Find a natural golf swing plane

Golf Monthly Top 25 coach Keith Wood has some golf swing plane tips to help you straighted out those crooked shots that plague your game.

Golf Monthly Top 25 coach Keith Wood has some golf swing plane tips to help you straighted out those crooked shots that plague your game.

Try these golf swing plane tips if your swing has become too mechanical and you get too much shape on your shots.

If there is one area of the game that players get bogged down in, it is the swing path. Of course, getting the club working on a good swing plane is crucial and we have already produced a great article on how to set the right swing plane, but this should be a natural thing.

Searching endlessly to find it will only make your swing too mechanical, devoid of any real fluidity.

A great way to check the path of your swing is to take the club back, allowing your right elbow and wrist to fold naturally and take your left hand off the club. Both your elbow and wrist should be flexed and it is the way they move that sets the club working on the right path. Remember, a good golf swing path is simple and the club should naturally want to get into the right position.

In this position, it should feel almost weightless. Now, take your bottom two fingers off the club, the angle of the shaft should remain the same.It should be easy for you to hold the club in the right position.

If the weight of the clubhead causes it to tip, your swing will be offline. If so, just try to work on your takeaway. If the head is along way off line with your hands, it will be too heavy to hold up with just two fingers.

Allow your left arm and wrists to fold in a natural way; this will become a far more effective golf swing path.

Top tips

  •  To check your swing path, take the club back and allow your right elbow and wrist to fold naturally and take your left hand off the club.
  • It should feel almost weightless in this position.
  • Take your bottom two fingers off the club. The angle of the shaft should remain the same.
  • Your swing will be offline if the weight of the clubhead causes it to tip.
  • If this is the case, work on your takeaway.
  • Allow your left arm and wrists to fold in a natural way.
  • This will become a far more effective swing path.

Make changes such as this to a fundamental such as golf swing plane is something you should consider working on over the winter when you don't have many competitions on.

Thomas Patrick Clarke
Sports Digital Editor


Tom Clarke joined Golf Monthly as a sub editor in 2009 being promoted to content editor in 2012 and then senior content editor in 2014, before becoming Sports Digital Editor for the Sport Vertical within Future in 2022. Tom currently looks after all the digital products that Golf Monthly produce including Strategy and Content Planning for the website and social media - Tom also assists the Cycling, Football, Rugby and Marine titles at Future. Tom plays off 16 and lists Augusta National (name drop), Old Head and Le Touessrok as the favourite courses he has played. Tom is an avid viewer of all golf content with a particularly in depth knowledge of the pro tour.