Understanding the swing plane and how it affects ball flight is one of the most important fundamentals a golfer should learn. With all of the training aid gimmicks out there, it can be difficult to find one that works best for improving your swing plane.
The bottom line is this… to improve your swing plane, you need a training aid that forces you to move your body properly in the golf swing.
Before I get to the training aid I recommend, let me take a minute to discuss the swing plane itself.
When I discuss the swing plane, I refer to it the way I was taught by Hank Haney.
The general idea is that, at impact, you want the angle of your club shaft to be the same as the angle as the shaft when you addressed the ball in your set up.
This gives you the best opportunity to strike the ball with the clubface square to your target line.
If you attack the ball in your downswing with a swing plane that is too steep, i.e., over the top of the plane you created at address, then you will likely hit a slice.
If you attack the ball in your downswing with a swing plane that is too flat, i.e., underneath the plane, then you will likely hit a hook.
The vast majority of golfers slice the ball, so they are attacking the ball with a steep swing plane. This is typically caused by a poor swing sequence.
While slow motion work on improving your swing sequence will certainly help, sometimes it is helpful to use a device that will give you feedback, so you know you must make changes to your swing.
The best training aid for improving your golf swing plane
There are a few training aids out there that purportedly help you with your swing plane. These may range in price for $50 to over $800.
However, there is one particular training aid that I’ve used personally that I believe is the best training aid for improving your golf swing plane.
It is called the Plane Trainer Deluxe.
The Plane Trainer Deluxe was created by long time Top 100 instructor Ted Sheftic.
Ted is well known for developing many junior golfers in Southcentral Pennsylvania. I met Ted when I was referred to him by none other than Golf Channel’s Martin Hall.
Martin was attending Hank Haney’s teaching seminar in 2009 when I was there. I asked him who I should seek out in Pennsylvania to learn from and he immediately mentioned Ted Sheftic.
I had known about Ted back in my days of playing competitive golf in my late teens and early twenties. However, I rarely sought out instruction, but he was known to be the best in the region, working as the head professional at Hanover Country Club near Hanover, Pennsylvania.
When I went to visit him, I watched him give a lesson at the facility he has set up on his own property, and then we chatted a bit.
Eventually, I purchased a Plane Trainer to assist in teaching my own students. Once I got away from teaching a few years later, I sold it to a student.
The Plane Trainer Deluxe forces you to improve your takeaway by keeping in more on plane.
It then forces you to make improvements to your sequencing and swing path, whether you tend to come over the top or swing too far inside out.
As you can see, the Plane Trainer Deluxe is made of PVC and foam noodles. It comes with a DVD that explains how to set it up and use it. You can set it up at home, and it’s not overly difficult to take with you to the driving range.
While improving your swing plane will take some time and effort, you will eventually be rewarded with substantially better ball striking, and lower scores.
You can pick up your own swing plane training aid here… Plane Trainer Deluxe.
