Because the Peak Performance Golf Swing advocates a 3/4 limited turn, vertical golf swing, many of my students think that the club must never rotate behind their toe line. While it's important to avoid swinging into the sacred burial ground, you still need to have some turn in order to maintain a proper vertical swing plane.
Watch the video above to see the differences between over rotating, under rotating, and how each can negatively effect your game.
To learn more about swing planes, check out the PPGS Foundation Manual.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
Comments
Understanding a Vertical Swing Plane
The image from Ben Hogan's book with the pane of glass from the ball to the top of the shoulders was extremely helpful. I always wondered if my upright swing is consistent with the PPGS. It is.
My arms are on an angle up from the ball and the shaft is relatively vertical, although my swing is longer because I am thin and loose jointed. I have instinctively swung that way for many years - and avoided back problems as a result. Thanks.
P.S. I created a 48 inch driver as an experiment. As long as I don't try to kill it, I can hit it straight and about 30 yards farther: 270-280. Not bad for a 65 year old. I swing vertically even with that club.
Hip bump and shoulder plane
I have one of your ancient tapes and have followed you for years. I am 78 years old, still a single digit player, carry the driver about 215 yds. One subject you do not talk a great deal about is shoulder tilt as a result of over-doing the hip bump. I have occasional problems getting too steep on irons because if I over bump, the back shoulder drops too much, causing a too steep tilt at impact. Please discuss the proper amount of bump and holding the shoulder tilt correctly. Also the transition from the bump into the hip rotation prior to and during impact.
Thanks.
George Skelton
proper club
I am unable to take advantage of your club fitting offer but would it advised to have iron lie angles slightly more upright -1-2* to accommodate the more vertical PPG swing and prevent the toe from digging in?
Keeping it vertical
Thanks Don.
This past season really was my best golf season to date, in great part to your method and instruction techniques. We were lucky enough to have good weather here around Christmas time and managed to get out for a round on the 25TH and 26TH. After our round we were still quite fresh. My son due to youth and myself due to an easy relaxed swing. My go to swing has proven to be a very vertical swing. My son finally gave up trying to figure out the/a swing for himself and asked how I was pegging my targets so completely. I showed him the fundamentals and let him have at it. He crushed his eight iron 170 and dead straight to boot.
Your video answered a question for me as ro why my iron shots are without and fade or draw yet my woods risk slicing and hooking. I believe to have understood that I am keeping it too vertical. It was to the point that i completely abandoned my woods and only played irons last year. I am breaking 100 consistently and hope to shave more than a few points off this year.
I play a one or two iron off the tee and easily reach out 175 to 200 without concern of curving yet can hit a draw or fade at will if need be.
The plan is to bring my woods into the bag this year, thanks again.
Hybrids
Have you tried hybrids Peter? I Couldn't remember the last time I hit a decent long iron, so went to, 3 4 5 6 hybrids & love them. Easier to hit than a wood & might fill a gap for you. I like to use a 3 wood off the tee, then hybrids, with 7 8 9 irons & 4 wedges. Would like to cut back to 3 wedges, but seem to need the lob wedge now & then. Now if I could just get that putting sorted out, it could be dangerous. Give a couple of hybrids a try mate.
Hybrids
Russty Kiwi.
Thanks for the idea. I have a 19* and 27* hybrid. They do work well for me when I use them. I would like to get out there to 250 yards with the consistancy that i have with my irons. I can hit my one that far but I do loose the predictability at this point....mainly because i tend to try too hard and dont play the swing line properly.
Thanks a bunch.
What if butt of club points to the target line?
Or at least outside the feet. Is that not vertical?
I'm new to peak performance golf (coming from the flatter moe norman plane)...and when I swing what feels VERY vertical to me, my hands are certainly not inside the toeline, and the club is on the shoulder plane (vs a moe norman swing that is on the shaft plane line), BUT it's parallel to that shoulder to ball plane. Is that acceptable for PPGS?