The Perfect Golf Swing - Does It Exist?

Online, March 11, 2011 (Newswire.com) - According to legendary golf swing coach Jim Hardy, the answer to the question posed in the title is no. He talks about one and two plane golf swings, but says that neither is better than the other.

A one-plane golf swing is where the arms and shoulders stay on roughly the same plane throughout the swing, resulting in a long and shallow swing. Ben Hogan was a one-plane golfer.

A two-plane swing is where the arms follow a higher plane than the shoulders, resulting in a short and steep swing. Tom Watson is a two-plane golfer.

In the article below, Hardy explains the key differences between the two types of golf swing, and he explains why any golf instruction can only be effective when it's tailored to a player's swing type.

Interview With Golf Swing Coach Jim Hardy:

Question:
For those not familiar with your instruction philosophy, please summarise the basics of your One Plane and Two Plane approach to the golf swing.

Answer:
It stems from the basic premise that there are two motors in the golf swing. The arms and club are one motor, and the body is the other. The body doesn't move the arms - but nor do the arms move the body. They are independent. The key point is that these two motors either move in different planes - what I call a Two Plane swing, or somewhat in the same plane - a One Plane swing.

Which category a player falls into depends, I believe, on how they see the challenge of the game of golf. The Two Plane player intuitively sees golf as an aerial game with a swing that needs to get the club 'down, under and up' to get the ball in the air. But One Planers don't see it that way. They see golf as a 'side-on' game, like baseball, where they swing the club around their body to propel the ball forward.

Question:
You don't necessarily favour one of these swing plane types over the other?

Answer:
There is no correct way, as shown by the success of different swings at the highest level. The contrast in the One Plane swing of Ben Hogan and the Two Plane swing of Tom Watson is just one of many examples; and within each of these two categories there are probably ten variations that are all good enough to get you into the Hall Of Fame!

Question:
So there is no 'Jim Hardy swing'?

Answer:
Absolutely not. Instead,my philosophy is that it is vital for all players - and their coaches - to understand the distinction between plane types because, for any golf instruction to be effective, it must be tailored in the context of that particular player's swing plane. If not, the advice could actually be disastrous for your game.

Question:
Your approach finally explains the existence of so many swing tips that golfers have heard down the ages that seem to totally contradict each other.

Answer:
There are indeed many tips that appear to be the exact opposite of each other and yet which are in fact both correct - but obviously not in the same swing! The relevance depends entirely on the type of swing plane.

For example, "Keep your head still" is wonderful if you have One Plane swing, while "move your head behind the ball" is great if you are a Two Planer. Similarly we've all heard "Shift your weight onto your right leg [Two Plane]" but also "don't shift your weight onto the right leg".

Then there's: "Shift and turn your hips [One Plane]" and "Don't shift and turn but slide and thrust your hips [Two Plane]". "Keep your arms in front of you [Two Plane]" versus "let your arms swing around you [One Plane]". "Turn your body hard on the downswing [One Plane], "Don't turn your body hard [Two Plane]". We could go on.

Read the full article at the link below:

http://electricgolftrolleysonline.co.uk/blog/golf-swing/perfect-golf-swing-does-it-exist