Shorter Golf Swing, Drill 1 (Video) - by Pete Styles
Shorter Golf Swing, Drill 1 (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now a very common fault for a lot of golfers is the length of their golf swing is incorrect. Now the problem with the incorrect swing length is it won’t always cause one particular bad shot. It won’t be that your swing is long, every ball will go left. Or your swing is short, every ball will go right. It would be more the fact that when you have a longer golf swing, you’re quite inconsistent. And sometimes when you have a shorter golf swing, you can be too rushed and not have enough power.

So if we look specifically at trying to shorten your golf swing, if your swing length for an average, sort of active, fairly fit, younger golfer, if your swing length crosses the horizontal or what I would call the 3 o’clock line at the top of your swing, I would start to class that as a long swing and that would really be, even for your driver, the limit would be about 3 o’clock.

If you’re taking your pitching wedge to 3 o’clock, you’re asking for trouble because as you progress up through your set of clubs, generally your swing will increase in length bit by bit as you try and hit the ball harder and harder. Even if that’s not a perceptible feeling that you have, that you’re trying to hit it harder. Generally people do swing it further with their big clubs.

So let’s work on the principle that your pitching wedge should go to round about 2 o’clock, your driver should go to 3 o’clock and no more. So if your club is swinging too far and too long, we’re going to class the fact that you have a longer golf swing. And this next section of drills about how to shorten your swing should really work well for you.

2012-11-29

Now a very common fault for a lot of golfers is the length of their golf swing is incorrect. Now the problem with the incorrect swing length is it won’t always cause one particular bad shot. It won’t be that your swing is long, every ball will go left. Or your swing is short, every ball will go right. It would be more the fact that when you have a longer golf swing, you’re quite inconsistent. And sometimes when you have a shorter golf swing, you can be too rushed and not have enough power.

So if we look specifically at trying to shorten your golf swing, if your swing length for an average, sort of active, fairly fit, younger golfer, if your swing length crosses the horizontal or what I would call the 3 o’clock line at the top of your swing, I would start to class that as a long swing and that would really be, even for your driver, the limit would be about 3 o’clock.

If you’re taking your pitching wedge to 3 o’clock, you’re asking for trouble because as you progress up through your set of clubs, generally your swing will increase in length bit by bit as you try and hit the ball harder and harder. Even if that’s not a perceptible feeling that you have, that you’re trying to hit it harder. Generally people do swing it further with their big clubs.

So let’s work on the principle that your pitching wedge should go to round about 2 o’clock, your driver should go to 3 o’clock and no more. So if your club is swinging too far and too long, we’re going to class the fact that you have a longer golf swing. And this next section of drills about how to shorten your swing should really work well for you.