Golf Addiction Blog

I was way off

Until I read this month’s Golf Digest, I presumed my shoulders needed to swing on a flat plane (parallel to the ground) to achieve a flat, inside-out swing arc.  I’ve been working on this recently, but my swing hasn’t improved.  Today, I learned Matt Kuchar greatly improved his consistency when he steepened his shoulder angle.

Being stubborn (what does a PGA pro know that I don’t!), I cross-checked this idea with Ben Hogan’s 5 Lessons.  Sure enough, Hogan’s plane of glass visualization requires a sizable shoulder angle to imitate.

To stay on plane, the shoulders have to dip at nearly the same angle as the plane itself.  The plane of a short golfer is about 45 degrees, which is quite a bit more shoulder angle than “flat.”  Hogan advises a steeper plane for taller golfers, which further increases the shoulder angle.

One tip can never completely fix a golf swing, but replacing something universally wrong is a good start.  Physically, It’s been very difficult to keep my shoulders level when the club goes up and down.  I’m glad I don’t have to do that anymore.