Shorten your Backswing to Achieve Distance and Consistency

August 30, 2007
By: Butch Bundy

The most common question in golf is "How do I gain distance?" People go from trying to buy the newest big headed driver to essentially falling down when they swing due to trying to hit the ball as hard as they can. It usually comes as a pretty big surprise when I tell players to shorten their swing to achieve not only straighter shots, but more distance.
When I hear a student ask why they don’t hit it further, I always ask if they feel like they hit the ball solid consistently. The answer is usually no. There is absolutely no substitute for solid contact when trying to achieve distance and accuracy. Shots that are not hit in the center of the clubface will always have more sidespin, which robs any shot of achieving its proper distance or direction. The biggest misconception is that distance comes from either swinging harder or by taking the club as far back as possible. In fact, the opposite is true. Most decided that John Daly’s golf swing was the best for hitting it the longest, but when you look at the longest players on tour they don’t even reach parallel on their backswing. Whether it is Tiger Woods or Ernie Els, it looks as though they are making not only a very smooth swing, but a shortened backswing also. I always point people to look at J.B. Holmes. He is third on tour in driving distance and his backswing rarely gets to the height of his shoulder going back.
Next time you are on the driving range try to make a bigger shoulder turn and a shorter arm swing going back. Try to turn your shoulder under your chin and stop your arm swing when your left arm (for right handed players) is parallel to the ground. The key to length and consistency is to time the arm swing and the body rotation. You will be surprised at how this helps you to hit the ball more solidly.