Miles Bennett
Golf is a game that requires practice and finesse to master. Pitching is a grey area for many golfers, with conflicting advice available on how to improve. However, there are some fundamental techniques that can help you pitch better. For instance, it's important to understand that the club should swing in an arc rather than a straight line. This arcing motion helps gather the ball effectively and ensures a smooth follow-through. Another tip is to keep your feet close together, with a slight flare in your toes, to enhance stability and allow for better hip rotation. Additionally, when it comes to the ball position for pitching, a relatively centred stance is recommended as it helps achieve a more consistent strike. While minor adjustments can be made to control the ball's flight, keeping the ball near the centre is a good starting point.
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What You'll Learn
Keep your feet close together, with a slight flare in your toes
Keeping your feet close together with a slight flare in your toes is an important stance to master for better golf pitching. This stance is particularly useful for shorter pitch shots. Narrowing your stance in this way makes it easier to control the distance and improve the overall launch of the golf ball. It also creates less room for error when it comes to skulled or chunked shots.
Foot flare adjustments can also help promote consistency in your stance. By positioning your feet the same way each time, you can more easily replicate your stance. It is also much easier to align your stance with the target line when your toes are the same distance from the target line.
Flaring your toes can also help with hip rotation through the golf ball. A slight flare in your front foot can relieve pressure in the hip joint. This can be particularly useful for golfers with flexibility issues that restrict how far back they can turn their hips and shoulders.
Experimenting with different foot flares can help you determine what works best for your own scenario. For example, flaring your left foot slightly can make more room for body rotation past the moment of impact, leading to a fuller and easier follow-through. However, this is achieved at the expense of room available for the body's rotation back, reducing the amplitude of your backswing.
Foot flares can also help you hit a draw or a fade. To hit a fade, move your front foot back slightly, creating a more open stance. The opposite is true for a draw—by putting your back foot back just an inch or so at setup, you should have an easier time getting the club on a draw path.
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Use your hands and wrists to increase spin and launch
To pitch better in golf, you can use your hands and wrists to increase spin and launch. This technique can be tricky under pressure, but it can help you hit the ball higher. When you are hitting a pitch shot, more wrist hinge will make your swing steeper, increase the spin, and produce a higher launch.
To master wrist action in the golf swing, you need to understand the different types of wrist movements and how they affect the clubface. The three distinct movements are flexion and extension, supination and pronation, and ulnar and radial deviation. Flexion occurs when you bow your wrist, causing the clubface to close. Extension happens when you pull your hand toward your forearm, resulting in an open clubface.
Wrist rotation, which involves turning the entire wrist, is another critical aspect of wrist action. This movement feels more like a rotation of the forearm rather than just the wrist. Additionally, the grip is crucial; if the club is held too much in the palms, it will be challenging to feel the wrist action and achieve the desired wrist angles. Instead, grip the club with the fingers, allowing you to generate more power.
To increase power and speed in your swing, focus on proper wrist hinge and unhinging. All great players incorporate a wrist hinge in their swing, typically after the takeaways. By hinging your wrists correctly during the backswing, you can store energy that will be released during the downswing as the wrists unhinge. This release of stored energy increases speed in the clubhead, giving you extra yards.
Practicing drills, such as the Pump Drill, can help you master the wrist hinge and improve your overall pitching technique.
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Swing half to control club deceleration
Deceleration is a big problem in golf, and it almost always leads to bad shots. It is particularly common in amateur golfers and can be a hard habit to break. Deceleration is the opposite of acceleration, which is necessary to control the distance and hit the ball far. Therefore, deceleration makes it more difficult to control the distance.
To avoid deceleration, it is important to focus on a spot past the ball as the true destination for your swing. Many golfers mistakenly think that the ball marks the end of the swing. However, a good golf swing goes all the way through the hitting area and up into a finish position. As you make your swing, focus on moving the club quickly through impact without any slowdown until after the ball has been hit.
Another way to prevent deceleration is to ensure that your backswing is not too long. A backswing that is too long will force you to slow down the club through impact to avoid hitting the shot too long. Instead, keep your swing short and tight, and use a smooth and even tempo to allow yourself to swing aggressively through the shot.
