Single Plane

Distance – How to Add, Maintain & Limit Loss (Part 2) – (I was the Guinea Pig…)

October 5, 2025 by Tim Graves PGA

By: Tim Graves, PGA

This week, the newest Single Plane University class launches … Speed Optimization.

In fact, I was the guinea pig for the test program and was able to regain swing speed I thought was gone forever.

After a few short weeks, I had regained 10MPH and started to win my PGA sectional events again …

I worked with Chris Henning (TPI / Graves Golf) with a Speed Formula designed to increase speed, maintain speed, and limit loss of speed over time.

I could not have won those events without putting in the work and benefiting from this increase.

The reality is that every decade, golfers lose 5–7 mph of swing speed — that’s up to 20 yards gone forever.

But, Speed Optimization isn’t just about adding yards — it’s about maintaining your power as you age, so your swing never gets old.

With the right training, you can rewind your biological swing age by 10 years, regain lost distance, and even hit it farther than your younger self.

To see more information about Speed Optimization Single Plane University: CLICK HERE

To view Speed and Distance Plane Talk: CLICK HERE

One of the most common questions we receive (seems every day) is “How can I get more distance?”

There are three areas you can work on / improve to help you get more distance on all your golf shots. Or at least maintain and LIMIT loss of speed over time…

And, all of these, you can and SHOULD work on over the fall / winter (training sessions) (all year long, but “hyper focus” in offseason if possible). Why? Because we tend to limit activity over the winter. This is a great time to increase your activity and limit the typical distance loss over the winter and potentially ADD distance over the time you usually loose distance.

Those three areas are:

Club / Driver Technology and Fit
Flexibility and Strength
Swing Technique

Let’s break down each area a little.

1. Golf Club Technology an Fit

Drivers – A few years ago, the USGA put together a set of rules limiting how much a golf ball can “rebound” off the face of a driver (a vague description) – thus putting a limit on the distance of the drivers. Since then, the golf industry realizing they can no longer make drivers that can hit it further off the face, have been working on technology that has made the “big” headed drivers more aerodynamic (thus less air resistance in the golf swing) and more prominent sweet spots on the face.

Older technology drivers had sweet spots the size of a dime (some smaller), newer technology drivers have sweet spots the size of half dollars (some even bigger). What that means is balls hit slightly off the middle of the club face will travel much further now.

And the key is the “average driving distance” you have, not the “one” you catch that happens to fly a long way. Meaning, if your sweet spot on the driver is large and you miss hit a few shots (or more) around off the middle of the club face, you will still get good/more “average” driving distance. Meaning, overall you will have less club into the greens, etc. etc.

Other clubs in bag (fairway woods, hybrids, irons, etc..) – Club companies have worked on optimizing all clubs in bag for distance by:

1 . Lowering center of gravity which allows golfers to hit balls higher with ease and thus getting more distance.

2. Increasing size of sweet spots on all clubs so miss hits will go longer.

3. Decreasing shaft weight and still keeping high integrity of the shaft. In other words, can now get light weight shafting in all flexes that are durable and will last a long time. Decreased shaft weighting will increase swing speed (with those clubs) and increase distance.

In the past few years, all clubs in bag have become SIGNIFICANTLY longer and more forgiving. Hopefully making the game easier for golfers by allowing clubs to be hit longer with ease…

Club Fit – All clubs in your bag MUST be fit to you and your single plane swing PERFECT or you will limit / loose distance. An improperly fit club can hit toward the heel, toe (improper lie angle), can hit off center (improper length), can have improper weighted (too heavy) shafting, have improper grip size, etc… Any of these issues can and will dramatically limit the optimal distance for your club(s). Your clubs MUST fit you to optimize your distance in those clubs.

So, if you are looking to maximize or increase distance – you need to have clubs that are “modern” or at least less than 2 or 3 years old and are fit to you PERFECT. These newer clubs have large sweet spots, lower centers of gravity, lighter high quality shafting, and have the highest technology for the least amount of wind/club head resistance in the golf swing.

