Body Characteristics and Your Swing

I know that the swing is about hand-eye coordination and contact, but to an extent your body makes a difference, notably on distance. I'm what I consider a mid-handicapper (12.2, but after a set of lessons I've been consistently about 10 over lately), but being 5'4" and 130 lbs. I feel like I'm losing out on a lot of distance. I average the driver I'm looking at (Titleist 913 D2, I only use 3-wood now) about 215-235, but my swing coach (former PGA Player) says that my swing is pretty spot-on and I just need to get taller and stronger (I'm 15). There are kids that I play with often that are usually 250-290 off the tee. I always hang with them and often beat them, but this is putting a lot of stress on my game. I've gotten to the point where I can't improve my putting a whole lot more (average about 27 putts a round), but I'm often hitting hybrid and 5-iron into greens. Do you think that height/weight makes a big difference on distance, or just your swing and muscle mass? (Sorry about all the parentheses). Thanks!

When it comes to leverage, it's easier for taller players to generate higher swing speeds because they naturally have a longer swing.

That doesn't mean that you can't hit the ball longer if you're short though. It's not so much about weight either, it's all about speed and technique. Take a look at Jamie Sadlowski. He's not a big guy, but is one of the longest hitters on the planet. There are a lot of books and references available on golf workouts, which would give you a basis to start becoming stronger, and strengthening the correct muscles to help your swing if you want to go that route.

BTW: I'm only 5'5" and hit about 250 off the tee and my 150 yard club is an 8 iron which seems to be about average.

I would imagine short of gaining core strength and mass, you need to look at a lighter and longer club setup.

To echo Bullitt, you just need to work with your body type. I am 5'7" and 230 pounds, I am short and chunky, but I manage to get the swing in the slot and generate a lot of club head speed. An instructor should be able to help you work with what you got to find what works best.

I feel your pain. I'm 5'9" 140lbs, but I'm 31 so my last growth spurt was 15 years ago. I don't bomb it like the pros but I'm not the shortest guy out there. I hit driver around 250-260 with some roll and my 150 club is an 8 iron. Distance is easier for someone who's taller with broad shoulders but it can be achieved by the smaller player with proper technique. I added a few yards off the tee with a bigger shoulder turn so try that.

I'm a huge proponent of letting things happen at your age. As your pro said, your swing looks great to him. If he's not advocating any way for you to manufacture distance, I'd put a lot of weight on that opinion.

I would only recommend strengthening your core at this point. Planks, chops, you can look up the assortment of core exercises.

I'm 5'8, 200 lbs, an avid weightlifter, and although strong, the only tangible benefit to my golf swing was when I attacked my core really hard a few seasons ago. I enjoyed a substantial increase in distance despite not playing nor practicing very often.

At 45, I'm not supposed to be gaining distance but I have. My swing may have become more efficient, but like i said, that wasn't due to any practice. I attribute it mostly to my core strength.

In reading your post, I'm not sure you see the blessing in disguise. Where you may feel your game to be stressed, keeping pace with the long hitters has forced you to develop an excellent short game. More distance will come, how much? Time will tell. I understand the frustration, but the benefit is greater, imo.

As long as you don't do anything radical to inadvertently affect your swing or your approach to the game, if you're patient in allowing for the distance to come, you'll be lethal someday.

Thanks WMac. It seems like core strength is the way to go. I'm not out of shape (you really can't be at 15), but I could add some muscle on hopefully quickly. Are there any specific (preferably free) programs you suggest, or just do whatever core exercises I find online? Thanks.

TMAdidas said:

Thanks WMac. It seems like core strength is the way to go. I'm not out of shape (you really can't be at 15), but I could add some muscle on hopefully quickly. Are there any specific (preferably free) programs you suggest, or just do whatever core exercises I find online? Thanks.

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Distance isn't everything. Neither is size. Google Gene Sarazen.

Be a kid be active and exercise and don't believe marketing - distance isn't everything. Your body will start adding muscle when its ready.

Be proud you can beat guys bigger and stronger than you.

Your 15 and probably going into your sophomore yr, you will grow in both mass and height. Work your core and legs, heck honestly work everything, make sure you eat enough calories to suffice what you need plus what you burn working out. Work on explosive(speed) drills work all the little muscles that stabilize you through out the swing.

Don't change your swing to manufacture club head speed and distance!!!!!

what you consider stressing you game now is gonna pay dividends later, have a sharp long game(not on the Tee) and a great short game will pay dividends when you hit that growth spurt which will give you distance.

