What Does Flat and Upright Mean in Golf?

Hearing golfers talk about swings being flat or upright can make a simple game feel needlessly complicated, but these terms simply describe the path the club takes around your body. Understanding your own tendency - whether your swing is more like a merry-go-round or a Ferris wheel - is the first step toward grooving a more consistent ball flight. This article will break down what flat and upright swings are, how they influence your shots, and how you can work with your natural motion to play more predictable golf.

What Exactly Are 'Flat' and 'Upright' Swings?

Imagine a large pane of glass resting on your shoulders at your setup address, extending down through the ball. This imaginary pane represents your ideal swing plane. In a nutshell, “flat” and “upright” describe the angle of your club shaft relative to this plane and the ground during your backswing and downswing.

• A flat swing plane means the club shaft is more horizontal, or closer to parallel with the ground. At the top of the backswing, a player with a flat swing will have their hands lower and more behind their body. Think of a baseball swing or a merry-go-round - the motion is rotational and around the body. Ben Hogan and Matt Kuchar are classic examples of golfers with powerful, flat swings.
• An upright swing plane means the club shaft is more vertical, or steeper. At the top of the backswing, a player with an upright swing will have their hands higher and more above their head. Think of a Ferris wheel - the motion is more up-and-down in front of the body. Jack Nicklaus and Justin Thomas are famous for their accurate, upright swings.

It's important to stop and realize that neither one is "better" than the other. They are simply different ways to swing a golf club. Your body type, flexibility, and natural athletic motion will largely determine your tendency. The goal isn’t to force an unnatural swing plane, but to understand your own and build a repeatable motion around it.

The Critical Link: Swing Plane and Lie Angle

While swing plane describes your motion, it directly affects something called "lie angle" at impact, which is a major factor in where your ball goes. The lie angle is the angle between the club shaft and the sole (bottom) of the clubhead as it sits on the ground at address.

However, the static lie angle at address is less important than the dynamic lie angle at impact. Your swing motion changes how that angle is presented to the ball.

• Upright Player Impact: A golfer with an upright swing tends to deliver the club with the heel digging into the ground first. This contact tilts the face to the left (for a right-handed golfer), causing the ball to start left of the target. This leads to frustrating pull shots or pull-hooks.
• Flat Player Impact: A golfer with a flatter swing tends to deliver the club with the toe digging into the ground first. This contact tilts the face to the right, causing the ball to start right of the target. This often results in a push or a push-slice.

If you constantly fight a shot that starts left or right of target no matter how perfect your swing feels, a mismatch between your swing plane and your equipment’s lie angle could very well be the culprit.

How Your Swing Plane Shapes Your Shots

Your swing plane is the primary dictator of your swing path - the direction the clubhead travels through the impact zone. This path, combined with your clubface angle at impact, creates the ball flight laws you see in action every time you hit a shot.

The Tendencies of a Flat Swing Path

A flatter swing promotes an in-to-out path. The club approaches the ball from inside the target line and travels a path moving out toward the right of the target (for a righty) through impact. Why? Because when your hands are lower and further behind you at the top, the natural arc of the club moves from inside the line on the way down.

• If the clubface is square to this in-to-out path, you’ll hit a push - the ball starts right and stays right.
• If the clubface is closed to this path (but still open to the target), you’ll hit a beautiful, powerful draw that starts right and curves back to the target.
• If the clubface is too closed to this path, you’ll hit a nasty hook.

The Tendencies of an Upright Swing Path

An upright swing promotes an out-to-in path. The club drops down from a higher position, approaching the ball from outside the target line and cutting across it, finishing inside the target line after impact. This happens because high hands at the top encourage the club to travel down on a steeper angle.

• If the clubface is square to this out-to-in path, you’ll hit a pull - the ball starts left and stays left.
• If the clubface is open to this path (but still closed to the target), you’ll hit a soft, controllable fade that starts left and curves back to the target.
• If the clubface is too open to this path, you’ll hit golf's most common miss: the slice.

How to Figure Out Your Own Swing Plane

You don't need a high-tech launch monitor to get a good idea of your tendency. Here are a couple of simple ways to diagnose your swing plane.

1. Record Your Swing (Down the Line)

This is the most reliable DIY method. Set up your phone on a tripod or have a friend record your swing from a "down the line" perspective. This means the camera is positioned behind you, looking directly down your target line.

1. At address, pause the video and use a drawing tool to create a line that starts at the hosel (where the shaft meets the head) of your iron and runs up the shaft and through your trail elbow (right elbow for a righty). This line establishes your general swing plane.
2. Play the video in slow motion. Watch where your hands and the clubhead travel during the backswing.
3. If your hands and club go significantly above this line, you have an upright swing.
4. If your hands and club travel noticeably beneath this line, coming deep "inside," you have a flat swing.

During the downswing, observe the club's path back to the ball. Ideally, it should return on a path very close to the one it took going back. Major deviations are what lead to inconsistency.

2. Check Your Divots

Your divots are a report card on your dynamic lie angle at impact. Next time you're at the range, pay attention to the shape of the turf you take after striking the ball.

• Toe-Deep Divot: If your divot is deeper on the side furthest from you (the toe side of the club), it means the toe dug in first. This indicates your lie angle at impact is too flat for your swing.
• Heel-Deep Divot: If your divot is deeper on the side closest to you (the heel side), it means the heel struck down first. This indicates your lie angle at impact is too upright for your swing.
• Level Divot: A rectangular, bacon-strip divot that's uniform in depth means your clubs likely match your swing plane perfectly. Congratulations!

The Big Question: Should You Change It? Or Get Fitted?

Upon discovering you have a flat or upright swing, your first instinct might be to "fix" it. For most amateur golfers, this is a challenging and often counterproductive road. Your natural swing plane is deeply ingrained in your body's motor patterns. A full overhaul is a massive undertaking.

A far better approach is to embrace your unique motion and find ways to make it more consistent. Unless your plane is so extreme that it's causing severe issues, focusing on repeatability is a much faster path to better golf.

This brings us to the smartest fix of all: getting your clubs fitted.

Instead of trying to change your body to fit the club, a qualified club fitter adjusts the club to fit your body and swing. If your divots are a tell-tale sign of an upright or flat impact, a fitter can easily bend the hosel of your irons a few degrees more upright or flat. This simple adjustment will help the sole of the club interact with the turf correctly, squaring the face to the target at impact.

For many golfers who constantly struggle with pushes or pulls, a 30-minute club fitting and a lie angle adjustment can be a game-changing revelation, straightening out their persistent miss without changing their swing one bit.

Final Thoughts

Understanding whether your swing is flat or upright liberates you from chasing a single, "perfect" swing model. It's about knowing your own tendencies so you can find a repeatable motion, understand your common miss, and match your equipment to your individual movement for more consistency and confidence.

Applying this knowledge on the course where every lie and shot is different is the next step. Situational awareness is everything, and that’s why we created our app. With Caddie AI, you have an expert caddie and coach in your pocket. If you are stuck facing a tricky sidehill lie that might alter your swing plane, you can snap a photo and instantly get objective advice on how to play the shot. It's designed to take the guesswork out of these tough situations so you can play with more confidence and make smarter decisions on the course.