[innercityteacher]

Despite the fact Homer outlined , defined all manner of Plane Shifts, when reading the book you do get the impression that he considered plane shifts to be hazardous. However in the audio tapes from the GSEM classes he comes across differently IMO.

Take for example the Turning Shoulder Plane which was far more popular back in the early 80's than it is today. The 80's being the era of "sky high hands" at the top of the backswing. During the '82 GSEM class Greg McHatton related a story to Homer about a pupil of his who after lessons would immediately revert to her Turning Shoulder Plane stroke .... a continual plane shift up and then down if you will..... To which Homer replied ... "well why don't you teach her a Turning Shoulder Plane stroke but with better Alignments if thats what she wants to do?". Go figure! That is in effect an endorsement of a Jim Furyk type stroke from Homer . Wouldn't want to teach it but once somebody's got it just fix it don't wreck it.


Id say that plane shifts do happen . Brian Gay has one , its not very big (and that could be the answer to your question) but its there. I'd personally prefer a small plane shift to Homers zero shift procedure where the Turned Shoulder Plane is aligned to an extremely high Elbow Plane . Those super high hands at address just don't look or feel quite right to me. Moe came close to that you could argue.... and he was pretty good.

By the way in the audio tapes of '82 Homer seems to have a preference for a zero shift procedure where from Address (with the Right Arm on the true or flatter normal Elbow Plane) the club head travels the Turned Shoulder Plane in Startup. A zero shift but a club head plane as opposed to a clubs shaft plane of motion. Suggesting to me that he had refined his single plane procedure from that which he outlined in the 6th edition. Tiger seems to be doing this currently , there's some video of him from this years Pebble Beach tourney where he is clearly doing it but with a shift down in Startdown.

Id don't know what Sean Foley teaches these days but years ago he believed that a "vertical drop" had a mechanical advantage in that it got the arms closer to the body which allowed the pivot to turn faster . Like the figure skater spin deal .... What is that again ? COAM? I can't remember, HB you know I bet.

I don't have a problem with small Plane Shifts personally as the return to the Elbow Plane , the on plane Right Forearm Flying Wedge is IMO critical. Its just such a super strong mechanical alignment. Id gladly shift down to get that thing crushing the ball. So give me the Turned Shoulder Plane for Right Shoulder support and travel in Startdown and the Elbow Plane through the ball but keep em kinda close together from a down the line perspective. Thats where Im at currently anyways.

So level left wrist, Moe Norman like, RFT to a shoulder Plane, and then I drop to elbow plane and roll the shoulder and hammer that puppy! So smooth, so straight! No shift elbow plane pitches=the TRUTH!