I'm a shorter golfer (5'5", 160) but also a decent athlete, so when my swing is on, I get some good distance off the tee (250-260). Build up your core with sit ups, and if you're really interested, get with the strength coach at your school about getting your form checked for dead lifts and squats. The biggest ways to increase swing speed, to me, is getting a better and more explosive hip turn and leg drive. Those exercises will help get that.

Also, find golfers with a similar body type and look for some of the ways they take advantage of their build. KJ Choi is a golfer with a similar build and background as a power-lifter, so I look for some of the ways he moves in his swing and try to adapt them for my own. He generates a ton of power off the ground with his legs and has a really strong hip turn.

I know some little guys that generate incredible clubhead speed. One of them is a THPer. I think being lean and tall give you an advantage most of the time, but there will always be other factors that are as important as body type.

I agree with some of the others regarding working on your core strength. There was a pretty decent Men's Health article that I saw recently giving exercises to improve power, mechanics and flexibility. Good luck.

IIRC, Rory is not a big guy - I think he was around 150 lb when he started on tour. Hogan was on the small side too. At 15, you've got a few years (3-5) before you hit your athletic peak yet. I'm 5'9" and was 145 lb when I graduated high school. Over the next year, I started training hard in martial arts, started playing soccer, and started riding my road bike long distances (century rides, 30-50 mile trainning runs). I put 25 lb of muscle on - most of it in my legs. As long as your technique is good, some weight training might help develop strength and distance. My favorite core exercise was either hanging froma bar (or better yet using a "chair" that's built for this exercise -can't remember what the actual name is, but it's also used for doing dips) andbringing knees up to my chest, then doing it twisting right, & twisting left.

Good luck!

There's hope for you dude. I've talked a little about a local kid here that I know and have played with. He's playing college golf now I believe.

He is a fantastic golfer, but never had a lot of power. Was still longer than I was, but he also has a great swing. Small guy and had some sort of issue with his neck that fused it or something? Anyway, he gained a lot of distance in his last year of high school. Worked his butt off for it, but it can be done. A lot of his peers were much longer, but he had no problem beating them. Now he's got the distance to go with the rest of his game.

I was 5'4", 120 lbs when I was a freshman. I actually made the varsity golf team playing with ladies clubs my Freshman year - Patty Burg signatures!! My length disadvantage did not prevent me from getting my index down to a 3 that year. A year later I was 5'10" and got 40 yards longer off the tee.. Develop your chipping, putting and wedge game and soon you will be stronger and taller.

I believe my body type hinders my swing in ways that I'm not sure ill ever be able to accept. I'm stocky (6'0 240) and have a hard time preventing myself from coming over the top. It's just so easy and natural to do so. It's hard for me to get my hands inside enough to be able to swing "out" to hit a consistent draw like I dream of doing. Just gotta keep trying to lose weight and hope the yoga can help with my flexibility and balance

I'm 6 foot 1 and 195. More muscle definitely wouldn't help me hit the ball ball farther, more speed might, though.

Man I am ever jealous of you young kids with your big distances.

I am 33, 5'10, ballooned up to 195lbs right now (and brutally out of shape, very weak core), but my driver distance (if lucky) is a 215 carry. Hit a 7iron into 150.

You sound like you have a good foundation of skill TMadidas, I wouldn't be concerned about the distance thing. It might be an issue for a year or two, but once you get a bit more height on you, you should be just fine.

TMAdidas said:

Do you think that height/weight makes a big difference on distance, or just your swing and muscle mass? (Sorry about all the parentheses). Thanks!

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Yes, I think it makes a difference. Taller people create a longer arc with their swings and that means more club head speed. But it also means more opportunity for swing flaws and lost accuracy, too. That doesn't mean you are doomed though...others have spoken very well about areas to work on. Also, great job so far on your game!

Don't worry too much about distance. If your drives are the distance you say, and you're at the handicap you say, then that means the rest of your game is pretty good. Like some said, just exercise and workout and the distance will come by itself. Accuracy is more important than distance. When I was in high school, the shortest player, physical height and driving distance, was our #1 on varsity. All because he was incredibly accurate and had a solid short game. His drives were probably around the same as you; he probably couldn't go over 250.

