Backswing question

[bizman]

In my short golf career I have pieced together my swing from watching videos, listening to my buddies (probably not the greatest idea), and hitting a lot of balls. At the beginning of the year I really worked on getting better with my wedges from 100 yards and in, and right now it is probably the best part of my game. The best thing I did was limit my backswing so the club was not parallel to the ground and focus on taking a divot after the ball. Since I have been hitting my wedges so well, I took this same swing to my short irons but not my long irons.
Today at the range I messed around with limiting my backswing with my long irons and hybrids (not taking the club to parallel) and found that I hit more consistent shot. Now, I was hitting into a decent head wind, so I didn't hit everything as far, but the feel off the club was great.
So my question, I always thought a bigger backswing would result in more clubhead speed and a farther shot, am I misguided? I think my distances are pretty average (160 w/7 iron) so I'm not thrilled about losing a lot of distance (stupid ego I know), but if I do gain some accuracy I wouldn't mind.
Also, does anyone limit their driver backswing? Can it be beneficial?
Sorry if these are silly questions, I just really liked the feedback on my last question so I figured I'd throw it out there.
Thanks!

[osean79]

I also came to realize that i hit better shots when making only 3/4 swings not soon after I started playing golf.

I do this for all swings, including the driver and it works. Of course, if i need an extra 20-30 yds i do purposely make a bigger backswing but only if i can afford to mishit it. As for losing distance, i actually gained more distance as I developed a better swing and consistant hit on the sweet spot. Average 7 iron is about 170, so i'm not concerned with distances. I don't ever make a bigger swing just to get another 5-8 yds more, but just grab a club longer and swing easier.

[saevel25]

Oh i am starting to get my 3/4 swing down because for me 3/4ths equal parallel ;b

[ks8829]

I too discovered my swing with my backswing and wedge practice. I use the same swing for my fairway woods and driver swing.

[Zeph]

Have you ever seen your swing on video? When I first did, I was amazed at how long my backswing was. I sometimes tried hitting punch shots that felt likt 1/4 shots to me, but in reality was 3/4 when I watched it on video. Feel is not real.

The longer your backswing is, the harder it is to get the sequence right. I hit the ball farther when I take a shorter backswing because my hands don't get as far behind, giving me forward leaning shaft at impact and more club head speed.

[bizman]

I have never video taped my swing, but I am going to get a tripod tomorrow to test it out. The only time I have seen my swing is in still pictures, and with my driver it was past parallel. I just took a 6 iron in front of a big mirror at home and took it back what felt like 1/2 and it was beyond 3/4, so I see what you mean by feel is not real. I'll hopefully get some video tomorrow and really examine what my swing looks like.

[osean79]

I definitely recommended taking a video of your swing. I too was shocked when I first saw my video and realized my 3/4 swing was actually past parellel. After viewing the video and a short practice session later (again with video) i realized my 1/2 swing was 3/4.

Zeph is right, feel is not real. Seeing your own swing on a vid is absolutely an eye opener. Make sure to record the voice, and loudly comment what type of swing you will be making to properly note what your goal for that particular swing is.