Women’s golf tips: Why taking a full swing isn’t always right for your game

In this three-part series, Baha Mar Head Golf Professional Georgette Rolle will take on three swing-related topics: form, fashion and function. “Form” refers to the setup and positions of the golf swing. “Fashion” refers to the style of the swing and “function” refers to how to play to your strengths and think your way around the course. Click here to read last week’s piece on form. In this second piece, Rolle will focus on fashion. Check back next week for her guidance on swing “function.”

Last week, I focused on the form of the golfer and the club through impact. This segment focuses on “fashion,” or how you look when swinging. The primary goal is to feel comfortable swinging your swing, and to not succumb to the peer pressure of molding your swing to look a certain way for purely aesthetic purposes.

Your swing’s fashion includes the overall movement of the swing, and the type of swing we are most efficient with. It’s tempting — especially for beginners — to follow other golfers’ examples of how to play a hole, like using a full swing for a specific shots just because someone else does. If you are playing or practicing with a peer, try to work on what your golf professional has recommended. Remember, we must each play our own games with our own swings. 

Instruction

If you’re struggling to identify your personal swing fashion, start by using backswings and through-swings of different lengths. I have helped students find their most efficient form by using this method. Each session, we continue to teach the body how to swing the range of a full backswing, but if it is not ready to be released for the public to see, we do not use it. We play decently good golf with the smaller-range backswings or smaller-range finishes. 

Ultimately, my philosophy involves making the player more versatile by teaching nine different swing lengths, which are combinations of three backswing ranges mixed with three through-swing ranges. For example, swings 1-3 have a short backswing range combined with the range for the short finish, mid-finish and full-swing finish. For a player to be successful, they simply have to swing the club anywhere within that range versus trying to hit a specific point in the swing. This also helps me to identify their more solid movements in the swing, and which ranges they are better at swinging in.

Knowing which length backswing and through-swing is most effective for you is important. It could be that using a full swing isn’t the best call for your game like knowing which clubs or distances you are better at. Use the swing that has the higher percentage of success just like you use the clubs you are more successful with, and ultimately play to the distances where you’ve shown the greatest efficiency.

Next week, I’ll cover swing function to put it all together! Be sure to reach out to me at georgette.rolle@bahamar.com with any questions on these topics.