A good shift makes the club drop on plane.
One of the hallmarks of my new A Swing is that it improves the flow of what is often an awkward transition move from backswing to downswing. An easy way to understand this is to visualise what a hitter does as a pitch approaches home plate: He steps toward the ball, and the bat drops from a steep position into a much shallower one. To get your club to fall onto the proper plane as you start down, follow these four steps.
1. Swing It Back Steep
The plane of the A Swing halfway back is very upright the shaft nearly matches the spine angle. I’ve found it’s easier to get the club on plane coming down if it starts from a steeper backswing. This transition also adds rhythm to the motion.
2. Avoid The Over swing
When your torso feels fully wound, the backswing is over. Don’t try to push the club back any farther. With my A Swing, the distance the arms go back is shorter than in a conventional swing, so the downswing is easier to repeat.
3. Shift Your Hips Forward
To make the club fall onto the right plane, your first move from the top should be a lateral hip bump toward the target. To ingrain this action, practise lifting your front foot and stepping into the shot (above). You’ll sense the club shallowing.
4. Feel The Shaft Drop
Look at the shaft here compared to my backswing. I refer to this position change as the V plane (the shaft halfway back and halfway down forms the letter V). Let the club change planes like this for better flow in the transition.
– David Leadbetter is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.
