Half Shots First
Why this drill
Almost every range session dies of speed. Building each session — and each swing change — from waist-high half shots up to full swings installs tempo and contact before power gets a vote, and gives you somewhere honest to retreat when the full swing wobbles.
Setup
One mid iron (8- or 7-iron), fifteen to twenty balls, one target flag. No driver in sight.
The drill
Five swings waist-high to waist-high, at maybe half your normal speed — the ball flies low and short, and that is correct. Five more from shoulder-high to shoulder-high, letting the wrists hinge. Five full swings at three-quarter effort. The test: the strike should feel identical at all three lengths. If contact degrades at any step, drop back one step and earn your way up again. The last ball of each five aims at the flag with a full routine.
One thought to take with you
Same tempo at every length — the swing gets longer, never faster.