How to transfer feeling from 3/4 to full shots

[Killa]

So I played a round today and struggled quite a bit with my full swings. They have a strong fade that borders on a slice. Also quite a bit of tops and fatsies from the tee. 

On the other hand I had my best approach round in quite some time. Everything from about 120 yards in was awesome. Dead straight at the flag with anything shorter than an 8 iron. 

The swing felt fluid without any tension and I was able to pretty much replicate my practice swings, whereas with the full swings it’s just not the same swing. 

 

I tried to focus on tempo and force myself to not think about distance off the tee, but I just can’t forget the distance part, whereas with the 120 and shorter approach shots I know that distance is not a problem... should I visit a shrink or what? 🙂

 

[criley4way]

Trying to hit it off the tee is a common issue. If you slice with the long clubs and not the short ones, again this is common. I have found the 50% drill to be helpful for this issue. Take a longer club, hit a full shot at a slower tempo to 50% of the normal full distance. Once you have that stroke and speed feeling good, move to 65% then 75% then 90%. If you can't consistently hit a shot shape and start-line back up and hit one that you can. 

I just find it easier to work on technique and sequence if I am not trying to go hard.

[Missouri Swede]

What you are calling 3/4 might be a complete swing.

[Patch]

Like @Missouri Swede posted. I see a lot golfers who's full swing is a 3/4 swing. Heck, my own full swing might be closer to to 3/4, than full. 

It's all about swing speed/tempo, and swinging with in one's balance point.. When the golfer swings so fast, that they are not in balance, this of course causes all kinds of negative swing issues. 

The golfer just has to learn to swing with in themselves, and stay in balance. This also involves club selection, fairway conditions. Swinging in balance with a longer club is much better than swinging faster, out of balance with a shorter club. 

I forgot to add this earlier. I stole a little tid bit from the movie "Tin Cup". The little two word saying being "dollar bills". "Dollar" on the up swing, and "Bills" on the down swing. Thinking this, or saying this during the swing helps with swing tempo/timing. To me, it is easier to match the the timing of the words, to my swing tempo, than trying to keep my swing under control by itself. Tempo aside, I let the length of the swing deal with the speed of the club head at impact. 

[DaveP043]

28 minutes ago, Patch said:

Like @Missouri Swede posted. I see a lot golfers who's full swing is a 3/4 swing. Heck, my own full swing might be closer to to 3/4, than full. 

A little different way of looking at this point, many of us overswing regularly, and I put myself into that group.  What FEELS like a 3/4 swing may be a really good swing length, a swing you shouldn't ever try to exceed.  Maybe its best NOT to transfer the 3/4 feel to a longer swing, just use the 3/4 feel all the time.

[Killa]

The thing is that it’s not just the backswing. I also make a shortened follow through to the target on the “3/4” shots. Don’t want to develop that kind of swing with the driver and 3 wood. 

[PraiseKek]

Get a launch monitor and practice distance control. Swinging all out is only necessary in the rough when you can't run it up. Know how much you have in the tank if you need it, but 3/4 swings are what you should hit most wedge shots with.

There are a few advantages. First, the variance in swing speeds is much less. Second, you will generate more predictable and controllable spin as your strikes will hit the same grooves. Finally, you can dial it down easier with a controlled swing. A full swing is about hitting the ball as hard as you can, and it's much harder to step down from. Think of how difficult it is to hit a 3/4 driver on command after bashing it all day.

Edited August 20, 2018 by PraiseKek

[RussUK]

I have found that when my arm is just above parallel to the ground i hit it better than when i try to make what i "think" is a full swing. Distance is better as its easier to get the swing in synch, therefore better contact.

[saevel25]

What ever you are doing wrong will be amplified with the driver. A golfer can get away with more swing faults with their shorter irons than their driver.

If you want something more tailored towards your swing, start a My Swing thread and post a Down-the-line and Face-on view with your driver.

[Bucki1968]

Not sure who gave me this drill but when I start to hit the driver bad I go to this drill and it almost always helps me fix any driver/3 wood issue. I stand with my feet closer together (on the driving range) and try to hit my driver at flags that are around 100 yards. It really helps me with contact. Then you just slowly increase the distance (and the width of your stance) until you are hitting full shots. It helps me to shorten my backswing and have more control over the club as well as increasing distance because I'm hitting it flush. I think it also really helps with my tempo.

[Killa]

5 hours ago, saevel25 said:

What ever you are doing wrong will be amplified with the driver. A golfer can get away with more swing faults with their shorter irons than their driver.

If you want something more tailored towards your swing, start a My Swing thread and post a Down-the-line and Face-on view with your driver.

I have one but I don’t have driver videos from this year as our driving range is closed for construction this year (should reopen soon) and I’m only hitting from the mats into a net this year. And I stopped hitting into the net with longer clubs when I tore the net with my 3 wood from the deck (there is a practice field behind the net).