I recently watched two students hit balls side by side on the range. One student, about an 8-handicap, made these beautiful, flowing swings that looked like they belonged on Golf Channel. Her backswing was long, graceful, and technically impressive. The other student, a 16-handicap, had this short, compact motion that barely got the club to parallel. Yet he was striping it down the middle while she sprayed balls all over the range.
“Why can’t I hit it like him?” she asked, frustrated after another slice sailed out of the range onto the adjacent ninth fairway.
This question represents everything wrong about how many recreational golfers think about swing mechanics. After 20-plus years of teaching, I’ve learned the “perfect” backswing doesn’t exist. What matters is finding the backswing length that matches your body, your timing and your natural tendencies.
Social media has made this obsession worse. Dramatic full swings get more views than efficient, compact motions. But here’s what I know: Some golfers will always play better with shorter swings while others need that full extension to generate power and maintain rhythm.
Why compact swings work
A shorter backswing offers immediate benefits most golfers ignore. Control becomes easier when you’re not trying to manage a club that travels past parallel. Your timing windows expand. You eliminate the positions where things typically go wrong.
