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The Single Plane vs. Traditional

There are numerous Traditional ball striking methods.  Simply watch the PGA Tour and you will see hundreds of professional golfers playing the game with many styles and techniques.Moe Norman and the Graves Golf Academy recognize that playing the game of golf and ball striking are not the same.

Arguably the best player in Canada in his day, with over 17 course records, Moe even said, “I am the best ball striker – not the best player”.

Golf is a game where the goal is to hole the golf ball in the fewest strokes possible in the course of 18 holes.  Ball striking is an important part of that goal.

Golf, however, is regarded as one of the most difficult games to learn because ball striking with traditional methods is difficult.  Everyone should be striving to learn an easier, more simplified way to play.

Here is a simple demonstration of why traditional methods, those being taught today, are biomechanicaly complicated and why Moe Norman single plane mechanics are easier to learn, repeat and ultimately simplify ball striking for everyone.

Traditional Golf – Address to Impact

Traditional golf methods generally all address the ball where the arms hang below the shoulders in a straight down fashion.  This “hanging” of the arms creates what the Graves Golf Academy considers a two plane address position.

This two plane (club at address vs. club at impact) relationship is a significant variable as all golfers will impact the club with the shaft running directly through mid-back.The movement from the lower plane (red) to the upper plane (yellow) is significant.  The traditional golfer, in this case David Toms, uses significant rotation of his body as well as an upward movement of the spine.

Moe Norman Golf Swing

This mid-back impact plane is exactly where Moe Norman addressed the golf ball thus resulting in a single plane address position.

The Single Plane / Spine Intersect

Moe Norman Golf Swing Mid Spine Intersect
The mid-spine intersect is simply the place where the club shaft and spine will intersect at impact.  This relationship is fundamentally based in biomechanics and directly related to how you hold the club in the lead hand.  Other factors that relate to this intersection are:
  • Correct posture / bend from waist
  • Correct lead hand grip position – club in fingers under heel pad (forms angle of lead arm and grip)
  • Club fitting – making sure the club correctly fit when the shaft intersects with spine

The Single Plane Golf Swing – Address to Impact

The single plane golf swing shows that the club shaft and spine / intersect is maintained from address to impact thus reducing the amount of upward motion of the spine.  By reducing the movement of the spine, the golfer can reduce the stress on the spine thus reducing the movement of the body resulting in more consistency.  One notable effect that is immediately noticeable is that the single plane golf swing allows both feet to remain on the ground through impact – a clear indication that the spine / shaft intersect relationship is maintained.
Moe Norman Golf Swing
By addressing the club on the same plane that it will impact makes the Moe Norman Single Plane Golf Swing™ biomechanically superior to the traditional methods.