Is a Woman's Swing Different from a Man's Swing?

[DSH]

An opinion was expressed to me today that I should go to a woman pro for lessons rather than a man because "A woman's swing is different from a man's swing." The person professing this knowledge claimed that a woman naturally uses her hips and legs, where she has more power, rather than her shoulders (as a man does).

I am rather skeptical, but then again, so much of the input I've had from books and friends has come from men.

So -- help me please -- is a woman's swing different from a man's? and should it be?

PS I recently did have a lesson with a man and thought it was quite helpful.

[cdriver]

Great question. I see the ladies on the LPGA tour and wish I could swing "like a girl". But the average woman amateur??? The ones I see generally don't have the upper body strength of a man, so I believe they have to make a different swing to compensate for their lack of upper body muscularity.

All that said, I believe a male teacher could do an adequate job of getting the setup, swing and follow-through for any player, male or female. Perhaps a woman would not hit the ball as far, but the basics of the swing should be similar enough for a man to do a credible job of teaching it.

I am intriguied because we have a woman at our club who has a beautiful swing and can drive with any of us guys, yet she doesn't have massive male shoulders. Her swing always looks like the guys to me???

[iacas]

So -- help me please -- is a woman's swing different from a man's? and should it be?

No and no. And that's that.

[muskegman]

So -- help me please -- is a woman's swing different from a man's? and should it be?

No, I think that is absurd. The results will be different in terms of distance and spin between most professional men and women golfers but their swings are not different beyond individual peculiarities.

[allin]

I saw an episode of your game night on tgc last winter, where a women pro addressed some minor differences in setup to compensate for ahem physical differences between women and men. Other than that the teaching pro's tips were pretty mainstream.

[rembrandt]

The only thing I've noticed about the womans swing is they are more deliberate. They take the club back slower and seem to concentrate more on making solid contact. We all should take heed on that!

[cdriver]

The only thing I've noticed about the womans swing is they are more deliberate. They take the club back slower and seem to concentrate more on making solid contact. We all should take heed on that!

I used to play occassionally with a lady in her early 60's. She had been playing about 10 years. I learned a lot from her. Her approach to the game was so good. She knew how far she could hit each club, never tried to overswing to get more yardage, played to her strengths and usually kicked my behind. Steady progress towards the hole and a killer short game won out over my bravado and testosterone more times than not.

[golfchief]

the golf swing is a swing, for men and women. You should be getting your power from your legs.