What is Horizontal Swing Plane?
Horizontal swing plane describes the direction the club is moving at the lowest point of the swing in relation to the target line. Also known as swing path, and measured in degrees.
This is different to club path. It's important to think of the swing as a circle.
Club path is measured at impact and is influenced by the swing path and attack angle of the swing. Where swing path is 2D (horizontal plane) and club path is 3D also accounting for the vertical plane.
Why Swing Path Matters
It works alongside the clubface to define your ball flight.
- In-to-out path → encourages a draw
- Out-to-in path → encourages a fade
Understanding your swing path numbers can help identify any potential issues with swing mechanics which could impact club path and ultimately ball flight. By knowing what the numbers mean you can improve your golf and gain control over your shots.
We would usually advise looking at club path numbers alongside swing path numbers as you may be trying to fix a problem that isn't there if you're only looking at one in isolation.
Driver vs Irons vs Swing Path
Your swing path will change between driver and irons due to the attack angle and where you are hitting the ball in relation to the swing plane, i.e. because you would hit down on an iron shot (negative AoA) you would hit the ball before the ground therefore your swing direction will be to the right. However, with driver where we should hit up on the ball (positive AoA) the swing path will show to the left because it's further around on your swing plane.
In essence because the swing is a circle and swing path is measured at the low point, your swing path will likely be positive/right for irons and negative/left for driver for the right handed golfer.
This page from Macro Golf has a great video explaining what the difference is and what to look for in the numbers.
How to Improve It
- Work on swing direction drills
- Adjust the ball position in your stance
- Use alignment sticks
How Golf Tech Helps
Launch monitors can remove the guesswork and provide real data on your swing. Horizontal swing plane (or Swing Path) is an advanced club data metric usually provided by mid-high end launch monitors such as these:
- FlightScope Mevo Gen2 with Pro Package
- FlightScope X3C
- Trackman iO
- Trackman 4
- Full Swing KIT
No more guessing your swing direction.
Summary
The swing path is the direction of the club at the low point of the swing. It's a 2D horizontal plane and we can think of as a swing circle. It's different to club path.
Your swing path helps to shape the shot, and by adjusting the ball position in your stance you can alter the swing path as it moves around the swing plane circle. Using a launch monitor can shine a light on what the numbers are and give you all the data you need to improve.
Use Golf Tech. Understand Your Swing. Play Better Golf.
