Half and three-quarter swing in golf: how to control distance with swing length, build your own distance table and practice it as a skill of its own.
A half swing (or three-quarter swing) is a shortened swing in which the backswing ends at about 9 o'clock (lead arm horizontal) or 10:30. You use it to control distances for which the full swing would be too long. Important: it is not a scaled-down full swing but a skill to be practiced in its own right.
The honest answer to "Is the half swing just a smaller full swing?" is: no. In a study of 13 golfers, body movement shrank more in the partial swing than hand movement. The area over which the pressure point under the feet moves became 33 percent smaller, the lateral shift 25.5 percent and the trunk rotation 14.1 percent [1]. The authors conclude that the partial swing is not a scaled version of the full swing.
At the same time an important similarity remains. In 45 golfers (professionals and good amateurs), wedge shots to 40, 55 and 70 meters showed the same order as in the full swing: first pelvis, then upper body, then hands [2]. So in the half swing too the body rotates first.
Swing length as a distance lever is practical knowledge and was not measured here. But a study of college players confirms that target distance (30, 50, 70 yards) changed phase times, angular velocities and movement sequence. The authors call for practicing the short-game swing as a skill of its own [3]. 70 yards is almost 64 meters, a good half of a football pitch.
All descriptions are for right-handers; left-handers mirror them.
Imagine a clock face. In the 9 o'clock swing your backswing ends when your lead arm is about horizontal. In the three-quarter swing at about 10:30. That is a teaching image, not a measured angle.
Milestone: a video from the front shows the same arm height on every swing.
The arms do not swing alone. Chest and hips turn in the backswing, as in the full swing. This fits the measured order pelvis, upper body, hands [2]. Feel how your chest turns with it toward the end.
The follow-through ends at about 3 o'clock, as long as the backswing. That prevents decelerating. Whoever slows down at impact often hits it fat or thin (experience-based).
The rhythm stays, only the swing length changes. That is the idea of the distance-control shot. Not smaller and slower, but shorter and at the same speed in rhythm.
Hit ten balls with the 9 o'clock swing, then ten with 10:30, each with the same club. Note the average landing point (carry). Repeat with a second club. From the table you know on the course immediately which swing length fits which distance.
Milestone: of ten balls with the same swing length at least seven land within about five meters (a coaching benchmark, not a study number).
A half swing is much shorter than a full one, but I found no study on the load on the spine in the partial swing. So do not automatically treat it as "gentle". Warm up with easy swings first and stop if your back or wrist hurts. Before practicing, check that nobody is in the line of fire or next to you. This guide does not replace supervised training with a PGA pro or certified coach.
Put your focus on the target, not on the swing. In a review of 52 randomized trials on golf learning, an external focus, that is the target, did better than a focus on body movement [4]. Tell yourself before the shot: "Land exactly there", not "arm to 9 o'clock". That keeps your mind on the result instead of on the arms.
A half swing is a shortened golf swing in which the backswing ends at about 9 o'clock (lead arm horizontal). You use it for controlled distances shorter than the full swing. It is not a scaled full swing but a skill of its own [1].
That depends on club, tempo and your technique. There is no universal value. Build your own distance table: ten balls each with the 9 o'clock and 10:30 swing, note the average carry. That is practice, not a study number.
No. In 13 golfers the body shrank more than the hands in the partial swing, the pressure-point area by 33 percent and the trunk rotation by 14.1 percent [1]. The same order remains though: first pelvis, then upper body, then hands [2].
Change targets and clubs instead of always repeating the same thing. A review names varied practice and an external focus as superior methods, although most studies examined novices on simple tasks [4]. Note each series in your distance table.
When you stand between two clubs: instead of swinging the shorter club fully, you take the longer one and swing to about 10:30. That is a coaching rule of thumb. Test it with ten balls before you use it on the course.
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