitution (COR). As a result, you enjoy rapid ball speed and increased distance.

In addition to the travel distance of the club head, optimal rotation is necessary to get the clubhead on the path adds to the energy production.

Coefficient Of Restitution (COR)

COR refers to the energy transferred from the clubface to the ball at impact. If your clubhead speed is slow, you will struggle to maintain COR, leading to less ball speed, a weak launch, and reduced distance.

Thanks to the increased velocity prompted by a flat golf swing, it helps you accelerate clubhead speed for optimal COR at impact. Therefore, you produce increased distance compared to a steep swing plane.

Ball Speed

As a result of the energy transferred from the clubface to the golf ball at impact, you enjoy explosive speed. The rapid velocity of the ball promotes maximum distance in your game.

Distance

When you achieve optimal clubhead and ball speed, you enjoy sublime distance. That results in more mid to short irons into the green and improves your chance of carding more pars or birdies in a round.

Cons of a Flat Golf Swing

Slices

There is no doubt that the ultimate advantage of a flat golf swing plane is its COR, ball speed, and distance abilities. However, if your shot flies far and lands in the woods, it defeats the purpose of distance.

One struggle that players with flat golf swings suffer is a slice or fade ball flight. This is caused by the player not getting the shaft on plane during the downswing due to insufficient rotation. As a result, you swing from in to out and leave the face open at impact.

If you can optimize hip and shoulder turn and get the club back parallel to the target on the backswing, you will overcome this.

Hooks

Contrary to players suffering a slice, Mark Crossfield exhibits how some flat swings lead to a closed clubface at impact, prompting a hook. If you have a flat backswing and cast the club from the top of your downswing, you will not get the clubhead or shaft on path, and it can cause you to strike the ball from outside in.

Topped Shots

The final risk of a flat swing is that you top your shots. When you feel uncomfortable on your downswing and feel that you may not strike it cleanly, it causes amateurs to lean back out of the shot and come up on it. That means that your clubhead can strike the turf before the ball and bounce up, catching the top of the dimples.

Pro Players Who Have Flat Swings

Cain suggests that Matt Kuchar is the professional player who epitomizes a flat or diagonal swing, as she calls it. As I explained, Kuch moves his left arm around the body significantly, leading to the clubhead dipping lower than his trailing shoulder at the top of the downswing.

Chad Campbell is another player who operates with a flatter swing, as Golf Digest explains.

Sergio Garcia has a steeper backswing compared to Kuchar. However, he lowers the club at the top of his swing to shallow it out. He then follows this plane all the way down to the ball.

What to Do if You Want to Fix a Flat Golf Swing

Step 1 – Takeaway

Although your takeaway has little bearing on the impact of your shot, it can help you produce a favorable swing path for solid contact. Most golfers with shallow swings rotate their hands around their body, which puts your clubhead in an awkward position to get it back on plane during the downswing.

I suggest focusing on taking your club back and then up to fix a flat swing. That will encourage a slightly upright swing. This will enable you to freely move your arms to bring your shaft and clubhead pointing at the target when your club is parallel to the ground.

When you rotate your right and left wrist around your body, you need to compensate during your downswing. This is achieved by twisting your upper and lower body extensively. 

As a result, it helps you position your clubhead and shaft in line with the target when the club is parallel to the turf.

Step 2 – Downswing

The downswing is vital to crack the modern fundamentals of golf. If your shaft and clubhead are not pointing at your target when parallel to the tee box or fairway, you risk opening or closing the face at impact.

When your takeaway is along a steeper path, it is easier for amateurs to bring the club back on plane from the top of the downswing.

Instead of rotating your hands back around your body, use the momentum from your leg drive and upper body rotation to bring the club down. 

Ensure that when your shaft is parallel to the ground, the clubhead faces along your target line, otherwise, you will not have enough time to get the face square at impact.

Step 3 – Impact

Once you have steps 1 and 2 waxed, the final stage is to strike the ball. Even if the first two steps are executed to perfection, your clubface position at impact determines the accuracy and distance of your shot.

If your clubhead is facing the target when the shaft is parallel to the ground, you are on track to square your club up for impact. If you leave your face open or swing from in to out, you risk slicing your shot. 

