A Guide for Creating a Compact Golf Swing

Compact golf swings are ones that are repeatable shot after shot, round after round. When your golf swing is long and loose, you might hit some great shots, but you are also going to be prone to errors from time to time as well. Long swings require more timing to execute successfully, while compact swings are usually easier to repeat and don’t need your timing to be perfect in order to get good results.

So how do you go about developing a compact golf swing? A lot of it has to do with your right arm position (for a right-handed golfer). When your right arm drifts up and away from your body during the backswing, your swing gets long and you can have trouble with your swing path, as well. A good, compact swing will have the right arm staying in close to the body throughout the backswing and at the start of the downswing.

Learning how to keep your right arm in a good position tight to your body is easier than you might think. Use the following steps to work on developing a right arm position that provides you with a nice, compact swing.

  1. Take your address position while holding any one of your clubs. You should be in a place where you have room to swing the club, such as the driving range or even your backyard.
  2. Place an extra golf glove or a small towel under your right armpit and pin it there at address.
  3. The goal will be to make your full swing without letting the glove or towel fall out of your armpit.
  4. If you lift your arm up and away from your body, the glove or towel will fall and you will know that your swing has gotten too long and loose. By keeping your elbow down close to your side, the glove or towel should stay safely in place.
  5. After you complete some repetitions of this drill, remove the glove or towel and start to hit a few shots while thinking about copying that same position that you had achieved.

The right arm (for a right-handed golfer) is the key to creating a compact golf swing. Using the drill above to learn the proper feeling in your right arm position, you can tighten up your swing and make it more repeatable.