You're Correct!

A compact golf swing is one where the shaft of the golf club does not extend beyond horizontal at the top of the back swing. The shaft of the golf club does not extend beyond parallel on the follow through either. It is a shorter swinging motion but it still produces power as the upper body coils over the lower body, producing torque and therefore speed on the down swing.

One thing that a compact golf swing does achieve though is repeatability and consistency because the movement and motion of the swing action are kept to a minimum. Your shoulders should rotate 90 degrees to the right, for right handed golfers, with your hips achieving a 45 degree rotation to the right. Your wrists will hinge as you achieve this shoulder rotation, but your left arm wants to move no further around you than a 10 oclock position.

Imagine you are standing in the centre of a clock face, with 6 oclock down by the golf ball and 12 oclock up above your head. 9 oclock would be horizontal on your right hand side if you are looking through the clock face. Work on making your back swing by turning your shoulders but when they finish turning, your left arm should also finish moving and it should achieve a 10 oclock position, with the club shaft stopping short of reaching parallel.

This compact golf swing, even though it may feel short, generates a great deal of power. Power is stored up in your body as your shoulders rotate more to the right than your hips do, creating torque, or twist, in your body. Power is also stored up in the hinge that you create in your wrists, between your left arm and the shaft of the golf club. As the coil that you created in your body drives you towards the golf ball on your down swing and then the club head releases in to the golf ball through your wrists snapping it through impact, you will generate maximum club head speed and a great deal of shot distance.

A compact golf swing is not a short golf swing. If you make a compact golf swing, it can feel like you are swinging into a different position than you are used to, but this position is not short of the optimum back swing position that you want to achieve.

A compact golf swing is an efficient movement that produces maximum power and accuracy from the minimal amount of movement. It does not waste energy on additional and extra movement that is not essential or needed to generate power.

A compact golf swing produces greater consistency and repeatability because there is less wasted motion involved in it. The shorter back swing action in the movement of the club head means it is easier to control, resulting in a much more consistent striking action.