What is Swing Plane?
Swing Plane is a useful metric that helps golfers better understand the tilt and direction of their swing
Swing Plane is the vertical angle between the ground and the circle that the club head travels on during the bottom portion of the swing arc.
Swing Plane is similar to what instructors can refer to on video as ‘shaft plane’, but shaft plane uses a 2D camera image at one point (frame) in time.
Swing Plane uses the three-dimensional position of the club head from approximately knee high to knee high on the downswing.
Shorter/higher lofted clubs generally result in a higher (more vertical) Swing Plane since the golfer must stand closer to the ball and the plane the golfer swings on is typically more vertical with these shorter clubs. The Swing Plane number may closely resemble the lie angle of the golf club, but since Swing Plane measures the club’s movement over a period in time it is not recommended to use the value to fit for lie angle.
A golfer’s height and dynamic posture will influence Swing Plane. A driver typically has a Swing Plane between 45-50 degrees.
Technical Definition:
Swing Plane – The vertical angle of the plane relative to the horizon defined by the club head’s center of gravity movement prior to impacting the golf ball.
Remark: Trackman uses the club head’s position data from both before and after impact to establish the SWING PLANE. Typically, the position data consists of a range from 2½ feet (75cm) before impact to 2½ feet (75 cm) after impact. Trackman’s sample rate is approximately 20,000 Hz.
Trackman Combine Averages (Average swing plane)
Male Amateur (Driver)
Scratch of Better = 48.1 degrees
5 HCP = 48.5 degrees
10 HCP = 48.9 degrees
Average Golfer (14.5) = 49.0 degrees
Bogey Golfer = 49.4 degrees
Female Amateur (Driver)
Scratch or Better = 46.8 degrees
5 HCP = 47.2 degrees
10 HCP = 48.4 degrees
15 HCP = 47.6 degrees
Read what our Trackman University Masters say about Swing Direction…
“Swing Plane is a key parameter for me, particularly with good players. I’ve found a number of movement faults manifest themselves in the Swing Plane becoming too high through impact. This can result in inconsistent striking and compromise ball control due to manipulations required as a result of the high Swing Plane.”
Hugh Marr
Premium Golf Consulting, UK
“When a student is struggling with consistency, I will look at the Swing Plane value and see if it is too high for the club that they are swinging. If this number is too high, it shows that the hands are rising up through impact. The is a typical position we see when the hips are moving towards the ball too much through impact causing the hands to move away from the body.”
Mark Anderson
Philadelphia Cricket Club, PA, US
“Swing Plane variability typically is caused by inconsistency at address. This variability can cause face angle issues and is often due to a poor routine, because even players with bad ball flight can repeat their performance with regards to this parameter. We have a ‘hill station’ on our range that allows the player to visualize their Swing Plane changes and what affect the changes have on their face angle.”
Dom DiJulia
Dom DiJulia School of Golf, PA, US