I remember the first time I saw an Explanar.  Luther had told me about 'this Swing Plane Training thing' he was designing, but I had yet to see it. When one of the prototypes appeared on a spare tennis court behind the pro shop at Woburn,  I thought it was some sort of satellite dish.

When he showed me how it worked,  I have to say the first time I went on it, the movement I was making felt nothing like my golf swing. Which says more about my swing at the time than it does about the Explanar.

I worked with Luther as my coach for over 15 years. I know I was a often a difficult student.  I have a tendency to want to understand everything in more detail than is strictly necessary.  It's testament to Luther's patience and qualities as a teacher, that he answered all of my questions and explained how the Explanar works in terms of the biomechanics of the human body.  I began to realise that a lot of what I thought I knew and had read and heard about the golf swing, was actually pretty useless.

I used the Explanar almost every day when I was playing full time and was very aware of the positive effect it had on my golf swing.  When I used the Explanar, I played well afterwards.

As a player, Explanar works because it gives you a great feeling for your swing.  The moment where a thought ('I want to do this') becomes a feeling, (it's happening!) is one of the greatest moments in learning a golf swing, or any other movement, because it is the moment you can stop thinking and just be aware of what is actually going on.

There are a number of ways you can use Explanar to improve your golf.  These include;

• Warming up for a round or practice
• Making swing changes
• Maintaining your swing
• Improving consistency
• Improving power and distance
• Golf fitness or exercise

The first thing to do before you get onto the Explanar it is have a clear idea of what you are wanting to achieve.  There is nothing wrong with just picking up the roller and having a few absent minded swings to pass the time, just don't kid yourself that you are properly practising. 

Even a few times a week, this will keep your golfing muscles in action and give you some light exercise, so it won't do you any harm.  But it probably won't do you a great deal of good either.  As with any physical activity, you need to engage your brain as well as your body to get the maximum benefit.

The key to improvement using an Explanar is awareness.  This starts with an awareness of what you are trying to achieve.  Start off with a clear goal in mind, and you will find that your improvement is faster and longer lasting.  Over the next few weeks I will add more articles to this section. 

Please drop me an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions about the best way to use your Explanar