D-Plane, golf shot shapes and trajectory
I wanted to take a moment to explain an essential concept in golf that can greatly impact your game – the D-Plane, not to confused with your swing plane.
The "D-Plane," is an important concept when it comes to understanding and controlling the flight of your golf ball.
In simple terms, the D-Plane represents the plane formed between the direction your club is moving in (red arrow below) and the direction the club face is pointing (green arrow below) at impact.
Your golf shots launch on the D-plane.
It is defined by three key components:
The Angle of Attack (AoA): This is the vertical angle at which your clubhead approaches the ball.
The Club Path: This is the horizontal direction in which your clubhead moves through impact.
The Club Face Angle: This refers to the orientation of the clubface at impact – whether it's open, closed, or square to the club path.
The interaction between these three factors determines the initial direction, vertical launch and curvature of your shots. By understanding the D-Plane you can make more intentional adjustments to control the flight of your golf shots and improve your golf game.
James Leitz does a good job of explaining the D-plane in more detail.
