Jim Hardy: Pro Golfer

If you’re a student of golf committed to improving your game, you should probably pay close attention to the name Jim Hardy. Jim Hardy is the progenitor of the concept of the one plane swing. You probably know about swing planes, but in case you don’t, here’s a quick and dirty description: the swing plane refers to the path traveled by the head of a golf club when you swing. The trajectory should be almost circular, almost parabolic. Having a good swing plane will make sure you are swinging with the maximum power and control, ensuring an accurate, powerful drive. Well, Jim Hardy realized that there exist two types of swings: the one plane swing and the two plane swing.

Jim Hardy has spent 39 years in the professional golf world, beginning immediately after his graduation from Oklahoma State University, where he earned All-American honors on the golf team. Through his career, Hardy has also become a highly respected golf teacher. In fact, he won the 2007 PGA National Teacher of the Year Award, is currently ranked #7 in Golf Digest’s list of 50 Greatest Teachers, and was named among Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Golf Teachers. Jim Hardy possesses the unique ability to create an accessible lesson plan so that anyone – absolutely anyone regardless of skill level – can benefit from his teaching. And plenty have. His students have included both professionals and hobbyists, advanced players and beginning casuals alike. Quite hallowed – and varied – company, wouldn’t you say?

In 2005, Jim Hardy finally published his first book. Eventually becoming a worldwide best seller, “The Plane Truth For Golfers” went on to present the case that there were two sets of fundamentals by which golf swings could be judged, instead of one. This was the introduction of the idea of the one and two plane swings, an idea that has affected the golf world in unimaginable ways, and continues to reverberate throughout the community.