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One year after I took on golf, I'm still shooting around 100. I found the main drag to be mishits that are doomed to happen a couple to maybe 10 times a round.

In order to cut down on these and to recover faster when it happens, I am thinking of making half swing on all shots during a round. On the range I did find it bring the benefits I wanted with only slight loss of distance (for instance, from 155 to 145 on 7 iron).

Is this recommended for short term fix? How about its long-term effects, like if I'll be able to make good full swing after I get used to half swing?

Oh BTW by half swing I mean left arm stops at horizontal during backswing (RH). Maybe it's slightly more as I haven't took video or asked friends to check for me.

Comments welcome.

Firstly, shooting 100 after 1 year is pretty good. The first time I broke 100 was after 2 years. Half swings are not a fix- at least to me. The only time I use a half is for yardage inside 100- where touch and accuracy is a premium. It really depends on HOW FAR you want to go with your golf game. The full swing fundamentals take a long time to learn- and to be consistant. Do you want to play for fun and shoot 85-100 forever, or do you want to really get good? Half swings you'll never see out of a good player ( some exceptions).

I would suggest half swings for 3 reasons- lay-up shots, wedge shots, and keeping the ball low. Other than this, to really learn to play well, work on the full golf swing fundys. It will take some time, but what do you have to lose? You might as well go for the gold.. My 2 cents at least.

I wouldn't say half swings, like you're only taking the club half way back, but smooth swings. The smoother slower you swing the more accuracy and control you'll have over your shot. If you do miss your misses are not as bad either. The game is to put the lowest number on the card, not see how far you can hit each club. Might look good on the range, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter if you hit a 5 iron 170 or a 7, hit what gets you there the easiest.

i think if you are hinged up at the end of swing , you are describing what some instructors call a 3/4 swing , am i right ? ...and 3/4 swings are often recc'd ....esp if you keep it compact and good follow thru...

and btw, 170 yards with a 7 iron = not bad! congrats! in the air, all carry!?...

i have a friend who only a half backswing even with drive and he hits it pretty well,i have another friend who learned by starting with a shorter swing and gradually increasing length of swing over time,your half swing probably makes your timing easier,try taking a full backswing nice and slow and also a nice and slow downswing and hit through the ball accelerating from a few feet before it,you might be rushing your downswing and when you take halfswing then its less of a journey for the club to go wrong,i went from 102 average last year to about 84 average this year and lots of those strokes came off from 60 yards in.

As said before, shooting around 100 in a year is decent progress. I would not recommend half-swings. I would recommend shortening your swing, if it is too long now. But be sure to check in a mirror how far your clubs go back when you make your full swings and half-swings. Most people perceive their club going back much less far than it actually does. You may find that taking a backswing that brings the club back to parallel feels like a 3/4 swing too you, and that you can achieve it (and with it) quite comfortably.

Just focusing on this part of the post. I guess it depends on the wrist hinge, like someone mentioned.

Sounds like you are comfortable with your 1/2 swing shot. Thats a great shot to have. Sure, play that shot as much as you want on the course. Hey golf is for fun. But soon you will want to increase the shots in your bag.

Maybe one day you could play a round with your 1/2 swing, then the next day play with the 3/4 swing, then the next day use the full swing when ever possible. Finally the next round use all of them. The 3/4 and full swings are going to feel funny for a while, but like your 1/2 swing, you will get to know them and trust them.

I have a buddy whose swing was great and game was solid (probably about a 6 or 7 cap). He was taking lessons and working on the half swing, which he got very proficient with. He basically decided that he could hit more fairways and greens by using this more compact tighter swing where it was all about control. His distance was still great because he was hitting the ball in the center of the face all the time.
That's the advantage to the half swing - once you work on it a bit, you'll find less room to make mistakes; it's a solid swing. You will likely sacrifice a little yardage, but if you hit fairways and greens, how much does it matter being 150 out instead of 140?

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and advises. Allow me to respond and clear up a few things below.

1. Now I'm not sure if what I do is really a half swing and if what I do is right (but it seems to work though). Swinging in front of a mirror, I found my left arm is really more or less horizontal at the end of backswing. Well maybe horizontal with upper arm with lower arm at 160 degree with it (not straight of 180 as I feel too strained with a straight left arm). But my back is turned almost 90 degree, i.e., back to the target. Should I reduce the turn of my torso too? Think I do so because I have good torso flexibility but bad hand/arm flexibility.

