Frame By Frame Analysis
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The Setup
We've drawn two lines on Brandt Snedeker. The bottom line represents his shaft plane and the top line represents his elbow plane. Great ballstrikers are able to keep the club in the window created by these two lines throughout the impact zone. Brandt maintains a nearly flawless swing plane throughout his swing and returns his golf club directly to the shaft plane at impact.
Start of the backswing
Brandt sets the club on plane perfectly to start the backswing. He employs a unique move to help him do this. If you look closely at his right hand, you will notice his thumb is entirely off of the golf club. This unique trait helps Brandt set the club on plane by ensuring that he does not manipulate the clubhead with the thumb and index finger of his right hand.
Halfway Back
Brandt is perfectly on plane once again. The club shaft and his hands are directly on his elbow plane. From here, all he has to do is rotate to complete his backswing.
At the Top
Brandt's clubface is perfectly square at the top of the backswing. It is parallel to his left arm and he is poised to deliver the club squarely and on plane into the downswing
Halfway Down
He is painting the elbow plane again halfway into his downswing. From here, he can fire his body and rotate towards the target. His club is tracking on a perfect path and will require no manipulation through the hitting zone.
Impact
Brandt has returned the club to the exact same shaft plane it began on at address. This is the mark of a truly great ballstriker. Many of the world's elite player's don't do this nearly as well as Brandt but they all manage to keep the shaft somewhere in between the elbow plane and shaft plane at impact.
Continues to Rotate
After impact, Brandt continues to rotate his body towards the target as he fully releases the golf club.
Follow Through Matches the Backswing
Three quarters of the way into the follow through, Brandt returns the club to the same line it passed through towards the top of the backswing. His swing is essentially a mirror image of itself on either side. Keep that image in mind to improve your swing plane and start swinging like Brandt Snedeker.