If you have not been custom fit for your single plane swing, please go to: https://gravesgolf.com/free-club-fitting/

(It is a free service – submit form and we will reply with your custom fittings, recommendations, suggestions, etc..)

2. Flexibility and Strength

The 2nd area to focus on with distance is flexibility and strength. And in that order. Too many worry about strength and not flexibility. Being strong with good, or great, flexibility “allows” you to get in positions in your golf swing to hit the ball with reasonable distance.

As we get older, we loose our strength and more importantly our flexibility, when we start to loose our elasticity, we can no longer create certain angles in the golf swing that will allow us to create “leverage” in the golf swing which in turn produces speed and distance. Lose of knee, hip, shoulder, arm, wrist, hand, etc.. flexibility and strength will all potentially decrease distance (with all clubs).

These are the different areas you need to consider when looking to increase / maintain / minimize the loss of speed over time.

Flexibility
Balance
Power and Strength
Speed & Accelerator Producer Upgrades
Pre-Round Warm Up
Checklists and Tracking to Monitor Speed Increase or Maintainence

All these areas must be worked on, monitored and / or maintained to increase speed, maintain the increase and to decrease the loss of speed over time.

3. Swing Technique

A crucial factor to get more distance is to improve your technique. It is always interesting, one of the things we do at all our schools and camps is to measure our students swing speed. We then correlate it to their driver swing speed and the average distance they should be hitting their driver. For most (those that swing 85 to 90 mph), they should be hitting their driver 230 to 240 yards (with a little roll).

For most, when they find out how far they should be hitting their driver with the speed they currently have, they are shocked. Why are they hitting it so short compared to where “their potential” says they should be hitting it? Because of technique. They are not hitting the golf ball off the “sweet spot” of the club with a “direct hit” from the club that is on the path.

In other words, they are hitting “glancing blows” that is creating side spin which is limiting or reducing the distance they should be hitting your clubs.

Working on swing technique – working on getting the club on the proper single plane / path, with a square club face through impact and ultimately, limited to no side spin, will give you the maximum distance.

In conclusion, to answer the all too common question, we get from so many of our students / customers:

How can I get more distance?

(Or as important, how do I maintain and / or limit loss of distance with age..)

Answer:

1. Obtain new / modern clubs that FIT YOU PERFECT that has the highest technology for increased sweet spot, low center of gravity, limited wind resistance (aerodynamic), proper shaft weighting and length, perfect grip size for you, etc..

2. Work / continue to work on flexibility (especially over the “off-season” months when so many loose elasticities because of an increased static lifestyle), work on balance and strength, work on a pre-round warm up routine, etc…

3. Always work on improving your technique to maximize the optimal hit on the ball with limited side spin and enhanced sureness of hit.

Be watching our next upcoming SINGLE PLANE UNIVERSITY – SPEED OPTIMIZATION

To see more information about this program: CLICK HERE

A 6 week program designed SPECIFICALLY to help you increase speed, maintain speed and limit loss of speed over time.

Please feel free to contact me anytime at timg@gravesgolf.com with questions, comments, etc.

PROCESS = FREEDOM & RYDER CLUB OBSERVATIONS

October 5, 2025 by Tim Graves PGA

By Tim Graves, PGA & Bob Ciminera

From: Bob

Many thanks to you (Paul Monahan), Tim, and James for an excellent AI School last week. The technical teaching and the constant encouragement were very motivating to me in my quest to improve my game.

To answer your questions:

1. My key insight was that Process = Freedom. Starting with the word Trust followed by the Big Ideas you listed above … gave me an immediate feeling of liberation as I worked on my game all the way through the short game school last week.

2. With respect to the Ryder Cup, I had the privilege of being invited by one of my suppliers, DP World, to be a live pectator over the weekend and flew from the Short game school to be there on Saturday. I spent about 5 hours at the match until I decided that was enough and watched the rest on TV!

