Today we're analyzing Annika Sorenstam's golf swing — a swing that many observers have mistakenly classified as a one plane technique because it looks so simple, smooth, and effortless in motion.
It's an understandable mistake. Annika possesses some of the finest rhythm and tempo in the history of the game, and that's truly what makes her swing work so brilliantly — it looks far simpler than it actually is.
The camera angle on this particular shot isn't ideal, but we can still extract significant technical insight from this down-the-line view of her mechanics.
As she initiates the takeaway, the club moves above the shaft plane quite early in the swing, staying outside her hands. This is a classic two plane characteristic that immediately distinguishes her technique.
Butch Harmon was a strong advocate of keeping the club wide and above the shaft plane on the backswing to prevent it from getting behind your hands — a position that two plane instructors warn can lead to the club getting stuck behind you on the downswing.
In the photo at left, you can see she's turned back beautifully in sync, keeping her hands directly in front of her chest with the club tracking outside her hands. She executes this fundamental perfectly.
She shows slightly more right arm bend than you'd typically see in a textbook two plane position. Most two planers strive for maximum width and extension away from the ball to create the widest possible swing arc.
That additional arm bend narrows her swing slightly, giving her greater control because a narrower swing is easier to manage with body rotation. This is partly what creates the illusion that she might be a one planer — but when we examine the top of her backswing, that theory falls apart.
Another reason observers classify her as a one planer is that she works exceptionally hard to keep her arms in front of her body and uses her body rotation aggressively through impact — traits that are generally associated with one plane mechanics.
Great Position in the Backswing
Examining the shaft plane when her arm reaches the 9 o'clock position reveals the club is essentially right on plane — just fractionally inside. She's getting slightly steep, but there's absolutely nothing problematic about this position.
She's remarkably close to being perfectly on plane — an excellent backswing position with her hands still tracking in front of her chest.
Comparing Annika to Chuck Quinton at the same point in the swing reveals a significant difference: Chuck's hands sit much deeper, positioned in front of his right bicep when his arms reach the 9 o'clock position, while Annika's remain in front of her chest. This fundamental positioning difference highlights the contrasting swing philosophies at work.
Continuing up to the top of the backswing, we see Annika achieves considerable lift. Her hands arrive in an excellent position directly over her right shoulder.
She goes slightly past parallel at the top, but her extraordinary rhythm ensures this never becomes a liability. If she tried to rotate aggressively from this extended position, she'd be producing significant slices — but she possesses exceptional control and feel of the golf club, allowing her to transition beautifully from this position every time.
As she begins her downswing, she flattens the shaft slightly, returning it to the proper plane early in the transition. This shallowing move is critical for creating the inside approach path that produces consistent, compressed contact.
A Little More Shoulder Rotation Than Some
Annika's downswing follows the classic two plane path, tracking right through the right forearm — an excellent position for solid impact.
One element that distinguishes her from many two planers is how aggressively she begins rotating her shoulders open as she approaches a square-to-target position. In this photo, she still has considerable distance to cover — her feet are aligned slightly left of the center of the frame.
This more aggressive shoulder rotation during the downswing is another reason some analysts classify her as a one planer. Unlike tour professionals who keep their shoulders deliberately closed through much of the downswing and force the arms back down in front of the body, Annika synchronizes the two movements more aggressively — rotating shoulders and swinging arms down simultaneously. She's in an outstanding position here.
Toe Up Position Requires Great Timing
The club is in a toe-up position on the way down. At this late stage in the golf swing, she'll need to rotate the face back to toe-up on the way through, meaning we'll see significant forearm rotation through the impact zone.
As she approaches impact, her shoulders are quite open and nearly square with her feet, while her hips have cleared significantly. It's a phenomenal position from which to deliver the club.
At impact, we see the telltale sign that she works aggressively to extend and straighten the right arm through the hitting zone. This is a characteristic we see in virtually all accomplished two plane golfers — players like Ernie Els, professionals who really release the club through impact. When the club arrives in that toe-up, open position so late in the swing, it must be released very aggressively to square back up on the way through.
There's simply no way to have the clubface in that open position so late and not fire the hands to square it through impact. It requires exceptional timing and hand speed to execute consistently — both of which Annika possesses in abundance.
Annika is notably open at impact for a two planer — there's no question about it. She uses her body exceptionally well, and allowing her head to rotate through impact helps free up that aggressive body rotation.
The open shoulder position at impact is yet another reason it's tempting to classify her as a one planer. However, you can also clearly see that she releases the right arm aggressively away from her body and uses her hands actively to square the clubface. This demands precise timing and rhythm, which she has mastered completely. If you want to compare your own release pattern to elite mechanics like Annika's, try a free AI swing analysis for instant feedback.
Very early in the follow through, the toe of the club has already rotated to vertical or even past vertical. You can see in the inset that it has been slammed aggressively shut. This type of aggressive release is something we observe in many elite tour players, like Ernie Els.
Some tour professionals will have the clubface almost looking back at the ground this early in the follow through — an extremely aggressive release that generates tremendous clubhead speed.
Two Plane Release
Annika demonstrates a textbook two plane release pattern. In a one plane swing, the club would work much more aggressively to the inside. Here, we see the classic two plane characteristic of working on a wider arc through the follow through.
The club maintains more of a toe-up position because you're not relying on aggressive hand release to square the clubhead — the body rotation handles more of the face control.
This aligns with Jim Hardy's teaching philosophy — Hardy advocates keeping the forearms relatively firm through impact rather than releasing with the hands, which helps prevent the club from hooking. He recommends maintaining that firmness until the club reaches approximately waist high, then allowing a natural release.
At Rotary Swing, we prefer a blend of both approaches. We like to see the arms and hands release more naturally through impact for maximum clubhead speed, but both methods are proven and effective with committed practice.
With Annika's two plane swing, she must actively release the clubhead through the hitting zone — otherwise she'd leave the face wide open and flare every shot out to the right. Get a free AI golf lesson to practice your own release mechanics with real-time feedback.
She continues through into a strong post-impact position, essentially tracking on the same plane as her backswing — a sign of excellent swing consistency. She finishes with a full, relaxed release.
You can see that her hands continue releasing the club as she arrives at the full finish position she's become famous for.
Despite the common confusion, there's absolutely no question that Annika Sorenstam is a classic two plane golfer. She simply incorporates a couple of one plane traits and tendencies that integrate beautifully with her overall swing dynamics. It's a fantastic golf swing and an excellent model to study for any golfer looking to improve their technique.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Annika Sörenstam setup
Above shaft plane
Arms at 9:00 - Compare Annika's hand position (left) with Chuck's (right)
Hands over right shoulder
Shaft through right forearm
Impact
Just after impact - inset shows the toe of the club is vertical
Follow through
Her hands are still releasing
