Tommy Fleetwood secured his first PGA Tour victory with a win at teh Tour Championship at East Lake, also claiming the fedex Cup title.The triumph marked a career-defining moment for Fleetwood after a challenging season.
Fleetwood recently offered a glimpse into his preparation,showcasing a favored practice drill that utilizes a training aid known as the Swing Plane perfector. this device, developed by Michael bannon, a renowned swing coach, is designed to help golfers refine their swing path.
Fleetwood’s Signature Range Drill
The Swing Plane Perfector is essentially a stand that holds two alignment rods. It provides tactile and visual feedback,establishing a reference point for an optimal swing path. Fleetwood identifies three key areas he focuses on during practice: spine angle, shaft angle, and arm track.
“This [using the swing plane perfector] for me basically takes care of the one that I would probably struggle the most with at early stages in my career would be the shaft angle. Keeps me nice and on plane,” Fleetwood explained.
To set up, Fleetwood places one rod along his target line.A second rod is positioned at a slight angle, about two to two-and-a-half feet from his trail foot. This angled rod serves as a visual guide for his intended arm movement throughout the swing, ensuring it stays on plane. The proximity of the device allows him to feel any deviations from his ideal swing plane.
I Tried It: This simple training aid will easily improve your ball striking
This setup also helps fleetwood ensure he’s not developing unconscious bad habits. “It’s easy to cheat something like this and think it’s doing you a lot of good,” he noted. “But if you get that wrong you could easily come over the top and cut across the ball.”
He demonstrated that an over-the-top swing would collide with the object placed near the ball. “So now, I can’t cheat my takeaway,” Fleetwood said, gesturing to the alignment rod, “and I can’t cheat my impact.”
Fleetwood finds that the structure provided by the drill allows for greater freedom in his swing. “The more constrained I’ve made certain aspects of my golf swing, the absolute freeer I can feel,” he said. “The more I feel like I can turn, the harder I feel I can hit it as I’ve stayed in such a good, structured place.”
Fleetwood’s practice routine underscores the importance of fundamental drills for even elite golfers. Focusing on swing plane and impact awareness can lead to increased consistency on the course.
