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I want to explain a couple of things to you about the swing plane that I think you will find very interesting. The swing plane is the path you swing the golf club up and down on. In order for you to do that you have to make sure you get started back in the correct direction.

There is a secret that is hardly ever talked about and I know you will benefit from being aware of it. Before you continue on with this article I want you to stop reading it and go get a seven iron and driver out of your bag.

I want you to place the iron on a flat surface eye level with the grooves of the golf club facing you. Now I want you to look at the bottom edge of the golf club and then look up to the top edge of the golf club. Do you think the two lines are parallel? They are not and there is a reason why.

Now I want you to turn the club so you are looking at the back of it down the line towards a target. Do you notice the top edge slants down from the toe of the club to the hosel? In that angle lies the secret to starting the golf club back on plane.

Allow me to explain in greater detail. Lay the driver on the ground pointing towards a target. Place the seven iron on the ground with the leading edge perpendicular to the driver shaft. Again I want you to notice the slant of the top line of the seven iron from the toe to the hosel.

You are going to have to use your imagination of this one. The slant is the direction of your backswing. That is how you get the golf club started back on the correct plane. I know that I probably just lost half of you so I will say a little differently.

I want you to now CLOSE the clubface one or two degrees. The clubface should be pointing left of your target at this point and guess what? The top line of the golf club will be pointing to the outside of the driver shaft that is on the ground. And? You are correct. If you were to start the club back the club head (swing plane) would start too far out and go up too much. It would be very difficult to swing the club back on that swing plane and then return it on the correct plane. Plus the club face would return closed.

Another way to look at it is if you were to OPEN the clubface one or two degrees. Now the top line of the seven iron is pointing too far inside the shaft of the driver. If you were to swing the club back now it would go too much around you and not up. The good news bad news is that more amateur golfers close the clubface at address than open it.

This leads me to the final stage of the setup. For the past 10 or so years a number of tour players have taken the pre swing waggle to a new level. Fifteen years have passed since I took my own pre swing waggle to a new level. My waggle goes to the 9:00 o’clock area. What am I doing with such a long waggle? I am making sure that I get my golf club started back on plane and that is exactly what some of the tour players are doing also.

It never fails when I stand behind an amateur that address the golf ball with the clubface closed: the swing starts off outside the plane and too steep.

Take-home message: Making sure the bottom edge of the golf club is soled correctly at address is the secret that very few people are talking about.

If you would like more detailed advice on how to get your swing into a proper plane you should consider the Swing Plane DVD which has all the info you need to improve this crucial part of your game.

About the Author: Bobby Eldridge is the head pro at PurePoint Golf and has given over 70,000 golf lessons (yes, that's seventy thousand!!). With his in depth expert knowledge he has released a number hugely popular Golf Instructional DVDs. His teachings cover everything from improving your drive, your short game, your putting and a lot more. If any part of your game needs some fixing you have to check him out HERE.

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