My key insight was in alignment with what Tim said during the AAI school. There was more pressure at this event for these guys than any other event. The crowd was every bit as loud and rude as expected. Great shots by the US were cheered loudly but shots that on any other day would be excellent were heckled by the crowd as if they could do better.and that was for the home team. The reverse was true for the Europe team, bad shots were cheered and good shots …well … that quieted the crowd. Creating an ironic motivation for the away team !. Of course that did not shut up some of the more vocal, and drunk participants which I mostly spared myself of by leaving at 230PM. The only saving grace perhaps was that the cheapest beer was $16.

It was clear that the Europeans as a group were better prepared to deal with that. It seemed that the US preparation had the effect of increasing pressure on the team and ultimately overwhelmed whatever processes they had as they got up to make a shot. There were many examples of this, the most obvious one was the missed birdie putt on Sunday that was left short for the match.

Viktor Hovland provided one of my favorite quotes from an interview before the match which exemplifies the learnings from the AAI school: When asked how he felt about the hecking at the match, he said “There’s going to be some comments here and there. They won’t really come close to the thoughts in my own head.”

I felt bad for Viktor Hovland that he had to withdraw especially in light of Tim’s connection but at least he contributed to a winning Ryder cup team.

Finally, I would love to see Tim and you do a podcast with your insights on the match similar to what you did for the Masters.

Thank you again for a wonderful program. I had high expectations and you, Tim, and James and the Graves team exceeded them.

Very much appreciated!

Best regards,

Bob Ciminera, AAI (Mental Game School) Alumnus

Plane The Trail Shoulder.. Is It Really That Simple?

July 17, 2023 by Tim Graves PGA

By Tim Graves, PGA

Moe at Address

Moe’s body and arm position at address allowed for him to reduce numerous variables in the golf swing.

When you can eliminate variables, you can become more consistent. In the picture above, you can see a red circle on his trail shoulder. The trail shoulder is positioned slightly above the red plane line. Once we establish this address position, it causes a smooth backswing and downswing….

Moe at Top of Backswing

As Moe takes the club back, the trail shoulder rides merely directly up the plane line. How does he do this?

By rotating his body and folding his trail arm. At the top of the backswing, you can see that the trail shoulder is slightly above the plane line, mirroring the position it started in higher up. With this simple movement, the hands are on the plane line, and the club shaft is correctly on the plane

Moe at Impact

Do you see anything similar here?

That’s correct. The trail shoulder has come right back down the plane line resulting in an up and down motion. Moe called this “the pendulum.”

The only difference between address and impact from this down-the-line perspective is the rotation of Moe’s hips and torso. In this picture to the right, you can see how the hips and chest are rotated open. This has to occur for the hands to lead.

Join Us – Let Us Help You Make It That Simple….

If you have any questions/comments about our Premier Schools, how to become a Member of our Single Plane Academy, or anything else, please contact us at or call (405) 250-6960

Hit More Fairways with Common Sense

September 7, 2020 by admin

There are practical and common-sense strategies that you can use on the course to help you improve your game and help you shoot lower scores. One such tip is almost so simple you’ll probably scratch your head and wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself.

When you play the game enough, you eventually learn that driving the golf ball into the fairway is one of the most important aspects of playing well and having fun. Alternatively, when you miss fairways and lose balls, golf can be a very frustrating and expensive game. Here is a simple tip that can help you hit your driver straight, find your ball in the fairway and even save a few bucks.

This tip is actually two steps. The first step is to select the place on the tee box where you have the best angle into the fairway. The Second step is to use the ball as an alignment aid.

Step 1: Tee box “angle”

It might seem unfair, but many times golf course designers align tee boxes toward hazards and trouble. Average golfers often fall for this trick by unknowingly going to the middle of the tee-box without understanding that there is possibly a better option. By moving to one side of the tee or the other you can improve the “angle” of your shot – thus increasing the possibility of hitting the fairway.

For example, if you see that the hole is located on the right side of the green and the best place to approach the flag is from the left side of the fairway, teeing the ball on the right side of the tee box creates a better angle to land the ball in the left side of the fairway.

Once you select the proper side of the tee box, the second step is to align yourself correctly.

