We often hear about a player’s swing being “too long.”
In the pursuit of a little extra distance, it’s easy to let your swing get longer and longer, until, eventually you end up looking like John Daly (without the superhuman hand-eye coordination), and the last vestige of control leaves your game completely.
If an overly long swing is a problem for you, how can you work to shorten it?
SwingFix instructor and two-time Connecticut PGA Teacher of the Year George Connor has some advice for you.
“Getting a player to shorten the length of his backswing is more than just getting him to prevent the club from swinging back as far,” Connor said. “I have found that a player with a swing thought of simply “take it back shorter” creates more problems than they solve. This approach leads to increased grip pressure and a lack of tempo and rhythm.”
What advice would Connor offer someone who was looking to tighten up their swing this offseason?
“Generally, a backswing that is too long is caused when a player is late in initiating the forward swing. Ideally the forward swing would begin with the feet and legs, using the ground to begin the transition,” Connor added.
“When the player waits for the club to finish its motion to the top of the swing, the club will simply continue to move away from the ball until the player has exhausted his range of motion. We often see a lack of width in this player, as the lead arm tends to bend a lot as the backswing finally reaches its conclusion.”
Connor went on to explain why the lower body is the key component in properly starting the downswing.
“As the club, hands and arms are swinging to the top of the swing, the lower body should begin to create the forward swing,” he said. “Not only will this sequence prevent the club from going too far into the backswing, it will also ensure that the arms do not have the opportunity to be the first body part to move back toward the ball, which creates a plethora of problems.
“So if you’re looking to shorten your backswing, be sure you’re starting your downswing a little earlier in the swing.”
For more tips from Golf Channel to help you improve your swing, click here.
