A stick planted behind you at your address-shaft angle gives instant feedback on whether your takeaway and downswing are tracking the same plane.
intermediate10 slow-motion reps before each session1-2 alignment sticks
How to perform it
1.Push an alignment stick into the ground a couple of feet behind your back toe, angled to roughly match your shaft angle at address.
2.Make slow, exaggerated practice swings, feeling the clubhead travel back along the stick's angle.
3.Continue down, feeling the club return along that same angle rather than steepening or flattening.
4.Build up to full speed once the slow reps consistently track the stick's line.
What you should learn
•What an on-plane takeaway feels like compared to picking the club up too steep or dragging it too far inside.
•How the backswing plane and downswing plane should match.
After a few weeks of practice
Your takeaway stops drifting off-plane, your strike becomes more consistent, and the steep or flat compensations later in the swing start to disappear.