Swing plane and height

[Effington]

Hey guys, I was wondering what (if any) correlation there is between someone's height and their swing plane.  I am the bottom 1% in height for grown adults and have a very flat golf swing.  I went to one instructor who kept telling me to get it more upright, but after many hours of practice, still find it very challenging--it zaps all the power out of my swing as I can't really engage my lower body.  I went to another instructor who told me that shorter golfers have flatter golf swings, which was music to my ears, but is this true?  He used the example of Ricky Fowler being one of the shortest golfers on tour and also flat.  However I was also wondering, I often see Matt Kuchar's swing as flat and he's very tall.  I am not an expert so was hoping to get feedback from those who know better.  My arms are generally slightly below the trail shoulder when I'm at the top of my backswing.

I do know that once I stopped trying to get my swing upright and worked with my normal (flat) swing, I was hitting the ball as good or better than ever, and have never been able to get an upright swing to work for me.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

[Effington]

Also I would like to add, I don't have huge aspirations to become a low handicapper, I'd just like to be able to hit the ball decently.  I assume since I can hit a driver 210-250 on a driving range and hit a 7 iron 140-150, if I could do that consistently on a course I would be able to shoot in the 80's, which I think would be good enough for me.  I currently shoot anywhere from 100-120 (usually closer to 120), due to not being able to take my driving range swing to the course.

Not sure if this is relevant information, but maybe it is.  I always see teachers talking about PGA tour swings, but I guess I'd think that I don't need to compare myself to a tour player if I'm just trying to break 90.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Effington

[boogielicious]

@Effington

Do you have a My Swing thread? It is hard to give advice without seeing your actual swing. Swing planes do get relatively flatter with the height of the golfer. But the important thing is to get it right for you and your body to maximize efficiency. 

There are plenty of shorter male golfers who have excelled. Gary Player is 5’ 6”.  Many LPGA players are smaller and hit drives 240+.

[Effington]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

@Effington

Do you have a My Swing thread? It is hard to give advice without seeing your actual swing. Swing planes do get relatively flatter with the height of the golfer. But the important thing is to get it right for you and your body to maximize efficiency. 

There are plenty of shorter male golfers who have excelled. Gary Player is 5’ 6”.  Many LPGA players are smaller and hit drives 240+.

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!  Unfortunately I don't have a swing thread but I will see what I can do.

In the meantime, I did a search on the shortest LPGA players and found this Youtube video of a 5'1" player.  Do you see anything on her swing plane that sticks out/occurs due to her height?  In my completely untrained eye, I wonder if she starts out a little below the plane but then gets quite upright when she hinges wrists.

 

It looks like this last girl might have some over the top action to compensate for a flat backswing:

 

 

Edited August 26, 2018 by Effington

[boogielicious]

She’s definitely not OTT. Her swing is more upright at A4 then the shaft flattens at A6. It would be a good swing to copy. But if you can post a video of your swing, folks here can help. 

[Lihu]

I have many shorter golf partners, and many tall ones ranging from 5’1” to 6’10” and have seen flat swing in both.

Arm length and length of clubs might have some impact too?

Whatever works I suppose?

[Carl3]

Keegan Bradley is tall and seems to crouch down in an uncomfortable position... I think he has a flat swing plane

[iacas]

I find very little correlation; if anything it has more to do with the relative length of their clubs versus their body size. Kids will often swing clubs that are slightly too long for them flatter… because they set up to them flatter, as the clubhead is farther out away from their feet than if they were sized properly.

[Hacker James]

On ‎8‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 4:17 AM, boogielicious said:

@Effington

 

There are plenty of shorter male golfers who have excelled. Gary Player is 5’ 6”.  Many LPGA players are smaller and hit drives 240+.

case in point....Ian Woosnam

 

19 hours ago, boogielicious said:

She’s definitely not OTT. Her swing is more upright at A4 then the shaft flattens at A6. It would be a good swing to copy. But if you can post a video of your swing, folks here can help. 

This is sorta what Zach Allen  is currently touting as his "magic move", basically laying the club down as you start the down swing.

 

[Effington]

Thanks, I appreciate all the feedback!  Looks like you've all answered it.