Tourstriker Planemate

[Cwing]

58* for me as that’s about all I can swing in the basement.

[Orange929]

PW and now 60° as I have less ceiling space.

Just a quick update for my PM.

I went back and forth thru the opening protocols, then got full-swing range happy and have now sadly lost the results/consistency I had gained.

The biggest thing the PM got me to do was strengthen my grip and maintain right wrist (I'm a righty) flexion thru impact. So shaft lean improved and flipping started to dissipate. I also was getting a better turn and finish. Going from average 155 7iron towards to the end of last season to average 175 yards was... exciting. I could easily feel the speed increase. My driver ball speed gained 10mph. Now however going a couple weeks without the PM and ranging a lot (sometimes admittedly not at peak health/mobility) I've started to seep backwards and it's frustrating! Finding I'm coming back to considerably OTT (my tendency), arms too disconnected to each other (chicken wing), and not getting a good turn and finish. So now I'm going back to square one!

Let it be repeated that this thing requires patience, time, but I still absolutely think it has great teaching qualities for those willing to put in the time/effort...

[eastriver]

Similar situation here to @Orange929's post above.
I made the jump to the full swing band at the range yesterday after weeks of short band work indoors with a low-ceiling. It was frustrating. Much harder to control and I felt like it was exposing flaws that the short band did not. So back to the short band indoors with the first 7 protocols for another week or so before I can start making full swings outside. If the nearest open range wasn't an hour drive I would probably keep at it there, but for me it makes more sense to stay home and hit into a net or use practice balls and keep working the feels and positions.

[DonRSD]

Got mine today and put it on an 8 iron I have lying around.....meh.

Works better with a 54 or gap wedge.

Went thru all the protocols, but will go back to protocol day 1 tonight and go thru them day by day.

Had to go thru each just to "feel" what its trying to accomplish and seems it will be able to fix.

 

Excited and will report back.

[scratchmcgee]

Can see what you mean but now with me fighting to resist the band working to the top it's building the correct feels for my actual swing. I think it helped expose a flaw I had not been aware of prior to PM. It forces to me to work hard and that's helping to ingrain the right feelings for my actual swing. Hoping it translates to course.

[scratchmcgee]

Thanks @Jonlewis031. Waited patiently for it and been thrilled to work with it. Been a solid 2 months of practice in the basement. There's a chance our range might open this Saturday (61 degrees finally) and I couldn't be more excited to get out there and try the PM outdoors. Thanks for the encouraging words.

[DonRSD]

Just completed day 3......At what point should I actually golf?

 

I live in South Florida so everything is open.....just dont want to revert back to old habits because I am golfing.

[Puttersaurus Rex]

No training aid will result in immediate swing change after 1 day of use. Think about how long you have been golfing compared to how long you have used the planemate.

There is a lot of wise advice in this thread that it will take months to see permanent changes. Obviously go play some golf, and have fun. Just don't expect your old habits to disappear without putting in more work.

[MysteryV]

The thing I was most curious about which I have yet to answer definitively for myself, is does the contraption actually add much value to the drills.

For the folks saying it helps their pitching - have you worked this extensively on your pitching in the past and failed to get results OR is this the first time you've ever put this much work into your pitching motion?

A few other observations:

Since starting with the planemate, my driver has been an absolute hook machine. Not blaming the device, but I’ve hit some of the biggest push hooks of my life since starting

I also have little luck with the full swing band. Basically, when I get to the top, there’s basically no tension in the band. Now again, I’m not saying it’s the PMs fault, however it seems like it wants me to get my hands REALLY high, which is actually something I’ve been trying to get away from. I’ll need to look at this on video, but I’ve not been super impressed with full swing.

The PM has done a great job of helping me learn to get to swing ALL THE WAY through to the left side. Still having trouble grooving the feel, but it’s helping with some perceived hip stall issues.

I wish there was a Bit more detail around setup. Getting the full swing band and clamp setup correctly for me has been challenging - perhaps because I’m 6’3 with super long limbs and a short torso - but tough.

The pm is probably worth purchasing for anyone interested in FEELING the Gankas concepts, and understanding Justin Roses pre shot routine.

[Krt22]

I have worked on pitching quite a bit (pre planemate) but always suffered from an inside take away which is absolutely a death move for pitching IMO. Its honestly a really hard bad habbit to shake and the negative force of the PM makes that learning curve much less steep (quite possibly the single best attribute of the aide)

 

If it's loose at the top, you are doing something wrong. Watch the entire advanced protocol and take video and re-assess.

[vietnameeh]

I use a 60 as well. That’s all I can use in a cramped apartment

[Millbrook]

Got my PM some time ago but didn't use it as I was recovering from a partial knee replacement. Also the weather has been so wet in the UK I wanted to wait until I could use it every day in my neighbours field.

Anyway went to the range yesterday after watching days 1 to 3 videos. Without using the PM but just following those videos my pitching and chipping was vastly improved.

Looking forward to getting started on the PM next week.

[dannygrz]

I have been very impressed with the PM when it comes to the short band and chipping, spent about 11 days on the first 7 protocols. I have recently switched to working with the long band and have found it very difficult. I understand these things take time but has anyone had success with the long green band? If so, how long did it take? I

[Jonlewis031]

I’ve noticed that the long band in a lot of the protocol videos isn’t as far down the club shaft as the balance point. Maybe they did that to not get too tired during filming, but I’ve seen other ppl do it too. Maybe less tension/more ability to let the relax-slack happen in the band is helpful. Martin and Dave have always said ‘a few pounds of resistance’ but I’m not sure exactly how you quantify that. See if that helps at all!

