[2022] Zombie attack range is too far?

Every single weapon in the game, including bare fists, has a longer reach than zombies. Some of them only narrowly beat their reach (like bare fists), but you should always be outranging zombies.

Perhaps you're swinging too early? If you're positive you're not swinging too early to connect, then it could be some kind of desync between the visuals and the mechanics of the game