Learning golf – 6 Pitching

Mastering the short game can be the difference between being an average player and an awesome one. The pitch shot is a huge part of the golf short game.
When it’s used. The pitch shot is an intermediate length shot made approximately 40 to 90 yards from the green.

Club choice. It is done with a lofted golf club which may either be the Pitching Wedge (PW) or the Sand Wedge (SW). Irons 5 or 6 can be used for longer pitch shots.

Goal. When you pitch, the goal is to hit down on the ball and to have it crawl up the face of the golf club and go onto the green. The only way to make this happen is for the leading edge of the club to hit the bottom of the golf ball.

Grip. Move your hands to the centre of the grip.

The stance. Address the golf ball with a slightly open stance and position the golf ball in the centre of your feet.

Weight. Shift around 70 per cent of your weight to your left-hand side (to the right side if you are left handed).

Backswing. The takeaway should be in one piece, with the shoulders, arms, hands and clubhead moving together for the backswing. This can be waist high or shoulder high or you may need to do a full swing. Slightly cock your wrist so you can create a downward blow on your shot.

Downswing. In the downswing, move your back knee toward the front knee as you
transfer your weight. At impact, your weight should be distributed evenly to both sides.

Follow through. In the follow through, do not rotate your hands and the clubhead. This will keep the clubface square to the target longer thus increasing the chances that your ball will go up and keep its direction.

Quick tip. Another element to a successful pitch is distance control. The length of the swing determines the distance (longer backswings for longer pitches and shorter backswing for shorter pitches). Avoid making a long backswing for a short pitch, this will cause you to decelerate on the downswing.