One Plane Setup...How important is it, what is it, and how does it look??
The Setup establishes the plane with the wrists in an uncocked (ulnar deviated) position, so that the club shaft is on a straight line from the club head through the trail arm elbow. Indicated here by the Yellow Line.
The one plane is established with the club shaft on a straight line through the right elbow, and the right elbow to the right shoulder should have a slight bend as seen below with the Red Line.
The lead left arm in a down-the-line view (DTL) should be readily seen and is above the trail arm as shown below with the Green Line.
As seen below the purple line represents the traditional setup position of the 2 plane swing. This has been taught to golfers forever as the proper setup. In the 2 plane swing, the hands and arms are lowered so that the club shaft angle is on a plane, and the arms are on another plane as the purple line illustrates.
Contrast this to the yellow line that represents the 1 plane golfer, where the club shaft and the arms are on the same plane! The red arrow indicates how the arms and uncocked hands are raised to be on the same plane as the club shaft! From the face-on-view the body tilt away from the target (15°) and the uncocked wrists, make it very east to setup with the arms on the same plane as the club shaft!
The key points in the One Plane Golfer Setup are:
The club shaft is on a straight line to the lead shoulder in face-on view. (yellow line)
The club shaft is on a straight line through the right trail elbow in down-the-line view.
The wrists are raised in an uncocked ulnar deviated position so that the arms are in a straight line down through the shaft to the club head. (purple circle)
The lead arm in the down-the-line view is readily seen and is above the trail arm. (green line)
The right elbow is tucked to the right hip. (light blue circle)
The side tilt is 15° away from the target. (green line)
The lead foot is slightly flared to the target. (white arrow)
The chest is over the ball. (green line)
The head is behind the ball. (blue circle)
The weight is 55-60% onto the left lead hip/knee/foot. (red arrow)
This setup is the foundation of the One Plane Swing and is easy to adapt to your current game. Use a mirror to check your OPS setup, then begin making small short swings.
Dr. Chris Nix
**For more information on the One Plane Swing the One Plane Golfer eBook is available for sale on the homepage of this site. It's a beautifully illustrated description of the One Plane Swing and how to apply it to your game.
