Learn How to Pitch the Golf Ball Correctly

Most golfers worry about their driving and how to increase the distance off the tee. So they hit the driving range and practice their drives and nothing else. The truth is that the majority of shots in a round of golf are from within 100 yards from the green so they should be practicing their short game more. You can in fact lower your handicap by mastering your pitching than you could by lengthening your drives by a few yards.

Perfecting the art of pitching can lower your handicap. With a good pitch you can take 2 strokes instead of 3 by pitching next to the flag. Learning to pitch precisely from the fairway is vital to improving your golf game but it requires good distance control which is difficult to accomplish, even for a Golf Swing Guru!

How to Pitch

For a great pitch shot you should position the ball in the middle of your stance so that you can get under the ball and get it in the air. Stand with your feet closer together, adopt an open stance, and with more weight on your lead foot. Then aim the clubface at the target and make sure you hit the ball with a perfectly square club-face. The height of your backswing will establish the distance the ball will travel – it may be waist height, shoulder height or a full swing. Hit the ball with a crisp, descending blow so that you hit the ball then the turf.

Although you feet are in an open position, aim the club faceat the target, as if your feet were parallel. By opening your stance you are shortening your backswing; also, you can choke down on the grip which will also shorten your backswing as well as give you more control. Release the club-head openly through impact and then move smoothly into your follow through.

Select One Club to Use for Pitching

Most golfers mistakenly use too many different clubs for several distances. For distances up to 100 yards you could effectively use a full sand wedge, pitching wedge, or you could even use a 7, 8, or 9 iron by adjusting your backswing. But there’s no need to complicate things; a better strategy is to select a distance that you are confident with and one club that you can always use to go that distance.

For example, let us say that you’re an expert at hitting the ball 90 yards with an 9-iron and using a shoulder height backswing. The idea is that you use this distance as your pitching zone. On a par 4, if you hit a bad drive you will want to hit the ball out to the fairway so that your ball ends up in your pitching zone. When you have practiced enough you should be able to get your ball close enough to the pin to give yourself a chance of saving par. The same thing for a par-5; instead of trying to reach the green in 2two which is a low percentage shot, you should hit a higher lofted club into your pitching zone which still gives you a putt for birdie.

Pitching Distances

Obviously, there will be lots of times when you will be faced with an approach shot of anywhere between 35 and 95 yards. Here is where you will have to know your pitching distances. Again, it’s a good idea to choose one club that you can control and alter the length of your backswing for every distance. You will need to practice this many times until you can calculate the distances constantly. Pitching and chipping are more about finesse and control but it is extremely important because you can reduce your score a great deal with a great short game. It is also very important to practice your putting game and The Simple Swing !

Mick Tait has been a golfer for many years until he had lower back surgery. After several years without playing golf he discovered a Golf Swing Guru that teaches a Simple Golf Swing that is suited to people with back problems.