If you want to hit it longer, focus on core strength and lag. Short guys hit it far by using leverage instead of swing arc. Do lots of stretching and keep your wrists supple and swing freely. You can create plenty of speed with a short stature. Casey Wittenberg is a good example (obviously the exception) but he creates good clubhead speed. When I was in junior golf, I was taught to swing very hard and learn to dial it back and become more controlled from there. I am 5'10" but don't have long arms by any means and can move the ball pretty consistently because of lag and leverage. If length is a concern, learn to draw the ball for a few more yards and dial in the loft and lie of your driver to make sure that you are maximizing the carry and roll per your swing. I hope this helps!

echoing what others have said at 15, i would focus more on technique than strength building. as a 5'11 175 guy, the main thing weight lifting (not core training) has done was help me hit it out of the rough better. Learning to create lag and weight transfer has helped me hit further more than weight and strength training.

Thainer21 said:

I'm 6 foot 1 and 195. More muscle definitely wouldn't help me hit the ball ball farther, more speed might, though.

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Agree Thain! If strength was the only factor in hitting it far, I'd be over 325 all the time. I'd say it's probably in this order.. Technique, speed, flexibility, strength. And realistically, flexibility probably is key in Technique, speed and even strength. For instance, because of a bad shoulder / neck, I have a very limited backswing. but for a 47 year old guy I still have plenty of speed. I just don't have enough time because of the flexibilty issue I have to make the use of that speed. For me, hitting a draw is very tough because I just don't have the time on the downswing to let the face close naturally. So if I try to do it, I end up snapping the hands and hitting a low hard hook.

A question for you TM - how big are your parents, particularly your mom? Are / were they athletic? As you go through the next 3, maybe even 5 years, you will get stronger & fill out more than likely anyway. Now is the time though to get on a good golf workout program, as your body will respond better then it ever will again. Find a trainer who specializes in golf if you can - they are out there!

BIGBALL said:

A question for you TM - how big are your parents, particularly your mom? Are / were they athletic? As you go through the next 3, maybe even 5 years, you will get stronger & fill out more than likely anyway. Now is the time though to get on a good golf workout program, as your body will respond better then it ever will again. Find a trainer who specializes in golf if you can - they are out there!

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My dad is 5'11", my mom is 5'6". My dad is about 160, but none of it's fat. My mom's about 125 also thin. They were both extremely good runners (my dad placed 11th in the Ohio marathon a long time ago), and my dad can generate normal distance, but he doesn't have a very efficient, repeatable swing. He's still a fairly good golfer. He played pretty much every sport except hockey as a kid and at 49 still runs about 5-6 miles a day.

Of course more height means wider arc which relates to more head speed but that's only if one can control it to result in a good hit. Most amateurs who are decent players or who have been playing long enough have learned just where the curves between speed and control meet (a happy medium) and is where their swing is usually at if they are consistent enough at golf. Even pros too have this, although its usually at a higher place because their ability to control a faster swing is greater than ours but that place of happy medium does still exist imo.

I don't think its about muscle and height, I think its more about technique. I do understand that if one is smaller in height that they must put more work into learning how to stay loose and in control throughout their bigger swing for the extra yards. Must learn how to raise the point of that happy medium to catch up the taller guy with the wider arc. But that can be learned imo and can also exceed the taller guy.

My fitter said he makes everyone he fits take the fastest swing they can at the end of the fitting. He did it to me also. Says-" now I want you to really get on this one", .."make believe its a long wide P5 and try to get it out there far as you can". And every single time the person (including me) actually lost a lot of head speed and distance. The reason being we try to use more muscle and they just tighten up and we don't know how to take a full windup yet keep it loose at the same time. And even if one is able to do it they always lose control anyway so the point of doing it out on the course becomes moot. Unless of course you put the time and efforts into learning how to do it.

Look at long driving events and those who have learned how to muster up a ton of speed by staying loose throughout a huge coil-up and release and its not simply muscle men either. Most of those shots would not be in play on an average fairway. They would be way left and way right. Heck, a ton of those shots cant even stay in play on that wide competition landing area.

To me, if your serious about getting the extra yards and even if you don't grow much taller it can still be done if you are able put the time, money, and efforts at learning how to get the largest swing you can possibly take but learn how to do it by staying loose and staying in control. Hopefully raise that happy medium higher then the average person and get you to a distance that is more satisfying to you. But most likely you will have more growth spurt through high school and this wont be an issue anymore anyway. At your age you are better at golf than most people who play the game. I wouldn't worry about it so much but if you chose otherwise I would say its more about learning to stay loose while keeping control during large swings. Sure muscle, legs, body core strength does play a roll but timing and technique imo has more affect on it than muscle and height. Just my thoughts on it and how it was explained to me.