A shortened backswing, is it effective??

Yesterday, I had to an opportunity to play with one of my work collegues. He is a scratch golfer and has been for a long time.

The first thing I noticed about his swing was that it look quite shortened in the backswing, but as he comes into the impact zone you can see tremendous power as the clubhead smashes into the ball. It was then I remembered reading that some of the pros were using swings that do not come back so far.

The next day, I tried shortening up my own backswing just a bit and I could really feel a difference. First of all, it makes hitting the ball easier because the club is not coming from so far. It also seems to make turning the hips easier and keeping the arms connected. This seems to result in more accuracy.

What do you think about this????


Chessbum....

Chessbum,

You are correct in my opinion, I have worked hard on this myself a couple of years ago and I never reach parallel even with a driver, I feel it has made me a better golfer.

When I first started I noticed a much more compact swing with a better ball contact, the hardest thing I found was the feeling you got when first attempting this, it feels so short it's scary .


Good luck with your discovery


Ian.

hi chessbum
couldnt agree more with you
a short backswing is all ive ever used because i didnt know any better when i started playing. so much so that when i first starting playing with more experienced players from work they were impressed how effective it was and some have adopted the same swing

Thanks guys, for the replys. I am excited and I am going to work on it some more this week. Your comments gives this concept even more credibility.

Chessbum...

as all the rest i also totally agree i am 15 and in my quest to hit the ball as far as poss i swung past parallel but i was never very accurate but after a lesson i was told to shorten the backswing and so i took his advice and saw great results as my drives were much straighter and my irons much more accurate

I think it can be very effective, I have noticed a lot of the "new" power (Holmes Villegas etc.)hitters on tour have a very short compact back swing.

Bob

it will come

There are 2 schools of thought on this subject. one is that if you shorten the swing, you will lose distance.
The other is, the shorter swing gives a better contact at impact, which imparts more disatnce..............

I think it's a case of finding which one you feel more confident with and just go with it ..........

I played my first round yesterday and made a concious attempt to keep my backswing short and compact....guess what? I shot my second best round this season.

I love the way it feels and although I was worried about losing distance, if anything, I think I got more distance. The accuracy is MUCH improved.

My advice is just give it a try !!

Chessbum....

If you have been watching the US Open this weekend, you may have noticed the co-leader Kenneth Ferrie's backswing is very short, especially by Professional standards, and hey, he's winning the biggest golf tournament in the world.

ive seen it be very effective from a few players i have played with, they usually play a high draw with it and get very good distance


not so good for me, im just a long swinger

Here is a good way to tell how far your backswing should be. Take your address position, let your arms hang freely, then take your right hand and move it in front of your left hand so now the backs of each hand is touching. Now make your back swing keeping your hands together and see how far past parrallel your left arm can go.. that is all the further back your left arm should go.

Buffalo,

Where did you pick this information up???

Chessbum...

I have been playing, practicing, and teaching golf for over 30 years...21 years as a professional and now 15 as an amateur. I have always been a good player, former state open champion, zero to +3 handicap, have been around and taken lessons off some of the best teachers in the game. FYI...I have modified my teaching methods and swing priorities many times over the years and I guess you could basically say I'm a golf swing nut that has been searching for that silver bullet hidden in the golf swing for the last ~30+ years...I'm basically addicted to becoming better myself and helping others get better and it's my obsession..

Dear Buffalo,

Your credentials are impressive and it adds even more credibility to the short swing I am now using. The tip you offered sounded like it came from some oft quoted material like Ben Hogan's writings or THarvey Penick's The little Red book. That was why I asked the question; it was my curiosity.

Just the same, I tried your little trick and that is just about where I am bringing my backswing to now. I am telling you, it has re-built my confidence to a point where I thought not possible. Just today, I played 9 holes at my home course with 5 pars and 4 bogs for a 4 over par round.

I am sure that over time I had let my backswing get out of control and not being aware of it, it plagued my accuracy and distance.

Thanks for your reply....

Chessbum....