Set Up for Impact Golf Swing
As the name of his website suggests, the type of golf swing PGA Coach Kirk Junge promotes is oriented around having the stance and golf club “set up for impact.” It is what is termed a “single plane” swing, a type of swing first associated with Canadian professional golfer Moe Norman. Moe was recognized among the best-ever “ball strikers” for his ability to accurately hit shot-after-shot perfectly straight.
One most notable current PGA pro who uses a single plane you may recognize. Bryson DeChambeau, who is also an advocate of single length irons.
When you scroll down this page you’ll find a slow-motion video of Kirk’s swing highlighting some of the essential features. To follow are what I believe are some of the key elements he emphasizes.
See Reviews of More Body Friendly Golf Swing Methods
The Single Plane Golf Club Setup
Junge’s theory is a golfer should set up the stance and club in a fashion quite similar to how the body and club behaves as it is about to strike the ball. From that setup the club is drawn back on an arc and plane that is very similar to how it is swung forward to strike the ball. The following two pictures illustrate how Junge’s setup is different from the accepted standard PGA golf setup.
The Single Plane Golf Club Backswing
Also different from the traditional PGA manner of taking the club back, Junge moves the club back on the plane setup by his right arm and the shaft of the club. As illustrated in the following two pictures, the golf club is not taken back to the inside per conventional golf wisdom.
Grip Leads the Golf Club as it Strikes the Ball
Junge’s setup involves a slight forward lean of the golf club. That is because he wants the grip to lead the golf club at and through impact with the golf ball. This promotes a square face, a straight path, and a shallow club through striking the ball. It also facilitates a slight lag and acceleration of the club head. (See photo below)
Other Elements of the Junge Single Plane Swing
While I’ve noted 3 essential features of Junge’s swing method, his complete instruction program has many other elements geared to help the golfer master this swing. Two of these are also somewhat a departure from conventional teaching.
The Golf Grip
Traditional golf instruction stipulates a neutral grip with the palms facing one another square to the target line. Junge’s philosophy is that everyone’s hands, fingers, and arms are different. For some, the conventional way of gripping the club may not feel natural. Junge himself favors what is considered a “strong left-hand grip” which he believes helps him square the face at impact. For me, that is also my most natural feel for gripping the club. When relaxed my left hand naturally turns inward. If I align my grip according to conventional teaching, my hand wants to naturally open the club face when the club meets the ball.
YouTube Golf Coach Andrew Cullen has a great video demonstrating on how you can determine what ought to be your most natural style of gripping the golf club.
Jumbo Golf Club Crip
Conventional golf grips are designed around the teaching of gripping the club in the fingers. Here also Junge favors a natural feel to gripping the club. For some people having contact with the palm may feel more natural. For people with arthritis or who have issues with grip strength this may be quite important.
A few years ago Junge experimented the JumboMax line of golf club grips. As the name implies, the Jumbo Msx grips are a good deal larger than conventional grips. Although the JumboMax’s themselves come in several sizes . . . even the “small” JumboMax is larger than what is marketed as “large” among other grip manufacturers. Junge found the JumboMax fit naturally in his hands and made it easy to swing the club without his grip slipping. He found that around 80% of his clients who try them actually hit the ball more consistently.
I am with those 80% of Kirk’s clients. I began to use JumboMax grips because, likely due to arthritis, I had trouble holding the club securely without having to squeeze tightly on the club.
While using the JumboMax grips aren’t a requirement to be able to use Junge’s single plane methods, as he says many have found them helpful.
Slow Motion Video of Junge Single Plane Golf Swing
Learning Kirk Junge’s Single Plane Golf Swing
I’ve experimented with learning Junge’s Single Plane golf swing. The logic of the rationale is persuasive: set up your golf swing how it should be when you strike the ball and take the club back and through on the same plane. Pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau’s success is testimony that the system works.
Key to learning the Single Plane Swing is taking the time to repeatedly practice the beginning very short shot exercises Kirk recommends. See that exercise at the 2-minute mark in this video. Don’t be in a rush to make half and full golf swings. I had trouble sticking to that routine. . . which led me to be disappointed when I tried to implement the change on the golf course.
At my advanced age I don’t have the patience to put in the time to change how my body wants to swing the club. But I believe the single plane idea is sound and think this could be an easy transition for some golfers. Kirk associate who goes by the YouTube channel moniker “Geezer Tony” is an example of an older golfer who learned the technique at an advanced age and now has shot “his age” many times in recent years.
Have you tried Junge’s swing or other single plane swing systems? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Kirk Junge Golf Swing Links