Step 2: Align the Ball

Alignment to the target is difficult for most amateurs from especially from the tee. I often see amateurs hit really good shots but, since they are often mis-aligned, the ball flies into trouble.

Another tip to help you align accurately and hit more fairways is to use the ball as an alignment aid. You will find that most golf balls have a logo or marking on them. For example, the Titleist Pro-V1 has an arrow on the side and the Callaway Triple Track has three lines. By using the logo or lines on the ball, you can aim the markings toward your intended target in the fairway. The lines on the ball give you a sight-line and a visual reference toward your target.

Now, when you select the correct place on the tee box (tee angle) and align the logo on the ball to your intended target, you have increased your chance of hitting the fairway. Now just get comfortable and swing and you are two-steps closer hitting more fairways and playing great golf.

Moe Norman’s Lead Thumb – The Long and Short of It

April 29, 2020 by admin

The lead hand grip is more than just where you place the club in the hand. How you place the hand is just as important. If the golf swing were a jigsaw puzzle, I would consider the lead hand position my final piece.

When I first learned Moe’s Single Plane swing, was always intrigued by how comfortable he appeared at address. He was neither relaxed nor was he tense. it seemed that he was both. His lead arm was straight and rod-like as it aligned and extended with the club. His trial arm was straight but more underneath and soft.

The tilt of his body created a perfect alignment of the club to his lead shoulder as he lead arm extended. Much of his lead arm alignment was related to his unhinged or ulnar deviation and lead thumb positioned down the grip.

Here is a picture of the Single Plane address where you can see the extension of his lead arm.

And how the hand is positioned when holding the club.

When the wrist is in the proper position, there should be no stress on the top of the wrist due to the extended lead thumb position. The thumb is long but not extended too far down the shaft. There is a gap between the thumb and the knuckle of the index finger where the fingers are tightly wrapped together under the club.When the wrist is in the proper position, there should be no stress on the top of the wrist due to the extended lead thumb position. The thumb is long but not extended too far down the shaft. There is a gap between the thumb and the knuckle of the index finger where the fingers are tightly wrapped together under the club.When the wrist is in the proper position, there should be no stress on the top of the wrist due to the extended lead thumb position. The thumb is long but not extended too far down the shaft. There is a gap between the thumb and the knuckle of the index finger where the fingers are tightly wrapped together under the club.

The extended thumb and wrist position at address translate into the proper hand action at the top of the backswing where the hinge of the hands leverage and support the club.

Another view of the hand position at the top of the backswing shows the pressure in the trail hand as well.

When the hands are positioned correctly they can work together and hinge correctly to the top of the swing. This allows the club face to move correctly where it moves in rotation with the lead arm.

Achieving the ideal lead hand position was the final piece of my Single Plane puzzle. With a little attention to the detail of where you place your lead hand, it might be your final piece too.

You can find out more about the lead hand position and every detail of the Single Plane Golf Swing in my latest DVD product, The Domino Effect – Back to Basics.

The Domino Effect – Back to Basics DVD

Moe Norman’s Lead Thumb – The Long and Short of It

April 22, 2020 by admin

Here is a picture of the Single Plane address where you can see the extension of his lead arm.

And how the hand is positioned when holding the club.

The extended thumb and wrist position at address translate into the proper hand action at the top of the backswing where the hinge of the hands leverage and support the club.

Another view of the hand position at the top of the backswing shows the pressure in the trail hand as well.

When the hands are positioned correctly they can work together and hinge correctly to the top of the swing. This allows the club face to move correctly where it moves in rotation with the lead arm.

Achieving the ideal lead hand position was the final piece of my Single Plane puzzle. With a little attention to the detail of where you place your lead hand, it might be your final piece too.

You can find out more about the lead hand position and every detail of the Single Plane Golf Swing in my latest DVD product, The Domino Effect – Back to Basics.

The Domino Effect – Back to Basics DVD

Join 1M+ Subscribers to get your FREE Video Quick Start Guide that reveals how to hit the ball farther and straighter more consistently from now on…

LEARN YOUR NEW GOLF SWING

LEARN

THE

SWING

START YOUR NEW GOLF SWING