Plane Concepts

What is the concept of plane in golf?
A plane is a flat surface. Vertical, horizontal or in betweens.

If you looked at a circle from front on, then looked at that same circle from side on it would appear as in Image 1.

If you tilted or inclined the circle over and then looked at that same image from side on it would appear as in Image 2.

Note the optical illusion. Both circles are of the same dimensions.

Because golf is a side-on game as we are standing to the side of the ball, planes in golf are tilted circles or ellipses. The side on views or down the target line views are seen as lines or plane lines. There are many planes to draw lines on in the full golf swing but in putting as the stroke is relatively small its simplest to move the putter along ONE simple plane line. This line is the angle of the shaft at address and can be drawn up the shaft. If the shaft stays on this plane line back and through it is considered “on-plane.”

What path does the putter’s clubhead take?
As the shaft moves straight along the inclined plane the putterhead moves inwards and upwards. A flatter plane will see the head move inwards and upwards “relative to the target line” to a greater amount, whereas an upright plane will see the head move inwards and upwards to a lesser amount. The amount that this happens is the Plane angle. Plane determines Clubhead Path. The putterhead travels along the inclined plane.

What does the putter face do?
Ideally the putter face stays at right angles to the plane. The face stays square to the path if the shaft is on plane. If the shaft is off plane then you will need to fix it up with an error in the face to compensate or misaim for the error. Hardly a consistent way of doing something simply.

What’s the reason we have a lie angle on putters.
Fact is putting is a side-on game where we stand to the side of the golf ball. The putter has a lie angle built into it where the shaft comes out of the putter somewhere from the head at an angle. This LIE ANGLE is approx 72 degrees. A flatter lie angle would be around 68 to 71 degrees. A more upright angle would be 73 to 78 degrees.

What’s the difference between lie angle and plane angle?
The lie angle of a putter is the angle from the centreline of the shaft to the sole of the club when it is soled evenly. The plane angle is the same as the lie angle if the putter is soled evenly or flat at address. Some players putt with the toe of the putter up or the heel up so the lie angle is then not the same as the plane angle of the putter. Therefore the plane angle is the most important factor. Plane angle negates lie angle.

So doesn’t lie angle matter?
Yes its true that lie angle when relating to loft is a factor. The more loft on the club the more of an influence it has on true clubface alignment. A putter has approx. 2 to 5 degrees of loft so lie angle doesn’t skew the true face alignment compared to apparent face alignment very much at all. A 60 degree loft sandwedge with a bad lie angle will skew radically the true clubface alignment relative to apparent face alignment.

Whats true alignment and apparent face alignment?
Golf clubs are manufactured with the leading edge and face aiming at the target when it is soled evenly at impact. If the toe arrives UP at impact the leading edge may look square (Apparent) but the clubface is actually aimed left of target (True). If the heel is UP at impact the leading edge may look square(Apparent) but the clubface is in fact aimed right (True).