Is Your Golf Swing Steep or Shallow? What Golfers Should Do

• The “shallow” and “steep” swings refer to how much your swing plane angles compared to the shaft during your golf swing.
• A shallow swing has a more horizontal shaft, while a steep swing has a more vertical shaft.
• Steep swings go up and down more quickly, and the club becomes more vertical during the downward motion. Some golfers who use steep swings include Justin Thomas, Hale Irwin, and Branden Grace.
• A shallow swing is one where the clubhead moves around your body more and doesn’t point as high to the sky on the downswing. Throughout most of the movement, it also stays relatively close to the ground. Golfers who use this kind of swing include Lee Trevino, Jon Rahm, and Matt Kuchar.
• Usually, this means you’ll make shallower divots and hit the ball with a positive angle, reducing backspin.

My golf mentor was always preaching about having a steep or shallow golf swing. I never really understood what he was talking about until, one day, we hit the driving range.

He showed me how to make a steep swing by exaggerating the downward motion and then demonstrated a shallow swing by barely lowering his club. After hitting a few balls with each type of swing, it was clear to me that a steep swing produced more power, and a shallow swing resulted in more accuracy.

Now that I understood the difference between a steep and shallow swing, my mentor started teaching me how to control the trajectory of my shots. He explained that you could adjust your swing plane to hit the ball high or low, depending on the shot you want to make.

For example, if you want to hit the ball high in the air, you would need to make a steep downswing and hit the ball up at the same time. Conversely, if you want to send the ball sailing toward the green, you would need to make a shallow downswing and hit the ball squarely at contact.

After practicing these concepts for a while, I started seeing improvement in my golf game. I was hitting the ball further and with more accuracy than ever before. My mentor deserves all the credit for teaching me these essential swing techniques; without him, I would still be struggling to break 100.

So, is your swing too steep or shallow?

A common concern for golf instructors and golfers is how steep the swing plane should be. The plane of the swing (the plane in which the arms, club, and ball travel to hit the ball) is typically angled either flat or slightly upwards.

The straight-in shot requires a smaller angle with a steeper plane than that of an out-to-in shot. Most professional players today employ a shallow angle as it creates backspin on contact with the ground, which will help stop shots on grass.

It also increases the distance of the shot by adding loft to the angle.

It is important that a golfer notes that a steeper angle has more loft than a shallower angle. The extremes are the bunker shot with zero backspin and the pitch shot with maximum backspin. Both shots require a steep swing plane.

Changing steepness is as simple as moving your hands higher on your grip or lowering them lower. Moving them higher will steepen your swing plane, and making it shallower will make it flatter.

How to steep swing in golfing?

The steepness of a golfer’s swing plane can be determined by watching his backswing. As the club travels towards its target, it will travel farther when the arms are extended.

In other words, the angles of approach and follow-through should remain consistent with each other. A shorter draw will have a shallower angle than a longer draw shot; similarly, a higher-than-normal backswing should result in an upward angle in order to hit through the ball.

As a general rule of thumb, the higher a golfer’s hands are on her golf grip, the steeper her swing plane will be. Conversely, if the golfer’s hands are low on her grip, her swing plane will be less steep.

How to shallow swing?

Shallow angle shots can be accomplished by making the club-face smaller, which will make a golfer’s swing plane flatter but still with impact. When hitting the golf ball, the club face should be closed, which can be done by gripping down on the handle or with the palms facing down.

A golfer should maintain a consistent angle of approach throughout the swing and keep his eyes focused on the ball until impact. A shallower angle requires a flatter follow-through than traditional swings, so a golfer should practice making this type of swing until it feels perfectly natural to him.

Golf swing plane and swing speed

In golf, the use of a steep swing plane allows for an increased swing speed as opposed to a shallower angle. The longer the club is in motion, the faster it will travel toward its target.

The steeper the angle is, the greater amount of club face will be exposed to external force, and so more power can be generated.

A shallow plane will result in a slower shot as the club is in motion for longer. A longer club move will result in less club-face exposure to the outside environment.

Therefore a shallower angle will create more loft on the club for better distance. Using a steeper swing plane helps achieve a proper golf swing.

What are the benefits of steep swings?

One of the benefits of a steep swing plane is that it allows for more loft on the ball during impact. The longer the club is in motion, the greater amount of extension can be applied to generate enough loft on the ball.

Another benefit of a steeper swing plane is that it creates more backspin on contact with the ground.

Golfers who are building up their swing speed can use a steeper swing plane as it will help generate more club face coverage to hit through the ball. Using a shallow angle, on the other hand, helps achieve more distance.

It is important for golfers to master both angles as they are required in certain situations during competitive play.

How to master your swing?

When in doubt, the easiest way to gauge the needed angle of your golf swing is to first visualize yourself hitting with your eyes closed. Then, open your eyes and adjust accordingly.

Your eyes help you see where your club will contact the ball, and if you are applying too much loft, angle, or speed, you will be able to visually recognize it right away. The feeling of a proper golf swing is a matter of preference.

However, there are certain fundamentals that every golfer should have incorporated into their own game.

The bottom line

The terms steepness or shallowness are used to describe the angle that the club and subsequent arms and club face travel in order to hit the ball.

It is important for a golfer to understand how to make changes to his swing, as different shots require different degrees of steepness or shallowness.

The above article has explained everything you need to know as a golfer about steep swing and shallow swing.