[dacatalyst41]

There’s a lot of great feedback in here. For someone who’s been on the fence, you guys are making it hard not to make a purchase.

[scratchmcgee]

Was able to hit some balls in a park outside tonight...didn't have the PM with though. I'm continually amazed at how the PM is teaching me what a good swing is and exposing my swing flaws. I'm having to rewire my brain the right way to swing a golf club and that's just going to take time. I've practiced the protocols daily for about 2 months and finally just finishing protocol 5. Annnnnd as soon as I swing outside all of my bad thoughts on how to swing a club and old habits come running back. I think my swing has improved but I know it's going to take time to transition to a full swing because I've been doing all my work in a basement where I can't do a full swing.

Wishing everybody the best...keep at it!

 

 

 

[DonRSD]

 

So I completed day 4 protocol and went golfing. Shot my best round ever of 80!! Previous best was 83.

Focused on the right wrist / not flipping and rotating. ALL of my clubs were longer and accurate as heck. Would've broke 80 but I 3 putted from 7 feet on hole 14 (DOH).

 

In all, the swing didnt feel "powerful", but it was. Felt very smooth. My buddy noticed I was "swinging easy & naturally".

 

Hopefully the feels last because yesterday was awesome!

[scopek]

Hi. I've been playing around with this for a couple of weeks on and off. I've also tried mimicking the drills without the PM to see if it's necessary. I've come to a few conclusions. I know that none of these are original but it is always more meaningful when you "discover" them yourself.

This is absolutely not something you can start using and expect to magically start hitting great shots. This will take time and probably a lot of work to make changes into the actual swingOne of the reasons swing changes are so hard is that there is a disconnect between what we think we are trying to do and what is ingrained in our neural pathways. I think the power of the PM is that it gives feedback for our brains to learn when and where to apply pressure as well as sequencing. I know there are several ways to shallow, but this teaches you ONE way to shallow which is to let the hands and arms drop at the time of the swing. The PM gives your brain the feedback to actually feel this. For myself, this is a very foreign feeling which is probably why I battle a chronic steep move. I'm not over the top but the PM forced me to realize that I'm pressuring the wrong muscles at the top of the backswing which is preventing me from shallowing enough. The feeling with the PM, for myself, is very counterintuitive. The PM has shown m that I've been applying pressure at the wrong times in the swing. And it is very hard to change that when you're swinging at full speed. This will not fix all my swing flaws This teaches a specific swing pattern. This will NOT work for certain patterns and it you're not looking to swing like this, you shouldn't use it because it will just cause frustrationI've decided that I'm going to keep using it but understand it's going to probably take months to get this into my actual swing

[scratchmcgee]

Not trying to take away from this forum or thread but I’m part of a few golf groups on Facebook (George Gankas, How to hit every shot) and am wondering if any of you would have interest in joining a FB group for tracking our progress specifically for Planemate users?

 

again not to take away from this but just seeing if there’s any interest or might already be something out there.

[uscheese]

Did anyone else SH**K the ball trying to work on protocol 3? I assume this is why they say to do this drill with a tee?

[dannygrz]

Sorry for the late reply. I was wondering the same thing too. There is an interesting YouTube video with Zach Allen where he works with a student using the PM and the band definitely doesn't seem to be clipped so far down the shaft.

[wybrh]

For the inside takeaway then steep crowd:

I've noticed with the PM that my takeaway and backswing are improving but that has introduced another problem. I don't think I have any freaking clue how to release the club or generate any speed. Anyone else run into this?

[Stanks]

I got the shanks. I put my planemate away for a while. Gonna get back on it this week.

[scratchmcgee]

I used the PM last night outside with the long green band on full swings.

Shanked the living crap out of the ball...lucky for me there was nobody close by as I was practicing on a softball field. Lol

After working hard for the past 2 months on protocols 1-5 in my basement last night was certainly frustrating and discouraging. However, I’m actually kind of happy for the shanks because it’s revealing swing flaws that I really need to fix.

Keep going...it will get better.

[eastriver]

I've been keeping these 2 videos in mind while working on the PM feels. At impact and just after, I'm trying to keep my hands low, inside (closer to my body), and in front of the club head. Putting my awareness into the position of my left hand has helped me 'collect' the ball better at impact. The moves shown in these videos seem to complement the PM swing by combining hand path with rotation.

Would be grateful to hear other's thoughts on this, too.

[thebogeyputt]

have had the same problem since the band encourages a hold off finish. So the fact that you are finding it harder to release it, i dont think is unreasonable.

separate q - why are you trying to “release” the club? Any specific swing intent there?

[wely324]

I've been focusing lately on protocols 1, 2, and 3 only. Doing practice swings only (30 reps of each drill) to start my session off and then moving into hitting balls doing the various drills aside from the one hand drills. Today I went and hit balls without the planemate, just worked on pitch shots at various lengths and there was some definite improvement in contact. Lot's of work to go, but the feeling of "collecting the ball" is starting to show compared to my normal steep and disconnected pitch motion.

If I can continue improving my contact in pitching and it allows to me to build confidence to be more aggressive on course and trust the shot I want to hit when I'm within 100 yards, this training device will be priceless to me.

[wybrh]

I may not be using the word 'release' the right way, I'm not sure. But what I'm finding is that with the band I have a lot of grip pressure and basically 'hold' the right wrist angle as I rotate. Works great for pitching motion but with a full swing I just don't generate any speed because the club head doesn't accelerate into the ball. I must just be holding on too tight? Or I just don't understand how to swing my arms properly. Hard for me to explain.

[wybrh]

Two great videos. Thanks!

[glk]