Get Your Golf Swing Path Back On Track

What Is The Golf Swing Path?

The golf swing path is defined as the arc that the clubhead follows throughout the course of the golf swing. This path starts with the takeway, arcs upward through the top of the swing, and then moves down through the ball and towards the target.

A golfer's swing path can be defined by several factors: posture, swing tempo, stance and, most noticeably, the takeway.

The takeaway occurs in the first couple feet of the swing. Although the takeway is only a very short portion of the swing, it largely dictates a golfer's swing path. If the club is taken away on a flat path, the swing will probably be flat. If the club is taken away in an upright path, the swing will likely be upright.

Because the takeway is so important in establishing the proper golf swing path, we'll focus the majority of our time in this tip sheet on it. We'll discuss common problems that can lead to swing issues. More importantly, we'll cover the proper takeway that promotes a correct golf swing path.

Common Problems

Your golf swing path is defined in one of three ways: flat, upright, or neutral. There are degrees of flat and upright which generally lead to corresponding degrees of flat or upright shot making issues. There's a trick that can show you what kind of swing path you have.

With a five iron, take the club back as you normally would. Stop and hold your swing when the shaft is parallel with the ground and the clubhead is behind you. In a neutral golf swing path, the toe of the clubhead should be pointing perpendicular to the ground - in other words, straight up at the sky.

If the toe of the clubhead is pointing behind you, you have a flat golf swing path. If the toe of the clubhead is pointing away from you, you have an upright swing.

Flat Takeaway

A flat takeway will almost always lead to a flat swing. There are a few common causes for a flat takeaway:

• Using too much hip turning action in the takeaway. When hips lead the takeway, rather than following the shoulders, the golf swing path will be flat.
• Using a weak golf grip. When the dominant hand on the grip is in a weak position, it's quite easy to jerk the club back in an exaggerated inside path.
• Misunderstanding the "inside-out" golf swing concept. For all of its best intentions, this may be the most misunderstood concept in golf. A golfer with a flat takeway focuses too much on the inside part of "inside-out".
• A quick swing tempo. Golfers who have a very fast swing may also have a very flat swing because they whip the club around their body.

A flat golf swing path will lead to a variety of issues. Most notably, it's quite difficult to make any consistent, solid contact when the swing is flat. A flat swing will almost always lead to low trajectory shots, either low hooks, low slices, or worm burners.

The picture to the right shows a flat takeway which will lead to a flat swing path. Notice how the clubhead is already behind the hands. This is a tell-tale sign of a flat swing. To compensate for a flat takeway, you'll often notice golfers loop the club at the top of the swing. They do this in order to get the club in the proper position. This looping action is called an over-the-top swing. While it may allow the golfer to make more solid contact, it's hard to hit the ball in a consistent direction.

Upright Takeaway

An upright takeway comes with its own set of issues, although not quite as serious as those found in the flat swing. There are a few common causes for an upright takeaway:

• Frozen hips. When the hips don't turn, the shoulders and arms do all of the swinging. Without the hips in the swing, the golf swing path will likely by too upright.
• Using a strong golf grip. When the dominant hand is too strong on the grip, there's a common tendency too pick the club up abruptly in the swing.
• Overcompensating for thin shots. As a quick fix for thin shots, a golfer may use an upright takeway and swing to help make more solid contact with the ball.

An upright takeaway can be used effectively by some golfers. But a flat swing can also cause a few problems. To get the club in the proper slot at the top of the swing, upright swingers have to drop the club to get it in the right position. This drop appears as a looping action at the top of the swing and can lead to substantial consistency issues.

Another common issue with an upright swing is that it can make a golfer's head bob up and down. In an upright swing the shoulder exerts extra force on the chin which lifts the head. In order to avoid whiffing the shot, the head dips down during the downsing. This head bobbing and dipping can lead to hitting behind the ball (i.e. hitting "fat").

The picture to the right shows an upright takeaway. This is a bit of an exaggerated motion but it does demonstrate the point. Notice how the clubhead is outside of the golf ball. The only way this golfer will be able to make any kind of contact is to loop the club at the top of the swing. You won't notice the upright effects as much with shorter clubs as you will the longer ones. As you move up into the longer irons and woods, more compensation is needed at the top of the swing in order to make contact with the ball.

Proper Golf Swing Path

To get a picture of the proper golf swing path, there are three positions in the golf swing to note. Emulating the golf club positioning in these pictures in your own swing will help ensure that you have a proper golf swing path.

The first swing position to note is at the beginning of the takeway. The clubhead should start to make an inside turn yet still stay in front of the hands. The red diagram in the picture to the right shows how the clubhead is moving to the inside yet still remains outside of the hands. Notice how the shoulders, arms, wrists and hands are still in the same relative position as before the takeway occurred. This is what they call a one-piece takeway. A one-piece takeway is important for a proper golf swing path. The golfer to the right may have a very slightly upward plane but overall, his takeway looks pretty solid.

The next swing position to note is when the shaft is parallel to the ground (or close to it) at the beginning of the backswing.

In a neutral, inside-out swing, the toe of the clubhead should be pointing up at the sky similar to the picture at the right. We placed a club down on the ground to show another dimension of the proper swing path. Notice how the shafts of both clubs are pointed toward the target. While this point may be obvious, it is worth mentioning to avoid any confusion from our new golfers... The transition between the previous picture and this one is gradual. It's not a jerky, pick-up-the-club-quick motion. A fluid takeway happens because the shoulders, arms and hands are working together in unison.

We conclude the proper golf swing path by taking a snapshot at the very top of the swing.

There are two easy ways to determine if your own swing path is correct at the top of your swing. First off, when your shaft is parallel to the ground at the top of the swing, it should be pointing at the target. Since you theoretically could satisfy this test with a flat or upright swing, you can do one more check... Hold your swing at the top. Drop your arms so that the grip touches your body. Similar to the picture at the right, your club should rest on your right shoulder (or left shoulder if you play left-handed). One point to note about the golfer on the right. Although his swing path looks good, he does have a bit of an issue with a flying right elbow. We'll address that issue in another article down the road!

After reading this article, hopefully you have a better understanding of the correct golf swing path. Evaluate your own swing at the check points described above to see for yourself.

The best way to view your own swing path is by placing a full length mirror behind your body. Stop your swing at key takeway points and check the positioning of the club.

By seeing for yourself the proper swing path in your own swing you can more easily master it on the course.

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