Conversely, should you over-rotate your arms around your body, the club will follow an out-to-in path and cause you to hook your ball.

Following the above 3 steps will help you reduce shallowing of your club and the risk of slicing and hooking your shots. Therefore it is easier for the average golfer to swing more upright than flat. Plus, it encourages superior accuracy.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

Source link

Previously, I took you through the ins and outs of a flat golf swing to help you employ it in your game. However, in this guide, I focus on the pros and cons of a flat golf swing. The purpose here is to help you determine if this is the correct swing for your game.

In addition to outlining the advantages and downsides of this swing, I will also explain what causes a flat golf swing. Plus, I detail ways to boost it if it hampers your performance.

A flat golf swing can produce superb clubhead speed for a maximum coefficient of restitution (COR). However, your mechanics better be well oiled as the slightest mistake can lead to disaster.

Causes of a Flat Golf Swing

A flat golf swing is typically caused by your hands working around your body. In other words, you take your clubhead around until it finishes behind your lead shoulder. This is the opposite of a steep swing. That plane sees you take your hands up, with the clubhead coming to rest above your lead shoulder.

Matt Kuchar takes his clubhead back and up before shallowing the shaft. Then, he commonly maximizes his rotation and sends the clubhead hurtling towards the ball. This is known as a two-plane swing and was even employed by Ben Hogan:

Another example of this type of player is Sergio Garcia. This PGA Tour video provides a clear demonstration of how the Masters Champion approaches each shot:

You could be rotating your hips and shoulders extensively on the backswing to produce a flat swing plane. That leads to your hands taking the golf club around the body.

Furthermore, when you drop your trail shoulder at the top of your backswing, it can lower the club to a shallow angle. It is often caused by golfers with excess weight on their trail foot, causing you to lean back on your shot.

Therefore there are two causes of a flat golf swing. The first is your hands working around your body on the backswing. Secondly, dropping your club into a shallow position at the top of your downswing also flattens your plane.

Pros of a Flat Golf Swing

Lower Body And Shoulder Turn

Many amateurs fail to optimize their hip and shoulder turn during their swing. This causes players to lose distance and accuracy. When you learn to operate with a flat backswing and downswing, you understand the importance of rotation.

If you fail to generate ample hip and shoulder rotation on your downswing, it causes you to hook or slice shots. Swinging from inside out with an open clubface causes you to push your ball. Conversely, you may find that you close the clubface at impact and hook your shot.

Furthermore, excessive lower body and shoulder rotation too early in your swing may encourage your hands to bring the clubhead around your body. The reality is optimal turn is necessary, while too much can bring about problems.

Clubhead Speed

Golfers with a flatter swing plane cause the clubhead to travel further than if they adapted a steeper wind up.

The momentum you generate from added travel distance on your downswing prompts rapid clubhead velocity. As a result, it enhances your ability to maximize your COR and induce explosive ball speed.

Optimal COR and explosive ball speed deliver added mid and long game distance.

Coefficient Of Restitution (COR)

To optimize your ball speed, you need a high COR result. COR describes the quantity of energy transferred from your clubface onto the ball at impact. The more power you pass on, the faster your ball speed is likely to be. Therefore you increase your chance of increasing your yardage.

However, you must strike your golf ball out of the center for superior results. Any mishits will reduce your COR and ball speed, causing you to lose yardage. Obviously, forgiving clubs will mitigate this damage. However, you still stand to lose a few yards.

Ball Speed

The pace of your ball is determined by your clubhead speed and subsequent COR. When you precisely execute a flat golf swing, the added clubhead speed and high COR prompt increase the pace of your ball.

Distance

The distance you gain from a flat golf swing stems from a cocktail of clubhead and ball speed and COR. When these factors align, your ball travels high and long for optimal distance.

Cons of a Flat Golf Swing

Mechanics

The biggest downside of a flat swing path is the various elements of your mechanics that need to gel. Your rhythm needs to kick in from takeaway through impact for consistent results. On top of rhythm, you need optimal hip and shoulder turn for superior weight transition.

Consistency is the challenge with this type of swing, as there are numerous factors to master. That is why I do not encourage the average golfer to employ it.

Rotation

Although rotation forms part of the swing mechanics I touched on before, it is a potential hazard on a flat golf swing.

