Swing Plane is one of the most technical aspects of the golf swing, and was first examined in detail by Ben Hogan in his seminal instruction book 'The Modern Fundamentals of Golf', published in 1955.

What's the theory? If you picture your swing like a wheel, with your left arm (or right if your left-handed) as the spoke and your body as the axel, the wheel is tilted at an angle to the axel.

As you swing, the wheel spins first one way (backswing) and then the other (followthru).

Both actions should rotate on the same plane, allowing the clubhead to contact the ball square to whatever direction you initially set up to aim in.

How do you check it? The best way to check your swing plane is NOT to fiddle around with your stance, grip and trun, but to have a friend help you.

With club in hand set your normal address position and then ask someone to stand in front of you and hold a second club in front of, next to, and at the same angle as the club you are holding. The club they are holding shows the slope (swing plane) of your club at address.

Now, take a slow backswing and stop when your hands get to shoulder height. Your friend, keeping hold of the original club he\she was holding with the right hand, can now reach up and grasp your club with his\her left hand.

Now that 'your assistant' is holding both clubs you can let go of the club and walk backwards until you can see the slope on the two clubs. The clubs should be PARALLEL if you've taken the club back in plane. Ben Hogan (right) perfectly illustrates swing plane. Hogan was the first player to deconstruct the swing plane and confirm it as a key element of the modern golf swing.

Try this exercise again, but this time ask your friend to place a club along the line of your feet. At the top of your swing, if you have executed the previous move correctly, your club should be pointing in roughly the same direction as your feet and hips are aimed, as demonstrated by Hogan himself (above).

Summary: Swing plane is not something you should consiously worry about when playing. In practice, have a friend look at it, and if you need to make adjustments, they should all be done in the first half of the backswing as detailed above.