Designed to make one of golf’s most effective training aids even more versatile, The Swing Plate is revolutionising the use of alignment rods for practice. The brain child of U.K. PGA Professional Jamie Brittain, the Swing Plate secures alignment rods in a static horizontal attachment for alignment and an adjustable swing plane attachment that provides a corrective guide for several of the most common faults in the golf swing. Combined with tutorial videos available at www.theswingplate.com The Swing Plate can help golfers of all abilities get the best out of their practice.
PGA Professional Jamie Brittain used alignment rods in many of his lessons but felt that they could be deployed to better effect by both coaches and golfers. He explains, “Walk down any golf range, from a local public course to the PGA Tour, and you will see players practicing with alignment rods. Whether laid flat or pushed into the turf at an angle, these visual guides for the swing are incredibly useful. It occurred to me that by adding adjustability and precision, you could use them more effectively and also to practice different parts of the golf swing.”
The Swing Plate is a robust, high quality portable unit that fits in a golf bag. The free-standing unit needs no anchoring, even in windy conditions, and is ideal for use on grass, artificial golf range or indoor studio It features two 8mm attachment points that are compatible with all standard sized alignment rods. The horizontal attachment is fixed, and acts as a guide for alignment in the traditional manner associated with alignment rods. The adjustable attachment moves from vertical through to horizontal and fixes in place at whatever angle the golfer or coach needs for any particular drill. The unit is currently being used on several Pro Tours including by brand ambassadors, European Tour coach Liam James and recent Ladies European Tour winner Amy Boulden.
The use of angled rods is most common as a guide to swing plane for golfers who might have a shallow or steep path. The adjustable attachment on The Swing Plate can be set to the precise path for golfers to follow, promoting the desired plane and a consistent swing, but the applications of the unit do not stop there as Jamie continues, “Because The Swing Plate can be moved around the practice area and be easily set to precise angles, I’ve developed several drills that I show on my website. With a few simple adjustments you can set up the Swing Plate to guide the correct swing plane, promote a positive weight transfer, eliminate a backswing sway, improve body rotation and minimise head movement. These are key features of a great golf swing and The Swing Plate can help with them all.”
The success of The Swing Plate in just a few months since its initial design has been phenomenal, with coaches and golfers all across the world using it to hone their technique. The Swing Plate has even made it on to the Tour. European Tour coach Michael Welch has commented, “I’ve used The Swing Plate for some time now. Very simple aid which can be used in multiple ways. A must have in every golfers bag.” While fellow European Tour coach Liam James said, “The Swing Plate is an invaluable tool for every level of golfer. It is both portable and versatile”
The Swing Plate can be purchased for $89.99 via www.golftrainingaids.com and users can access drills that Jamie has designed at www.theswingplate.com
Follow @theswingplate on social media for the latest drills from coaches and golfers around the world.