It is a handicap to the average golfer because you either rotate too early, generating excess turn. But more than likely, you do not rotate enough.

Naturally, imperfect rotation impacts the accuracy and distance of any golf swing. But, it is especially detrimental for a flat golf swing.

The greatest challenge amateur golfers endure is prompting ample hip and shoulder turn. It causes you to leave the clubface open at impact and push your shots. Conversely, you can also close the club at impact and send it hooking.

Hooks

When you are in a shallow position at the top of your swing, you may feel that the clubhead is in an awkward position. Therefore, you may cast the club out and down instead of following a one-plane swing. That causes the clubface to travel along an outside-to-inside line remaining closed at impact.

When the clubface is in this position, it generates excessive right-to-left sidespin causing a hooked shot. Golf instructor Mark Crossfield demonstrates this challenge in this video:

Slices

Slices are the most common shot error that amateurs induce. That remains true with a flat swing. The downside of this setup is that a lack of rotation prevents you from getting your club on plane when your shaft is parallel to the ground.

Subsequently, that causes your clubface to remain open at impact, generating right-to-left sidespin. A flat golf swing is temperamental, and without sufficient rotation and a consistent tempo, you will experience erratic results.

Topped Shots

A flat position at the top of your swing may make you feel like your flexibility is restricted. What amateurs do is drop their trail shoulder and tense their muscles. That prompts them to lean back and come up on their shot, propelling the clubhead into the turf.

If you decide to play with a flat golf swing, you must commit to the process. That means producing optimal hip and shoulder rotation and keeping your club on one plane. Leaning back and not transferring weight will cause you to come up before impact and top your shots.

So, Can a Flat Swing Be Good?

Yes, there is no doubt that a flat swing can be good. It prompts superior rotation and can increase clubhead speed. In addition, it increases your chances of a high COR for added ball speed and distance.

However, it is difficult to execute this swing considering the rotation, weight distribution, and swing plane requirements.

How to Fix a Flat Swing

Takeaway

If you are happy with a flat swing but wish to refine it, I suggest working on your shoulder rotation and controlling your hands.

Dropping your left arm during your backswing will allow your right arm to take over and drag the club around your body. Excessive extension around the body will restrict your ability to rotate and shift your weight back towards your front on the downswing.

However, if you wish to shake a flat swing, focus on your arms guiding the clubhead up and over. A more upright swing will place the clubhead above your left shoulder at the top of your swing. Next, swing down and through.

Obviously, I am not saying eradicate hip and torso rotation. My point is that a reduced turn does not deliver the same devastating consequences as on a flat golf swing.

Control Your Hands

You should use the momentum from the front to back weight distribution to get your clubhead to the top of your swing. However, when you feel like your hands are wrapping around your body and taking control of the club, you need to adjust your backswing.

Work on taking the club back and up instead of around your body. A higher position at the top of your swing will provide increased freedom to free the arms on your downswing.

Don’t Shallow The Club

If your swing is similar to Rory Mcilroy, where you take the club back high and shallow, you may want to eradicate this step from your game. It certainly assists the former World number 1, but it is tricky for casual golfers to execute.

Don’t drop your shoulder to flatten the club at the top of your swing. Instead, keep it on one plane, which will make it easy to swing down and through. As a result, you’ll produce superior accuracy.

Shallowing your club from this position can cause you to drop your shoulder and fall back on your shot. That either leads to an open clubface at impact or a topped shot.

Impact

Making these tweaks will either exterminate your flat swing or optimize it. No matter what swing you opt for, the goal is to get your clubface square or slightly closed at impact.

A flat golf swing will keep you long and straight if your tempo is on point. However, if you struggle with the flat swing, initiate an upright technique to make life easier for yourself.

Flat Golf Swing FAQs

Is It Bad To Have A Flat Golf Swing?

No, it is not bad to have a flat golf swing. There are several positives, including increased clubhead speed, COR, ball speed, and distance. The downside of a flat swing is that it requires precise rotation and mechanics to execute. That is why it is difficult for the average golfer to master.

Is A Shallow Or Steep Swing Better?

They both have pros and cons, which suit different golfers. However, after dabbling with various swings in my career, I can safely say a steep swing is easier for the average golfer. Your punishment is less severe when you do not produce sufficient rotation.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

Source link