Swing Length And Width

A golf swing has two components: length and width. Think of the LENGTH of the swing as how far in the air the clubhead swings and the WIDTH as how far away from your body the clubhead swings.  Both these factors play a major role in the effectiveness of your golf swing. Think of one as a Ferris Wheel and the other as a “tilted” merry-go-round. Together, these two components represent the horizontal and vertical elements of your swing.

How long should a swing be? As with everything else, swing length is relative. The PGA Tour can vary from a John Daly length swing to a John Rahm length swing. Is one better than the other? NO. Payne Stewart’s swing was long but of course beautifully under control. Tony Finau’s swing is extremely short but highly effective. But these players are among the best in the world. What about the rest of golfers who play for a hobby? There must be some objective criteria by which we can determine if the swing is too long or too short, right? Well, of course there is: IMPACT! The answer to every golf swing puzzle is IMPACT! 

The longer a swing is, the harder it is to control; that is a given in golf swing 101. Yet on the other hand a swing too short can cause any number of other problems as well. So, let’s get a checklist-something that will help you diagnose if swing length is a problem.

First - too long:

• Hitting the ground behind the golf ball.
• Inability to feel the club face in-swing.
• Transition too steep.
• Club Pointed RIGHT at top of swing (AKA across the line).
• Losing Posture in-swing.
• Possibly toe hits.

Now let’s look for signs of a swing that might be too short:

• Topping or “skulling” the golf ball.
• Slicing.
• Possibly shanking.
• Swing plane too flat.
• Club “laid off” at top of swing.
• Getting body ahead of golf ball.

As always, you will need trained eyes and a good slow-motion video to properly analyze any swing problem, but these checkpoints can help you until then.

Remember this: Swing length, just like any swing mannerism is only a problem if it manifests in POOR IMPACT!