Plane and Simple

Bryson DeChambeau is a breed apart. He has a single-plane swing and plays irons and wedges that are all one length. The Tour rookie does things his way—and if you try his unorthodox yet easy tips, you’ll simplify your swing and pure every shot.

- David DeNunzio

Anyone can make a good swing. The trick is repeating it. That’s why I spent a decade ridding my motion of needless movements. Why? Because simplicity creates consistency! My biggest epiphany: You don’t have to “drop down” in the transition—two swing planes is one too many. You’ll hit it better using one plane, back and through. Odds are, you make the swing harder than it needs to be. So try my single-plane move. You’re five steps away from great ball striking and lower scores.

1 GRIP THE CLUB IN YOUR PALM, NOT YOUR FINGERS

Most golfers are taught to grip the club in the fingers, to help create more club head speed. But research shows that your hands contribute only 10 percent to your overall swing velocity. Would you trade just a little speed for a grip that lets you hit a lot more fairways and greens? I thought so. (Don’t worry—I’ll show you how to get back those missing mph’s a bit later).

Step one in establishing a single-plane swing: Place the grip in the middle of your left palm, then wrap your digits around the handle (bottom photo, right). Your hold will feel more secure, and the grip will sit higher in your hands, creating the ideal angle for a single-plane swing. In a finger grip, the shaft sits too flat in your hands, adding a needless variable to your motion. To ramp up your control, try a thicker grip, like I have. Using a palm hold on a standard-size grip often makes it difficult to get your left-hand pinkie all the way around the handle. You need all 10 fingers on the club to consistently catch the ball square.

2 USE MY “IMPACT FIX POSITION” TRIGGER