One way to control the length of your backswing is to focus on swinging half. This means trying to stop your club in the backswing when it is parallel to the ground. This technique can give you a set of distances for different situations. For example, a full swing of 52 degrees will give you 50 metres, while a half swing of the same degree will give you 33 metres.
In addition to the length of your backswing, the choice of club can also impact deceleration. If you are not confident in your club selection, you may give up on the swing and slow down prior to impact. Therefore, it is important to take the time to determine the exact distance to your target and consider factors like wind, temperature, and elevation change.
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Keep the same tempo and rhythm
Keeping the same tempo and rhythm is key to improving your golf pitch. The backswing and follow-through should be relatively equal on pitch shots to maintain a good rhythm. If the backswing is too long, it is easy to decelerate, and if it is too short, it will lead to excessive acceleration, both of which will cause poor contact.
To maintain a consistent rhythm, it is important to keep your feet close together, with a slight flare in your toes. This enhances stability and allows for better hip rotation, making it easier to pivot without excessive lateral movement. A centred stance is also crucial, as it helps to achieve a more consistent strike. While minor adjustments can be made to control the ball's flight, keeping the ball near the centre is the most reliable starting point.
Additionally, when the club moves down, your body should be moving up. This movement helps maintain structure and prevents the common mistake of staying too low and restricting your arms. Encouraging a gentle rise through impact leads to better ball contact and consistency.
Finally, it is worth noting that the club should swing on an arc rather than a straight line. This natural arcing motion helps gather the ball effectively and ensures a smooth follow-through. By mastering these elements, you will notice improvements in your accuracy and precision.
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Accelerate the clubhead through the ball
Accelerating the clubhead through the ball is a crucial component of a good golf swing. Failing to accelerate properly will cause a loss of distance, mistiming, and inconsistent shots.
To accelerate the clubhead through the ball, you can focus on your wrist mechanics. Bryson DeChambeau's ability to generate speed and power comes from an efficient "rotation release," a term coined by Coach Scott Cox. DeChambeau's wrists are positioned at -13 degrees of flexion due to his forward shaft lean. During the backswing, he maintains wrist stability, and at the top, he transitions into 11 degrees of extension. At impact, his wrists move into a flexed (bowed) position, requiring significant rotation to square the clubface. This transition from extension to flexion is the foundation of his power. By rotating his wrists properly, DeChambeau ensures he doesn't lose velocity at contact and can achieve optimal distance and control.
Another way to accelerate the clubhead is to focus on your hip and shoulder turn. Prime Sergio can deliver an average of 120 mph driver swing velocity due to his momentum-building rotation. To work on this concept, you can try the motorcycle drill. Focus on continuously adding flexion until the club reaches parallel, then smoothly complete your swing.
Additionally, you can make some adjustments to your setup. A small tweak can lead to major gains. For example, a lighter shaft will increase swing speed because it is easier to release from the top of your backswing and accelerate on the way down. However, a lighter shaft will not always improve accuracy.
Finally, it is important to warm up adequately before playing. Many golfers don't reach peak distances until the 5th or 6th hole due to a lack of warm-up. A smooth, balanced tempo will help you transition better and maximize clubhead speed through impact.
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Frequently asked questions
There are many different techniques and philosophies when it comes to pitching a golf ball. One of the most important things to consider is the type of club you are using. For instance, if you have a lot of green to work with and no obstacles, use a pitching wedge. If you need to carry something, like a sprinkler head, switch to a gap wedge.
To improve your pitching technique, it is important to practice. One way to do this is to hit pitch shots in your yard or a nearby park. You can also try different drills, such as holding a ball in your hand and throwing it down into the ground during your backswing. Additionally, you can focus on keeping your clubface open during your backswing and using your hands and wrists to hit the ball higher.
To choose the right club for pitching, you need to consider two questions: (1) How far do I need to fly the ball to land it on the green? (2) How softly does it need to land to stop near the hole? The answers to these questions will help you select the appropriate club. You should also consider the trajectory, bounce, and roll that will work best for your shot.
