Model used to explain ball flight
The D Plane is amodel used to explain ball flight. The D Plane consists of two vectors: the top vector is the 3D Club Face and the bottom vector is the 3D Club Path. The ball will start between the two vectors and curve towards the Club Face vector.

What is the D Plane of the golf swing?

Professor Jorgensen investigated the golf swing using scientific models and equations to understand the frustrating game we know and love. When studying the flight of the ball, and asking which factors cause the ball to move the way it does, Jorgensen quantified the cause; the D Plane.

What is a D-Plane golf ball?

In short, this was a theory that originated in the book The Physics of Golf by Theodore Jorgensen and later popularized by Trackman Golf. The “D-Plane” is an extension of our “new ball flight laws” which provides a more comprehensive model for understanding spin and ball flight.

What is the D-Plane golf theory?

D-Plane Golf. In short, this was a theory which originated in the book The Physics of Golf by Theodore Jorgensen, and later popularized by Trackman Golf. The “D-Plane” is an extension of our “new ball flight laws” which provides a more comprehensive model for understanding spin and ball flight.

What is the “D” in golf balls?

The “D” simply stands for “Descriptive”. The Descriptive Plane, as it’s formally known, does exactly what the name suggests; it’s a plane that describes something. In this case, it describes certain conditions at impact and the flight of the golf ball.

How does a headwind affect a golf ball?

This is simply because a headwind causes more lift, causing the ball to stay in the air longer, while a tailwind causes less lift, forcing the ball downwards towards the ground.

What is the D plane in golf?

The “D-Plane” is an extension of our “new ball flight laws” which provides a more comprehensive model for understanding spin and ball flight. In the previous post, I covered the basics of ball flight, while in this post, I will be getting into additional factors such as why the ball rises, and how weather conditions affect ball-flight.

What happens when a golf ball spins?

When the ball spins, the rough surface of the golf ball (thanks to the dimples) grabs hold of a layer of air (red dashes), and drags it in a clockwise direction (the direction of the spin).

Why does a ball lift?

Once again, fluids move from high pressure to low pressure, and thus the ball is “lifted” as a result of the dimples and spin. In addition to this lift, the ball still experiences drag as a result of the high pressure at the front of the ball compared to the low pressure at the back of the ball.

What is dynamic loft?

Simply put, the dynamic loft is represented by a perpendicular vector to the club-face at impact. On drivers and fairway woods, the faces have a slight convex shape to them, which means that the dynamic loft will be increased/decreased when struck high or low on the face. As you may infer, the dynamic loft is largely responsible for the initial trajectory of the golf shot.

Why is the D plane useful?

It is a useful model because of how intuitive it is. If you tilt the D-Plane, the spin axis is tilted, and the ball curves. If you increase the angle between line #1 (the sum vector of club path angle and angle of attack) and line #2 (the dynamic loft/club face angle), you increase the amount of spin.

What happens when air stops at the front center of a ball?

What is happening is the air at the front-center of the ball is stopping completely, causing an area of high pressure. The air that doesn’t stop at the front-center will move at a higher speed around the ball, and will continue in a tangential path to the top and bottom of the ball as indicated in area “A” and “B.”.

What would happen if the golf club was swung vertically?

This might be a better way to understand it: If the golf club was swung on an entirely vertical plane (90 degrees) then ALL points in the swing, up and down, would be swinging at the target. This is physically impossible on an incline. So with that in mind, we learn something critical about the “true path: of the swing. It is not simply directional. It is a combination of the up and down in conjunction with the left and right. This is why video can NEVER show the true path. Video is a 2-dimensional representation of a 3-dimensional motion! The knowledge of this, thanks to Trackman, FlightScope, etc., has all but revolutionized teaching.

What is the horizontal gear effect in golf?

We have what is known as horizontal gear effect, which actually helps straighten the flight of the golf ball, when hit off center.

Why was the D plane popularized?

He used the term D Plane because it “described” the collision of the golf club and golf ball. His findings were somewhat controversial because he took issue with prevailing ball flight and impact theories;

What happens if you hit the golf ball before you reach low point?

Because remember: If you hit the golf ball BEFORE you reach low point, which of course you should on any shot on the ground, at impact your path is in-to-out. This will give you a club face that is closed RELATIVE to the path, and curve the golf ball to the left (for a right handed player.)

What is club face orientation?

The club face orientation, which is a combination of dynamic loft and face angle.

Can you hit a straight shot with an in-to-in path?

Technically you cannot hit a straight shot with an in-to-in path aimed at the target . The more DOWN you swing, the more you need to aim or swing left. The more UP you swing (driver), the more you need to swing or aim right. It’s that simple.

What does the D plane mean in golf?

This D Plane describes the flight of a push. The final D Plane on the right shows a push draw flight. The normal to the clubface points right of target and the clubhead path more so to the right.

What is the plane of paper?

The plane is the flat, two-dimensional space between those two lines.

How do you define a plane?

A plane is flat, two-dimensional surface, much like a sheet of paper. For a plane to exist, it requires two intersecting vectors. A vector, in layman’s terms, is a quantity of something that also has a direction. For our sheet of paper, its vectors are its width and height (but no depth, that’s negligible and we’ll pretend it’s a true two-dimensional surface). The width and height of the sheet of paper have a quantity which we could measure using a ruler. The width and height also have directions. Holding a sheet of paper up in front of you, you can say the width vector starts at the bottom left corner of the sheet, and travels in a straight line from left to right, ending at the right bottom corner. The height vector again begins at the bottom left corner and travels upwards in a straight line, from bottom to top, ending at the top left corner of the sheet of paper.

What is a D plane?

