Travis Fulton Blog: Keeping the shaft along the plane

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Pat Perez is among a large group of PGA TOUR pros who rely on the big muscles to control the swing.

This just in: Pat Perez just made a birdie, and another, and another, and another. With an eagle on the 90th hole, he put an exclamation mark on his first win on the PGA TOUR. Before I roll on, everyone please take a deep breath and slow down a bit after watching the incredible pace of birdies and eagles over the last five days in Palm Springs.

Listen to Travis Fulton

The TOURAcademy's Travis Fulton breaks down the keys to Pat Perez's victory at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Click to listen

With 48 players finishing at 20-under par or better, Perez topped the Bob Hope Classic field at 33 under and led almost the entire way after an opening round 61. Believe it or not this 61 wasn't even his best start in this event! He opened with a 60 -- that's 6-0 -- in 2006. This year however, Perez was on autopilot for most of the week as his golf swing was in full control and was coupled with a red hot putter that finished first in the field at 25.6 putts per round. It was a full 2.39 putts per round lower than the field average!

With a little turbulence on the final day coming at the 9th hole, Perez hit a nearly perfect approach shot that hit the flag but spun back 15 feet. Perez - on cue - showed some anger, throwing his club at his bag in disgust and complimented his walk to the green with some internal dialogue that one can only imagine.

Perez has always been a very emotional player that has struggled in the Bounce Back category on the PGA TOUR, however this time Perez regrouped and sank the putt for birdie. This birdie placed Perez back in the lead with Stricker, who stumbled home by making a quadruple bogey eight on the next hole, giving way to Perez. Can you imagine making about 30 birdies in five days and then having to write down a quad on your card! Yikes!

It was just an amazing week of low scores. How about Jesper Parnevik shooting 61 on Saturday and missing the cut? Even actor Oliver Hudson got in the mix and shot an impressive 65 opening day. A great show was put on by all to kick off the West Coast Swing.

What Can We Learn
This week was a great example of just how simple the golf swings are getting on the PGA TOUR. Pat Perez is another player I enjoy watching hit golf balls because of how simple and repetitive his swing has become. It is a very powerful motion, yet repeatable with every club in the bag because of how he uses the swing plane. The swing plane is a key component to any good golf swing, as it is the path and angle the club travels along during the swing.

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Mike Weir keeps the club pointed to the right of the target on his backswing.

Perez's swing plane is set up perfectly by how he takes the club back to the top of the swing. Like so many PGA TOUR players today, Perez creates a backswing that sees the entire club shaft move along the swing plane. First, you may have noticed that his swing was short of parallel where the club shaft was not pointing at the target, but rather to the left of the target when viewed from the target line.

Oftentimes, when I show my students this position they feel as if the club shaft would be "laid off". Most amateurs at the top will position the clubshaft too vertical or across the line with the club shaft pointing to the right of the target. This error at the top of the swing is common, and can be quickly fixed to mirror the position of the modern swing on the PGA TOUR.

Like Perez, you saw this same position at the top with the three guys that finished just behind him: John Merrick, Mike Weir and Steve Stricker. Mike Weir's position is probably the most noticeable, as he rehearses this use of the swing plane in his pre-shot routine. At the top of Weir's and Perez's three-quarter length-backswings, you can see how the shaft never reaches parallel or crosses the target line. The clubshaft stays in the flatter angle and allows for a simpler approach back to the ball.

I can't emphasize enough just how much you can learn from this position at the top of the swing. Usually, the better positioned you can get the shaft at the top of the backswing, the better you will play long-term.

The days of the "home bread" swing plane are quickly disappearing. With the use of video, players today get the club shaft set perfect at the top allowing for the simplest return back to the golf ball. So as you hit your next bucket of balls, remember to focus on a shorter three-quarter-length backswing and rotate the shaft so it appears to be a slightly laid-off.

Just Because
I always enjoy tournaments like this because of the addition of the celebrities. Not a bunch of real big names this year, but a few people I have always enjoyed over the years. Remember the two-star professional athlete, Bo Jackson? This was the first time I got to see Bo hit the golf ball and I must say, he didn't have too bad of a swing. How about Peterman? I mean John O'Hurley.

Another good swing that has apparently improved with his time shaking it on "Dancing with the Stars." I don't watch that show, but I heard it was good. Anyway, Alice Cooper was in the field this week as well and by now, may have more PGA TOUR starts then Tiger at this point in his career. I wonder if Alice is playing the Florida Swing this year? And how about Huey Lewis and the News...everyone sing along now:

"L.A., Hollywood, and the Sunset Strip is something everyone should see. Neon lights and....."

Gotta love Huey, I saw him play in concert at the FBR Open years ago. Ah, the good old days. Speaking of the FBR Open, ]it is next on the PGA TOUR, as hundreds of thousands of people get ready to participate in the biggest social gathering on the PGA TOUR.

Go Cardinals!!