Control Your Pitch Shots
Posted by Mark Allen
The short game has been highlighted by many top teaching Professionals as the most important part of the game. Although this area of your game can be less glamarous than hitting drivers 300 yards it is a fact that 70% of your shots during any round of golf will be from 100 yards and in.
The pitch shot is crucial within the short game because it can turn a big drive into a short birdie putt or rescue a par after a wild drive after you have recovered from the trees.
The 2 main areas that need to be worked on for good pitching are 1) Good technique and 2) Good distance control.
Good pitching technique starts with the set-up. The set-up should include: 1) A narrow and slightly open stance, 2) Weight favouring the front foot, 3) Holding the club slightly further down the grip and 5) Placing your hands and chest slightly ahead of the ball.
Good technique is vital to distance control because the strike on the ball has to be clean and the club-head speed has to be consistent. To ensure the strike is clean you need to keep the club accelerating through the ball and this is only possible if the length of swing is equal on the backswing to follow-through. To improve this I recommend you practice 3 swing lengths, 1) Hands waist high to waist high, 2) Chest high to chest high and 3) Shoulder high to shoulder high. These 3 swing lengths will send the ball different distances but they will also allow you to fully commit to each swing without slowing down.
All you need to do now is head down to your local range with your wedges and experiment with these 3 lengths of swing. After only a few visits to the range I am sure that your pitching will then improve on the course.
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