Set Up: Hands On The Swing Plane
Most golf professionals teach you to set up with your hands below the swing plane (see Picture #2). That position guarantees a more complicated swing and a higher failure rate unless you have exceptional coordination and timing. .
You should set up with your hand on-plane, actually in the position they will be in at impact. If you don’t start with your hands and the club shaft being on-plane then your chance of making an on-plane backswing are zero. Your backswing will NOT be on-plane. In order to make an on-plane downswing you will have to make a complex rerouting of the club on the downswing. Think of Jim Furyk’s swing. That’s complex looping move is fine for the pros who practice 6 hours every day but for the average golfers it dooms you to failure.
Set-Up With Your Hands On The Swing Plane

Don’t Set-Up With Your Hands Below The Swing Plane

Go ahead and ask your PGA pro why they teach setting up with your arms hanging down so your hands are below the swing plane. The only answer you’re likely to get it because “That’s the way it done.” or “That’s the way I do it and I’m a good player.” The fact is that’s the way they were taught so that’s the way there’s going to teach it even if it makes the golf swing much harder for you.
Yes, tour pros routinely start with there hands below the swing plane. Why? Because that’s the way they were originally taught and now they’ve practice that complex move of “dropping into the slots” meaning getting their downswing back on-plane hundreds of thousands of times it’s not a big problem for them. (At least it’s not a problem until they have a day when their timing is a little off.)
The fact is that it’s much easier especially for the average golfer to start their backswing with their hands and the club shaft on-plane. Then they can just turn their core (shoulders, chest & abdomen) and the club comes back right on plane. Since their backswing is on-plane then it’s much easier to to make sure their downswing is on-plane also since all you have to do is retrace the path the club just came up on. When your backswing and downswing is on-plane that’s called a “Single Plane Swing”. A “Single Plane Swing” is much less complex and much easier to learn than any other swing. That’s why the “Single Plane Swing” is growing in popularity so quickly.
Note: If any golf professional or anyone else thinks they have a bio-mechanically sound reason to start with your hands below the swing plane please feel free to leave a comment below.
Hands Set-Up Above The Swing Plane

You shouldn’t set up with your hands above the swing plane either. Some Natural Golfers do set up this way. That’s not the position you’ll be in at impact so that is not the position you should start your backswing. If you do start you backswing with your hands above the swing plane, again you’re adding needless complexity to your golf swing.