If you have been a golf fanatic like me for almost 20 years, you will know that one of the best ball strikers next to Ben Hogan in history of golf was Moe Norman.
Moe Norman is a Canadian golfer who didn’t play as many US tour events as he should have but he’s regarded as the best ball striker by many people.
Another great Canadian golfer is George Knudson, a golfer Jack Nicklaus said that had one of the best swings in golf.
Anyways, let’s look at the one-swing plane Moe Norman teaches and I can tell you that it’s not that much different from Tiger’s swing except the setup.
As you can see, Moe Norman “says” he teaches 1-plane swing, but he actually is a little bit under the plane. In that regards, Tiger’s swing is more on-plane.
Mind you, Moe Norman is a great golfer and teacher but do as he says not as he does. (His swing is off-plane here as evidenced on the screenshot)
At the top of Moe Norman’s swing, you can see that Moe is perfectly on-plane. Now, Tiger swing way past 3/4 so we can compare Tiger’s 3/4 position to Moe Norman.
As you can see, there’s no difference between the two great golfers. Their start setup might be different but MOST pro tour players do end up in the similar top of backswing positions, impact, and followthrough.
Now, half-way downswing, you can see that both players are slightly under the plane, both of which are fine for crisp inside-out strike.
There are a lot of “myths” out on the internet that Moe Norman’s swing is a unique swing. The setup is unique but the other parts are the same.
So which setup is better for striking the ball?
I think that either setup is great. Moe Norman prefers to setup so his arms and hands are on-plane at address. This isn’t something natural for most golfers and I like to take the regular “hang the arms” style setup.
The fact is that at impact, your arms and hands straighten out anyways, so I don’t feel the need to setup like that unless you are a hardcore fan of Moe Norman.
At impact, notice that both golfers are pretty much identical except Tiger’s taller so he seems to be coming at a more vertical angle but in reality, both players are achieving the same thing.
The point of this post?
Well, there are a lot of instructors out there that “claim” they can teach you the 1-swing plane.
Well, folks, the truth is that the 1-swing plane is something that Tiger and many other tour players implement.
The only thing Moe Norman does differently is his setup and if you want to learn that and pay some golf schmuck couple hundred bucks, go ahead but golf in essence is same whether you learn Moe’s method or anyone elses.
My 1-swing Plane Theory
My 1-swing plane theory is not something I learned from another teacher. It has come from analyzing and studying the best players in slow-motion, at tournaments, and playing high-pressure tournaments myself to see what worked or not.
If you look at any of my video swing analysis, you will see the plane line I set from the ball through the middle of right shoulder socket. This is the plane that Tiger Woods and Moe Norman uses. It’s a great plane to follow because it allows the golfer to get back to the golf ball from the top of the backswing with minimal manipulation such as “arms dropping” and etc…etc…
I’ve also noticed that more and more players are adopting the 1-swing plane on tour. It’s simply a better way to hit the ball and puts less stress on your back when done right.
So how to achieve this 1-swing plane?
Well, I can’t tell you all the secrets but yes, I am working on an e-book that will show you some simple drills that help you achieve this goal.
Here’s Moe Norman’s swing in action for your reference but don’t go buy some stupid instructions on the web:
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