Nina Caldwell
Pitching in golf is one of the most difficult shots to master, requiring a lot of practice. It's important to understand the purpose of a pitch shot and when to use it. Pitch shots fly farther than they roll, so they are useful when you have a lot of green to work with and no obstacles in front of you. To execute a pitch shot, you need to set up properly, with your body in an open position and your clubface pointing to the right of the target. Keep your grip neutral and your stance slightly open, with a little extra weight on the front foot. Control the size of your swing by altering your setup, and remember to accelerate through the impact.
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What You'll Learn
- Club selection: Choose a pitching wedge for open shots, and a sand or lob wedge for obstacles
- Setup: Position the ball forward in your stance, with your feet, hips and shoulders left of the target
- Wrist action: Keep your wrists flat to slightly extended, and avoid flipping them at impact
- Swing: Keep the backswing short and controlled, and accelerate through impact
- Practice: Analyse your shots and practice with the right equipment to improve your pitching
Club selection: Choose a pitching wedge for open shots, and a sand or lob wedge for obstacles
Club selection is a crucial aspect of golf that can make or break your game. It is a skill that often gets better with experience as you play more and more golf. However, there are some tips and tricks to help you choose the right club for each shot, especially when it comes to pitching.
When it comes to club selection, it is essential to consider the lie of the ball, or how the golf ball sits on the ground. This can determine the shot you take and the club you use. For instance, if you need to shoot over a bunker to a tight hole location, a normal pitch shot with a sand wedge would be more suitable than an open-faced lob wedge. This is because a sand wedge will help you get over the bunker, whereas a lob wedge may cause the ball to fly too far.
If you are facing a long carry over water or another hazard, it is crucial to be confident that you have the right club. You can choose to lay up to a better yardage and avoid the penalty shots that come with a failed attempt. For example, if you are using a 3-wood that hits 250 yards and a hybrid club that only hits 220 yards, you may want to consider laying up to keep your ball safe.
When your ball is a few yards short of the green, you may need to decide whether to putt, chip, or pitch. If you choose to pitch, an extra-small and extra-soft pitch can help you safely loft the ball onto the green. To execute this shot, set up with your feet almost touching and the ball centered between your heels. Keep your grip neutral and your stance slightly open, with a little extra weight on the front foot. This will help you make a downward strike and keep the ball flight higher.
For open shots, a pitching wedge is a good option. It is one of the three main clubs recommended for use around the greens, along with the sand wedge and lob wedge. The pitching wedge is useful for approach shots, helping you get the ball onto the green.
For shots involving obstacles such as bunkers or water hazards, a sand wedge or lob wedge may be more suitable. These clubs can help you get out of tricky situations and recover from shots that end up near or in the water. They are also useful for digging the ball out of long grass. Understanding the nuances of these obstacles and the impact they have on shot trajectory and distance management will help you make more informed club selections.
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Setup: Position the ball forward in your stance, with your feet, hips and shoulders left of the target
When it comes to golf, your stance is a key part of setting up a good shot. When positioning the ball forward in your stance, you have to slide your feet and body away from the target slightly, so that your left foot is closer to the ball than your right foot. This is especially important for a full golf shot, where you should stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. The stance will be the widest for a driver and the narrowest for a full wedge shot.
For a pitch shot, you want to get the ball up in the air, so you need to ensure your body is set up to make the proper swing for this type of shot. Position the ball forward in your stance, with your feet, hips, and shoulders left of the target. Keep the clubface open to unlock the club's bounce. This will help you to create the angle and loft you need at impact to launch the ball up and out.
When addressing the ball, stand closer to it than usual. Your spine angle should be bent over at approximately 35-40 degrees, with your weight balanced on the balls of your feet. Keep your grip neutral and your stance slightly open to keep the ball flight a little higher and the contact clean. Put a little extra weight on the front foot to encourage a downward strike.
Before you swing, take a couple of practice swings from a similar patch of rough. Use more wrist hinge than normal and, when you swing, do it with speed so that the club makes a loud "whoosh" through impact.
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Wrist action: Keep your wrists flat to slightly extended, and avoid flipping them at impact
The wrist action in a golf swing is a critical aspect of the game, and mastering it can significantly improve your performance. Here are some detailed tips to keep your wrists flat to slightly extended and avoid flipping them at impact:
Firstly, understand the purpose of a pitch shot and when to use it. Assess the situation and determine if it's more suitable to putt or chip. Pitching is typically done when chipping isn't feasible due to obstacles or terrain that require a higher ball flight.
