do hands move parallel with the ground?
 

Is there any place in the back swing or forward swing where the hands move parallel with the ground?

For what distance? Maybe for a few inches at take-away but not on the DownStroke.
Since the stroke is a circle- I would say for a one word answer- no. The hands will move out up and in and then down, out and through.

The left arm will be parallel at one point since it is a radius of the circle.

They are supposed to move along (and parallel to) the inclined swing plane, I believe.

Three-Dimensional Hands
 

The Hands are responsible for producing and maintaining the Three-Dimensional, On Plane orbit of the Clubhead throughout the Golf Stroke:

-- Up-In-and-Back from Address to the Top of the Backstroke;

-- Down-Out-and-Forward From the Top to the Low Point the Downstroke;

-- Up-In-and-Forward from Low Point to the Finish.

This Three Dimensional Motion of the Clubhead requires that the Hands describe a similar On Plane orbit. Accordingly, the Motion of the Hands during the Stroke is oriented parallel to the Clubhead's Delivery Line (usually the Plane Line). However, holding the Clubhead (and the Hands) to a level or "parallel to the ground" Path is Steering, (the First Snare / 3-F-7-A). Hence, unless such a Path is employed intentionally to produce a special effect, it should be avoided.

Typo?
 

Shouldn't this say:
-- Up-In-and-Forward from Low Point to the Finish. :question:

I like the "wheel rim" (swinger) or "wheel track" (hitter) images for keeping the hands moving along the plane in a simultaneous motion. UP-IN-BACK or DOWN-OUT-FORWARD are ONE motion (on plane), not three different ones.

Incidentally, I have had problems with overactive knees and I have found that the thought of running my hands around the wheel rim keeps my pivot motion from getting out of control. As Ted reminded me last January: "Emphatically, hands are not educated until they control the pivot." I have been incubating on that since January and I think it is starting to sink in.

I got out my dad's old (50's vintage) MacGregor forged irons the other day (the clubs I used when I started playing 25 years ago). I was surprised at how heavy they felt and how they practically swung themselves on the correct plane, if you let them. I hit some plastic balls out in the back yard for a while and found that if I just started the gyroscope on the wheel rim and let it swing, the clubface squared up by itself and impact was solid. If I tried to manipulate my hands at all, CF force went away and impact was very weak. Good lesson.

I love heavy clubs....I think that's a big deal.....

Getting It Right
 

Right you are, elliskit. Thanks!

"Precision is recognizing and reconciling minute differentiations."

-- Homer Kelley (2-0)

The Basic Motion
 

That is correct: One Three-Dimensional Basic Motion.

thank you everybody