2. Indeed I found the main cause of more consistent shots with "half swing" is less margin for error on tempo. Plus, I have to admit that inherently my motion is not very smooth but more jerky. I know it because though my tennis is pretty good, but it doens't look smooth on video. Trying to overcome it and have more fluid and smooth action may be the main thing I should focus on next, after I settle on swing mechanism.

3. Even if I settle down on 1/2 or 3/4 swing, I don't intend to stay with it forever as I do want to be a good golfer eventually. I consider it a stepping stone, sort of like mastering walking before running thing. Agree?

4. With full swing on range, my 7 iron is around 145~150 carry with 5~10 roll. Now with half swing I lose about one club (10 yds). I don't mind this small loss (may have concern if it's 20) as long as I avoid those erratic (often embarrassing) shots on the course.

I'll play a round tomorrow. Hope to find time on the range today so I can settle down.

I agree completely about the possibility of using a partial swing for irons in addition to wedges. There is this bombardment with distance that it almost seems alien to use anything other than a 7I or even an 8I for a 150yd shot.

Well, the course doesn't care what club you used. I've noticed that I can improve my percentage accuracy if I go back to a 9:00 swing and use a 5I. The ball goes much lower, but if hit correctly, it still goes in the air and will carry over most hazards.

I think that going back to a 7:30 or 9:00 swing will make it less likely to get off track in your backswing. If you cannot get consistant with a full or 10:30 swing, then there should be no problem with grabbing a longer club and swinging partially, just like in the Pelz system. But instead of going a shorter distance with a wedge, you're going a shorter distance with an iron.

After trying this out about 3 weeks ago, I immediatly have seen results. I haven't been able to go for anything but a 1/2 round, but both times I've played the front 9, I've shot much better (about cut 5 strokes off average) and can probably get even better with more practice.

It really takes some dedication to the game and craft of golf, as opposed to the marketing & social pressure, to change from a par 3 where you should be hitting a 6 iron, but normally pull a 7 iron to stroke your ego but hit it short, and really want to pull an 8 iron all along; to feeling comfortable hitting a 5 iron but hitting a partial swing.

I recommend a 3/4 swing for irons. There is less room for error and you can hit the ball just as far as if you took the club back parallel.

I have seen some people do this with the driver even...and they were on the 8 Man Teams like myself representing local courses in competitions. They all outdrove me without getting the club close to parallel on the backswing.

I agree, I can hit a 10:30 swing (3/4) as far as going back to a full swing (club parallel to ground) and also be more consistant.

Just a progress report...

I found time to hit 30 balls on range to get more used to the tempo and timing of shorter swing the night before I played 18 holes. On the course, it seems to work as I've hoped. At the minimum, the half swing seemed to reduce the percentage and seriousness of mishit and a quicker recovery when it happened (usually the very next shot).

On the range, I also found the smoothness and ease I've never experienced before (didn't feel so on the course, guess nerve go the better of me). Guess the full or over swing I had before stressed or even tensed my muscle during back swing. Now with the reduced back swing, as long as I can find the right timing for releasing, I get straight shot with a solid contact.

Oh, I did struggled for the first few holes like it often happened. Then I realized that my legs were more bent than usual which allowed the right leg to give or straighten up during backswing. After I resumed the "normal" posture and prevented shifting of lower body during backswing, things started to get better.

I plan to practice more on the range to ingrain such swing into muscle memory. Hope I can get to around 90 soon.

Congratulations, you have passed the test. Instead of saying how far CAN I hit that little white ball, you are saying how far do I wish to hit that little white ball.
It is fun to play with a friend of mine who has a long shot. He is in college and playing for his school. We get paired up with strangers and from the first tee on I see them incrementally increase their swing speed, which costs them any control they may have. All the time professing to be a 15 handicap and hitting water and woods.
Play your own game. If you gauge your set of clubs by a half swing you will have much more control and a better game than if you gauge it by the max.
I cannot count the number of times I read a pro recommend swinging at 80 or even 60 percent of their max. Choking up on the club to hit a tight fairway. The bomb mentality is all ego.

Good luck,