That awkward yardage between a full pitching wedge and a full 9-iron doesn't have to ruin your scorecard. In fact, learning how to hit a 3/4 shot gives you a versatile tool that saves strokes, improves accuracy, and boosts your confidence in those tricky scoring yardages. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to master this essential feel shot, from the simple setup adjustments to the smooth, controlled swing that produces consistent results.
Think of the 3/4 shot as a scaled-down version of your full swing. It's not about hitting the ball as far as you can, it's about hitting it a specific distance with much greater control. Instead of taking a full, powerful backswing where the club points down towards the target at the top, you’re making a more compact swing. Many golfers visualize it using a clock face: if a full swing is from 7 o'clock to 2 o'clock, the 3/4 swing feels more like swinging from 9 o'clock back to 3 o'clock on the other side.
This "knockdown" or "control" shot is incredibly useful in a few key situations:
The beauty of the 3/4 shot is that you don't need to change your natural swing motion. The magic happens in the setup. By making a few simple tweaks before you ever take the club back, you predispose yourself to hit this shot correctly without even thinking about it. Here’s what to do.
This is the number one adjustment. Grip down on your club by an inch, maybe two. Holding the club lower down effectively shortens the shaft, creating a shorter lever. This simple change does two important things: it automatically reduces your swing speed (and thus, your distance) and gives you a much greater sense of control over the clubhead throughout the swing. It feels more like you’re guiding the club rather than unleashing it.
For a standard iron shot in the middle of your stance, you’d typically have your feet about shoulder-width apart. For a 3/4 shot, bring your feet slightly closer together. Maybe just an inch or two inside your shoulders. A narrower stance naturally restricts your hip turn. This is a good thing! It almost forces you into a more compact, body-controlled swing rather than a big, powerful turn. It helps you keep your lower body quieter and reinforces that feeling of control.
There's no need to dramatically change your ball position here. Just play the ball from the same spot you would for a full swing with that particular iron (generally in the middle of your stance for shorter irons). The main thought on weight is to feel balanced and centered. Some players like to feel just a tiny bit more pressure (maybe 55%) on their lead foot at address. This encourages a slight downward angle of attack, helping you compress the ball for that lower, penetrating ball flight, but staying at 50/50 is perfectly fine too. The most important thing is to feel stable and poised.
The backswing is where you define the shot. All your setup adjustments have made it easier to do this correctly, so now you just need to trust them. The entire feeling is one of smoothness and connection, where your arms, hands, and club move in sync with the rotation of your chest and shoulders.
The core concept is to shorten the backswing. We're going back to that clock face analogy. For a right-handed golfer, you want to swing the club back until your left arm is parallel to the ground. From your perspective looking down, it should feel like your hands have reached about 9 o'clock. At this point, your wrists will have hinged naturally to about a 90-degree angle, forming an "L" shape between your lead arm and the club shaft.
That's it. That's the top of your 3/4 backswing. A common error is for golfers to get here and then feel like they have to keep lifting their arms. Resist that urge! The 3/4 length comes from your body rotation stopping at the right point, not from an independent arm movement. It must feel like one cohesive, smooth turn away from the ball. Rhythm is your best friend here. Don't rush it, feel a "one-two" tempo as you turn back.
You’ve made a controlled, compact backswing. Now, all you have to do is unwind through the ball with that same smoothness and control. The biggest mistake golfers make on these shots is getting to their abbreviated backswing and then trying to generate extra power on the way down with their hands and arms. This leads to a jerky, out-of-sync motion and inconsistent strikes.
The transition from backswing to downswing should be fluid. It starts from the ground up: a slight shift of pressure towards your lead foot, followed by the unwinding of your hips and torso. Your arms and the club will simply fall into place, accelerating naturally through the impact zone.
Your goal is to maintain the feeling of connection you had in the backswing. Think about keeping your chest turning through the shot. You want to feel like a revolving door, not like you're throwing your arms at the ball. The strike itself should feel solid and compressed, as if you are hitting *down* on the back of the ball and trapping it against the turf. You're not trying to scoop it or help it into the air. Let the loft of the club do the work.
Your finish tells the story of your swing. For a powerful, full swing, you see players wrap the club all the way around their neck in a balanced finish. For a 3/4 control shot, the finish should be a mirror image of the backswing: controlled, balanced, and abbreviated.
As you swing through impact, allow your arms to extend toward the target and then naturally fold up. Your follow-through should stop when your hands are about chest high and your right arm (for a righty) is parallel to the ground - the 3 o'clock position from our clock face analogy. This truncated finish proves that you stayed in control and didn't try to add a burst of speed at the last second. It's a natural consequence of the controlled body rotation through the ball.
Great players are known for their ability to "hold the finish." Try to do the same on these shots. Finish in that balanced, 3 o'clock position and hold it for a few seconds while you watch the ball land. If you can do this without stumbling, you know you've maintained your balance and swung with a good tempo.
Knowing the mechanics is one thing, feeling them is another. Here are a couple of simple drills to ingrain the feel of a 3/4 shot:
This is a classic for a reason. Without a ball, take your normal setup. Swing back until your left arm is parallel to the ground and the club shaft is pointing to the sky, forming an "L". Now, swing through to the mirror image on the other side, an "L" where your right arm is parallel to the ground. Do this slowly, focusing on rotating your body to move the club. This drill is perfect for grooving the correct swing length and rhythm.
Mastering this shot is all about knowing your distances. Go to the range with your 8-iron or 9-iron.
You'll quickly see the "gap" in yardage between the two shots. Doing this for your short and mid-irons will give you a new arsenal of distances you can call upon on the course.
Learning how to execute a 3/4 shot will transform your approach game by turning those awkward in-between yardages from moments of doubt into opportunities for precision. By simply adjusting your setup, controlling your swing length from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock, and focusing on a smooth rhythm, you unlock a lower, more controllable ball flight that is deadly accurate.
Mastering these feel shots takes practice, and a huge part of that is knowing your exact yardages for each club and varying swing length. We designed Caddie AI to shorten that learning curve, serving as a smart, on-demand coach in your pocket. You can ask for advice on which club to hit from an odd yardage, get an instant opinion during a round for a tricky knockdown shot into the wind, or even upload a full photo of your lie and get a read on the best play to feel confident and commit to every swing.
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