It always amazes me how little attention golf instructors pay to the Plane beyond the golf swing. Maybe it’s only relevant to these well-meaning folks because it is touched by the golf club as it moves around the golfer? Isn’t it important to know that the Plane is in an extended relationship with the intended start line and the ball, if only by default? The Plane extends past the golf shot in both directions to infinity, if you choose to believe. So, why would we not discuss what is significant about the space “Above” and “Below” the Plane if it extends beyond the target?

The first thing I want to clarify are the definitions. “The Plane” is the swing plane. The Plane does not necessarily parallel the target line nor the line of the feet. “Above” the Plane means any space on the outside of the Plane, from the ball to the highest extension of clubhead movement. It is the space that extends away from the front of the golfer with the Plane as the dividing line. The golfer’s head occupies this space. “Below” the Plane means any space on the inside of the Plane from the ball to the highest extension of clubhead movement. It is the space occupied by the feet – backwards, with the Plane as the dividing line.

All things being equal, a draw or hook goes further than a fade or slice, as we all know. So why would any sensible golfer choose a fade in navigating a golf course for any reason other than that it is widely known that tour players do it? Control, of course, is the answer. Control of a golf shot can be summarized by Lee Trevino best, I think. He said, “You can talk to a fade, but a hook won’t listen.” But, why do you suppose this is the case? After all, a draw is the more powerful, penetrating shot shape.

Power must equal efficiency, mustn’t it? Well, yes – in the production of clubhead speed it is irreplacable. But once the ball leaves the clubhead, the player’s power (i.e. control) atrophies very quickly, but the influence exerted by practiced, efficient movement remains to guide the ball through the elements. The point is that efficiency is not always about power alone. It is about seeking power and precision. Possessing one without the other is useless because the pursuit of only one precludes the possession of the other – leaving the golfer with one long-drive story per month to talk about.

It’s like the way that parents raise their children. They provide a consistent and powerful message to control the development of their child’s values and belief system with parameters they believe best, and then hope for the best. You try to keep them ‘above the Plane with a fade’ because the result is easier to control. Then, one day they won’t listen… they rebel. That is the metaphorical fade double-cross, in golf swing parlance. You might watch them hook it out of bounds by not calling at a certain time, as instructed.

Then, you say, “As long as you live under my roof, you’ll do as I say”. And you ground them for a week using the fade system under which they were raised. Control… it is important to alleviate parental fears of the unknown. It’s why humanity developed Mathematics. Anyway, one day, the child grows up and moves out. The ball has left the clubface. Parental control dissipates, except for that initial, powerful, consistent message to play a fade throughout life (a push draw at worst), which continues to influence their ’round’.

The fade influence represents good, responsible parenting/ball-striking intent (ad.sic.) The law or some measure of character is the metaphorical Plane. Above the Plane is good, below it is a crapshoot. Some have to break below the Plane to feel powerful once out of ten times but lose control of the power nine out of ten times. A snap hook may develop without fade intent. Certain golfers feel power FROM control. These are the people that history remembers fondly.

Now that my metaphor is completed, let’s get back on topic. We ask How, What, Where, and When we should hit a fade, and yet no one ever addressed the “Why” beyond the ‘because the best players hit a fade’ argument. Well, here is your answer….

A fade is above the Plane. It is easier to control because it is above the Plane. The fade is identified by a ball that begins on a starting line, which is invariably diverging from the line of the feet. The ball then flies straight only to fall above the Plane, which bisects the starting line at ground-level, on its descent back to Earth. For right-handed golfers, ‘above’ is to the right of the starting line, and for leftys – to the left.

While it is true that someone can hit a pull fade, the fact that it’s starting line is under the Plane precludes the possibility for repeatability and power. This is true because the clubhead has to pass the hands before impact, which requires an early release and consequent deceleration of the clubhead. The most repeatable and well-behaved, law-abiding fades begin either in-line with the feet at set up or above the Plane.

Now, it’s not the fade that creates control. Wait…huh!?

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy