The next time you are at the range, shorten your swing while keeping a full wrist cock and shoulder turn. You should see a dramatic increase in your distance, accuracy and consistency.
The average player can really benefit from a shortened and compact backswing. This will help to increase the total stability and balance of your golf swing. With fewer moving parts, the swing becomes a lot simpler to perform. A long backswing tends to force you to lift your front heel off the ground. Then you will have to replace it on the downswing, causing your contact and accuracy to be effected during your swing. In addition, a longer backswing tends to force your body weight to creep to the outside of your back foot, which decreases the stability of your lower body and increases the chances of an unwanted hip and leg slide. When working on making a more compact swing, have a friend let you know at what point your club is actually stopping on the backswing. It’s rarely where you think it is!
Practice shortening your swing with a short iron and focus on keeping a consistent tempo. I often see my students rush their downswing when they try to do this drill.