The D Plane. The D Plane is a term you may have come across in golfing forums or instruction videos online. It’s a concept known for being difficult to understand, and hard to find a thorough, yet simple explanation of. I hope by the end of this chapter however, you will know exactly what the D Plane is. The D Plane is a term first coined by the …

What is the blue line on a golf ball?

This isn’t strictly true as you’ll see the blue line is slightly below the normal to the clubface. This is because the collision between the club and ball is “inelastic”,(1)meaning there is loss of kinetic energy during impact. This loss of energy is described by a concept known as the “coefficient of restitution”. (2)Put simply, the less energy lost during impact, the closer to the normal of the clubface, and further, the ball will fly.

What is vector in math?

A vector, in layman’s terms, is a quantity of something that also has a direction. For our sheet of paper, its vectors are its width and height (but no depth, that’s negligible and we’ll pretend it’s a true two-dimensional surface).

What is the green line on a D plane?

The green line points towards the area of low air pressure around the ball, the direction the ball will curve towards.

How to swing a low lofted golf club?

After impact you hand will continue forward and out. You should also be making contact with the ball on the upswing. In other words by the time you hit the ball the swing arc has already passed its lowest point and the club head is moving upward at impact.

Is it bad to swing with short irons?

The bottom line is that your golf swing changes depending on the club you hit. This is not a bad thing so don’t try to fight it. Chances are if you hit your short irons really well but struggle with longer clubs you are good at swinging from the outside-in but need to work on swinging a bit more to the outside on your longer clubs.

Does physics help golf?

Understanding the intricacies of the physics of a golf swing won’t really help your game. Knowing how to practically apply the lessons from physics to your golf swing will help your game.

What is a golf swing plane?

The plane is an imaginary flat surface used to describe the path and angle on which the club swings. The golf swing consists of the backswing plane and the downswing plane, and can be on plane, upright (above the plane) or flat (below the plane). Former PGA Tour professional Ben Hogan popularized the swing plane in his 1957 book "Five Lessons;

What happens if a golf club is on a plane in the downswing?

If the club is on plane in the downswing, the club will travel straight down the target line. The result will be a straight shot–if the clubface is square, or facing the target at impact.

Why is a flatter swing better?

The flatter swing has a better chance of staying connected, making it easier to time the swing. It also causes the ball to come off the clubface on a lower trajectory with a tendency to draw, if the clubface is square to the target.

How does each golfer determine his swing plane?

Each golfer has his own swing plane, determined by his body type and the club he is using.

Is a tilt like a Ferris wheel?

That tilt can be upright like a Ferris Wheel, flat like a baseball swing or somewhere in between.

Is a 5 foot 2 golfer flat?

A 5-foot-2 golfer holds a 40-inch-long club at more of an angle (flatter) than a 6-foot-2 golfer; therefore, a shorter golfer will tend to have a flatter on-plane swing than a taller golfer. If that same 5-foot-2 golfer swings the club below that plane, his swing is flat in relation to the plane.

What is a single plane swing?

One plane swing is also known as single plane swing. Many body parts are moving during a swing. Your left arm (for right-handed golfers) and shoulder should move in unison and follow the same plane that your golf club has. The key component in a single plane swing is the rotation of your body and how strong it is.

What is the ultimate goal of a swing plane?

The ultimate goal is that your swing plane guides you toward making a square clubface on impact.

How to make your swing go off plane?

Hinge your wrists properly to create motion. If you do not hinge it correctly and at the right time, then your swing will be off plane

What muscles are needed for a single plane swing?

This entails that you are flexible with strong rotator cuffs, abdominal, and latissimus muscles. Having such strong muscles will help you unwind with ease to drive more power on your downswing. 2.

How to improve your golf swing?

Find out your ideal swing plane based on your body type, more particularly, by the length of your arms. Do the drills to improve your golf swing. Use training aids to speed up the process of learning how to swing correctly.

How to get back to the first plane on a downswing?

You can do this by focusing on your body rotation as the main driving force behind hitting the ball instead of your hands or arms. Hinge your wrists properly to create motion.

How to hit a golf club with a 45 degree angle?

STEP 1: Position the shaft of your driver at a 45 degree angle relative to the ground during address . STEP 2: Swing your club to the right until your left arm is across your chest and the shaft is parallel to the ground, more specifically, the target line .

Why Does Being on Plane It Matter?

Swing plane matters for two reasons, distance, and direction. If you want to hit the ball both long and straight, you will need to get your golf swing on plane.

What are some common mistakes in swing planes?

For some golfers this means that you are going to be upright or over the plane line or shallow and under the plane line. These two mistakes are going to lead to much different results.

What are the different types of swing planes?

Types Of Golf Swing Plane. There are two basic types of golf swing plane. They are the one plane swing and the two plane swing. Most golfers will fall into one of these two categories without fully understanding what this even means. Both swing methods are effective.

What is swing plane?

Golf swing plane is a term that many golfers throw around. These golfers will call themselves one or two plane swingers without truly understanding what this means. There are lots of theories about swing plane out there. With more than twenty-five years of experience and having taught hundreds of students, I can honestly say there is no one way …

Why do golf clubs go up and down?

The golf club is intended to swing up on the plane and back down on the plane for maximum results. Sometimes golfers will swing a club upright, and this will cause them to be above the plane line. Other golfers will swing the club too shallow and end up under the plane line. Swing plane in golf is critical.

Why is swing plane important in golf?

Swing plane in golf is critical. In order for players to learn to perfect the golf game, they must learn how to get the club on the right path.

What are the characteristics of a two plane swinger?

Some characteristics will remain true of all two plane golf swingers. Here are a few of them. Medium width stance with a slightly more upright spine angle. Two plane swingers are going to have a lot more hip rotation and movement than that of a one plane swinger. Hands end up very high at the top of the golf swing.