Secondly, focus on your wrist position at impact. The lead wrist should be in a flexed or bowed position, which will help you compress the golf ball, increase distance, and improve control. A good drill to practice this is the 9 to 3 drill. Start with a backswing to 9 o'clock, allowing a slight wrist hinge while keeping your lead wrist flat. Then, initiate the downswing with body rotation, ensuring your hands stay ahead of the clubhead. Continue the swing until you reach the 3 o'clock position, and make sure to keep the clubface square throughout the motion.
Additionally, be mindful of your grip and stance. Maintain a neutral grip and a slightly open stance to keep the ball flight higher and achieve cleaner contact. Avoid excessive lifting or steepening of the club path by maintaining a connected arm structure. Keep your hands slightly ahead of the ball at impact, which can help prevent flipping your wrists.
Finally, practice slow-motion training and drills to improve your wrist action. Start with controlled, slow swings to ensure stability before increasing speed. Use tools like HackMotion to analyze your wrist angles and create muscle memory for the correct wrist positions.
By following these tips and practicing consistently, you'll be able to keep your wrists flat to slightly extended and avoid flipping them at impact, resulting in improved ball-striking and control in your golf game.
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Swing: Keep the backswing short and controlled, and accelerate through impact
Keeping the backswing short and controlled, and accelerating through impact is a key part of achieving a successful golf pitch.
A short backswing can provide just as much power as a longer one, with the added benefit of better control. This is achieved through efficiency and proper sequencing. The wrists are crucial speed generators in the golf swing. One technique is to focus on your wrists snapping through impact. Another is to let your hands pause briefly at the top while your lower body starts moving downward, creating "lag"—a delayed release that stores energy until impact.
To keep your backswing controlled, you should focus on not letting your left elbow bend. Some golfers incorrectly allow this elbow to bend, especially at the end of the backswing, in order to bring the club further back and generate more clubhead speed on the downswing. However, this can lead to a multitude of problems. Instead, you should focus on a smooth motion, with your left arm remaining straight.
To accelerate through impact, you should ensure that your body's "big muscles" are working in sync—your hips, mid-section, and shoulders. This will create a natural acceleration. It is also important to keep your head steady, as lifting your head up out of the shot early can cause you to decelerate through the ball.
For senior players who cannot hit the ball as far, an extra-small, extra-soft pitch can be a good option. This shot doesn't require much of a swing but still provides enough power to loft the ball onto the green. To execute this shot, set up with your feet almost touching and the ball centered between your heels.
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Practice: Analyse your shots and practice with the right equipment to improve your pitching
Analysing your shots
Pitching is one of the most difficult shots in golf, and it requires a lot of practice to get right. It's important to understand the purpose of a pitch shot and when to use it. Pitch shots are designed to go a short distance, but with a steep ascent and descent. They are mostly played to get into the green from a distance of 40 to 50 yards or closer.
Pitch shots are different from chip shots, which roll farther than they fly. Depending on the terrain, you may need to decide between a pitch or a chip. If you can't putt, chip, and if you can't chip, pitch.
Practising with the right equipment
When selecting a club for a pitch shot, choose one with a high amount of loft and bounce. Bounce is the rounded bottom of the club, which prevents it from digging into the ground. Different bounces are suitable for different conditions. If you play on hardpan, you may need a wedge that will help you dig. If you play on softer surfaces, more bounce will help.
To control the distance of your pitch, adjust the length of your backswing. For shorter shots, your backswing should end below your belt line, and for longer shots, it should be bigger. You can also control the distance by narrowing your stance and placing your hands lower on the grip for shorter shots, and widening your stance and gripping higher for longer shots.
To hit the ball higher, use your wrists. More wrist hinge will make your swing steeper, increase spin, and produce a higher launch. However, it's best not to rely on your wrists under pressure.
Remember the three C's of pitching: position your weight centre, place the ball at the centre of your stance, and put your hands and the shaft in the middle.
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Frequently asked questions
Pitch shots are one of the most difficult shots in golf and require a lot of practice to get right. They are used when there is a lot of green and no serious obstacles in front of you. If you need more rollout, you can use a gap wedge. If there are bigger obstacles or the hole is closer, switch to a lob or sand wedge.
Assess the situation and ask yourself 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 will guide you to the right club.
You want to get the ball up in the air, so set your body up to make the proper swing for this type of shot. You should feel balanced, with the shaft centred in the middle of your feet. Place the ball at the centre of your stance, with your weight centred.
For a pitch shot, having a flat to slightly extended wrist is acceptable. Avoid flipping your wrists as you get close to the impact position. Keep your grip neutral and your stance slightly open to keep the ball flight higher and the contact clean.
Keep the clubface open as you take the club back. You should feel like you are swinging back with your arms in a soft and smooth motion. As you swing down to the ball, rotate your body towards the target.
