How to Go from a Half Swing to a Full Swing in Golf

Stuck moving from a half swing to a smooth, powerful full swing? You’re in exactly the right place. Improving your ball flight isn't about wildly swinging harder, it’s about extending the solid mechanics you can build in a shorter motion into a complete, balanced swing. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to use the half swing as a powerful foundation, and then build upon it to develop a reliable and repeatable full golf swing.

Good Golf Swings Are Built, Not Forced

Many golfers think the half swing is just for beginners or for chipping around the greens. But the truth is, it's the engine room of the entire golf swing. When you perform a "9-to-3" drill - where the club goes back to where your left arm is parallel to the ground (9 o'clock) and through to where your right arm is parallel (3 o'clock) - you're isolating the most important movements in golf. You're training your body to be the source of power.

The golf swing is a rotational action. It moves around the body in a circle, powered primarily by the turning of your torso and hips. A lot of golfers, especially when they first start, try to generate power with their arms, resulting in a disconnected, up-and-down chopping motion. The half swing forces you to abandon that and focus on turning your body. By mastering this shorter movement, you bake the correct sequence into your muscle memory, making the transition to a full swing feel natural and coordinated rather than forced.

First, Perfect Your Half Swing (The 9-to-3)

Before you even think about swinging to the top, you need to own this shorter motion. Think of it as your blueprint. Spend quality time at the range getting comfortable with these feelings until they become second nature.

The Setup: Your Foundation for Consistency

Your setup influences everything that happens next. We’re not just standing over a ball, we're creating an athletic posture that allows the body to turn freely.

• Club First: Place the clubhead behind the ball first, aiming the face squarely at your target. This is your reference point.
• Athletic Posture: Hinge from your hips, pushing your bottom backward as if you were about to sit on a tall stool. Your spine should remain relatively straight but tilted forward. This gets a lot of players because it can feel "weird" to stick your bum out, but it's essential. This posture allows your arms to hang straight down from your shoulders, relaxed and free.
• Stance Width: Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart. This stable base is wide enough to let you turn powerfully but not so wide that it restricts your hip rotation.
• Weight Distribution: For a mid-iron shot, your weight should be balanced 50/50 between your feet.

The Backswing to 9 O'Clock: A Coordinated Turn

The goal here is to move the club away from the ball with your bigger muscles, not your hands and arms.

1. Initiate the swing by turning your chest, shoulders, and hips together as one unit. The feeling is that of your torso rotating away from the target. Avoid swaying, imagine you’re turning inside a narrow cylinder.
2. As you begin this rotation, allow your wrists to hinge naturally. A little bit of wrist set early in the backswing helps get the club on the right plane. Without it, the club tends to get stuck too far behind you.
3. Stop when your left arm (for a right-handed golfer) is parallel with the ground - the 9 o’clock position. The club shaft should be pointing roughly straight up to the sky. At this point, you should feel a mild coiling sensation in your torso.

The Downswing to 3 O'Clock: The Body Leads

This is where so many golfers get it backward, trying to swing with their arms. The correct sequence starts from the ground up.

1. The very first move to start the downswing is a slight shift of your weight onto your front foot. This subtle move toward the target is what allows you to strike the ball first, then the turf, creating a pure strike with your irons.
2. Immediately after that initial shift, your lower body begins to unwind. Your hips clear and your chest rotates through toward the target. You are simply undoing the turn you made on the backswing.
3. Your arms and the club will naturally follow. Because your body led the way, your hands will be ahead of the clubhead at impact, the secret to compressing the golf ball for a solid feel.
4. Continue rotating until your right arm is parallel with the ground and your chest is facing the target. This 3 o'clock position should be balanced and controlled.

From Half to Three-Quarters: Adding More Rotation

Once you can consistently make solid contact with your 9-to-3 swing, you’re ready to start extending it. The secret to a longer swing isn't lifting your arms higher, it’s achieving a deeper and more complete body turn.

It’s All in the Turn, Not the Lift

From your 9 o’clock takeaway position, continue turning your shoulders and hips away from the target. Your goal is to get your back to face the target as much as your flexibility allows. For many, a 90-degree shoulder turn is a great benchmark. Your arms will naturally move higher and deeper as a result of this continued body rotation - you don’t need to consciously lift them. You are still turning "wide" and around yourself, just for a longer duration.

This deeper turn creates more separation between your upper and lower body, which is a major source of power. You’re simply storing more energy to be released on the downswing.

A Simple Drill to Feel the Extension

Here’s a great way to put this into practice:

• Hit 3-5 balls using your perfect 9-to-3 swing. Focus on solid contact and good balance.
• On the next ball, take the club to your 9 o’clock checkpoint. Pause briefly.
• From that paused position, focus *only* on turning your shoulders and hips another 20-30 degrees. Feel your arms rise naturally because of that turn.
• Then, unwind fully through the ball to a complete finish.

This two-part backswing helps you disconnect the idea of "lifting" from the idea of "turning" deeper. Eventually, you’ll blend this into one smooth motion, creating a controlled, powerful three-quarter swing.

Committing to the Full Finish: The Final Piece

A full golf swing is not a backswing that stops at the top, it is a swing that continues all the way through to a perfectly balanced finish. Trying to stop or guide the club at impact kills power and consistency. The full finish is a result of committing 100% to the downswing rotation.

Let Your Body Rotate All the Way to the Target

From the top of your swing, you initiate with the same sequence: a slight shift forward, then an aggressive unwinding of the hips and torso. The difference with a full swing is that you don’t stop the rotation. Your hips and chest should keep turning until they are square to, or even past, the target. To allow this to happen, your back foot must release, with your heel coming completely off the ground and your right foot finishing up on its toe.

As your body keeps turning, it pulls your arms through into a full follow-through. Your arms will extend fully towards the target right after impact before folding naturally and finishing with the club resting comfortably behind your shoulders or neck.

Your Finish Position Reveals the Truth

Your finish position is the best feedback you can get. If you can hold a balanced finish, you likely did everything correctly in the preceding second. A good finish checkpoint looks like this:

• Your weight is almost entirely (around 90%) on your front foot.
• Your belt buckle and chest are facing the target.
• Your back heel is completely off the ground.
• You are balanced and can hold this pose comfortably for a few seconds.

If you fall backward or stumble, it's a sign that your weight never shifted properly or you tried to hit "at" the ball with your arms instead of swinging "through" it with your body. Use your finish as a diagnostic tool. Your goal isn't just to hit the ball, but to swing through to a perfect, statuesque finish every time.

Final Thoughts

Moving from a half swing to a full swing is a process of building on a solid foundation. By first perfecting a body-powered 9-to-3swing, you develop the core sequence. From there, you can add length and power by increasing your body rotation - not by lifting your arms - and committing to swinging all the way through to a balanced finish.

As you work on these movements, getting personalized feedback is invaluable. Instead of guessing whether you're performing the motion correctly, I designed Caddie AI to act as your personal coach. If you're struggling to feel the proper weight shift or want to understand why your finish feels off-balance, you can ask questions anytime and get an instant, clear answer. It sharpens your practice by clarifying what you should be focused on, so you can build a more confident, repeatable swing.