Tag: swing plane

Arc Height

Bryan Pate

Arc height is an important skill to develop in the full swing and wedge game.  The reason is you can have good or poor technique but if you can control the Arc Height variable you can have a functional result.  This skill combined with the low point is also valuable in the full swing.

First let’s address what arc height is.  Arc Height is where the swing changes from going down on the circle to up.  That point is shown below at the black line.  I want to thank Adam Young Golf for the great graphics I got off his YouTube Channel. Also Click Here to go to his site and find out more info on The Strike Plan and NGL programs he offers.

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In the above image the correct height will collect the ball, brush the dirt in front, and start to change direction after the ball.  If that arc is lower like the lower arc above you will see that the impact where the star is moves back and the arc goes more into the ground.  Below is an iron strike off the grass.  The club first touches the blades of the grass at the furthest left arrow, continues down to the middle arrow, then comes above the blades of grass at the last arrow on the right.  In this scenario if the circle stayed consistent and the arc was moved 2″ lower the contact would enter further back and be traveling too far under the ball resulting in a heavy shot.

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Here is a visual of a club traveling too low.  Put the ball on a tee to see what would happen if there was no ground under the ball.  Imagine the ball is sitting on the ground and the ground is the black alignment rod.  In this scenario the club has came into first contact where the red arrow is then continues down to the bottom of the tee.  If there was actual ground here the club would crash into it and stop or bounce out.

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Below is an image of an arc height that is too high.  You can see that the leading edge of the club collided with the middle of the ball.  The causes the ball to go straight forward instead of letting the loft project the ball into the air.  Higher up than the equator then it will project the ball down into the ground.

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Here is a good arc height and low point control added together.you can see the club clipped the tee and was at the lowest point where the red arrow is at.  The club collided into the ball and was a center strike which projected the ball upwards.

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Now let’s look at a wedge.  If you can control how deep under the ball the club travels your low point can be at or around the ball as long as the club is not traveling down too steep and for too long.  A good drill for arc height control is to place the ball on a tee and have the tee 2-5mm above the turf.  The goal is to clip the tee and avoid the turf.  When you can do that move the ball onto the turf and have the same depth under the ball.

Here are 3 scenarios showing how depth control works in the short game area and having a wide margin of error is beneficial.  You can land the club a few inches behind the ball, at the ball, or slightly infront and have functional shots for all.  The launch, contact, and spin will all be different but results acceptable.

Scenario 1 Low point at the ball and good height control.  With this if you have the leading edge below the arc (too much shaft lean) the sharp edge will catch the ground and dig.  Also if you have too much bounce the back of the club can hit the ground and cause the leading edge to be turned into the ground and catch the leading edge.  Bounce effects how the club interacts with the turf so get fit!!

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Scenario 2 Low point behind the ball and good height control.  Club will slide across the ground and project the ball up.

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Scenario 3 Low point is in front of the ball and good height control.

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Can see the leading edge will travel below the equator in each scenario and project the ball upwards.

Arc Height Drill
Good Strike Clip
Arc Height too high, Thin Shot Clip
Arc Height too low, Fat Shot Clip
Thin/Fat are sometimes the same thing – Video
Good Low Point, matching bounce, proper shaft lean – Chipping off a tight lie video

Elbow Plane Line

Bryan Pate

Let’s talk about the Elbow Plane Line (Click for YouTube Video).  This line is not the fix all line but is a good reference point.  If you are looking for exact you will need to line up your camera in the correct spot where the camera is hand height and perpendicular to the target line.  I use it as a good enough line because my preference is to film at chest high just in front of the toe line.

Let’s take a look how I add the line.  You can see in the above photo how I take the swing to impact then draw a line up form the hosel and out the back of the shaft.  The reason for impact shaft line is the shaft rises from setup and the dynamic movements of the swing.  When taken back to setup the line roughly goes through the right elbow (7iron pictured).  I tend to have low hands at setup and always working on getting them higher and when focusing on it feel like they are on this line.  Looks like I need to work on some setup pieces.

Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 6.48.27 PM.pngThis is a general reference line that we can use to see if the club from the top is working towards the line or away form the line.  Below photo I added a dot to where the club head was at the top of the swing then where it went to in transition.  The left photo moved towards the line and down where the right moved away and across the ball. screen shot 2019-01-15 at 6.29.22 pm

Here they are at at P6 or shaft parallel.  Left going down the line and right staying above.Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 6.44.30 PM.png

Here is just after impact you can see the club stay on the line on the left and the right where it came from above it went left and under the line.Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 6.46.08 PM.png

A club that is traveling more along the line will usually have a stronger impact than one that is working too much form under or above.  Those clubs will be producing more of a glancing blow.

For the direct link to the YouTube channel click below:

Rotate to Balance

Bryan Pate

Balance is key in golf.  Turn on the tv and you will not see players moving all over the place, falling forward, back, and around at the finish.  The reason for this is it keeps the swing direction and impact more predictable.  If you are falling back that can move the swing direction more left and land the club too far behind the ball.  Click Here for the YouTube clip on this blog.

Here is a good drill I learned from Martin Chuck at the TourStriker Academy located at the Raven in Phoenix, AZ.  Place your club across your thigh and put some pressure into both legs.  Keep this pressure constant into the finish.  See the above photo for the start and finish.

In the below are to finishes for comparison.  The left photo we see often with the golfer finishing with too much pressure on their trail foot.  This keeps the center over the ball and the low point back too far.  What we want to see if on the right.  The golfer is standing on their left foot, 95% of their pressure is on the target side of the ball line, and there is just enough pressure on the back foot so they don’t fall over.  Can also see that the back of the rear is on the ball line.  This is a good check point to hold and assess where you are, how it feels, and how it looks.

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Start small and grow your swing.  For the YouTube video direct link click below: