Pitching For Golf Clubs

The range of a pitch shot for an amateur is from within 30 to 70 yards of the green. The pitch is played with a long swing and a lofted club almost always a pitching wedge or sand wedge.

The aim of this shot is to send the ball into the green fairly high, so that it stops quickly and rolls only a short distance once it lands. If executed sweetly, it is one of the most pleasing shots in golf.

Timing

Professionals will aim to hit the ball to within 10 feet of the flag, but most amateur golfers are satisfied merely with getting the ball on to the green. Many regard a pitch of 50 yards from the fairway with the same trepidation as a bunker shot.

The main reason for this lack of confidence is that, because the pitch requires a less than full swing, it is easy for players to lose their timing. As a result, the swing feels awkward and unnatural, but there is no magic secret to mastering this shot.

The pitch simply requires an abbreviation of the normal, full swing, with a few minor adjustments to the set up to help reduce the distance the ball travels. Timing and tempo are the keys to consistent pitching.

The abbreviated shot

Pitching should be your major ally in your short game but although, on the face of it, a pitch shot seems an easier option than a bunker shot, many golfers struggle with their pitching because they feel uncomfortable shortening their swing.

Players who are unsure how to play the shot both speed up their rhythm to compensate for their shorter backswing or swing too lazily and leave the ball short of their intended target. One thing to remember is that the pitch shot is simply an abbreviation of the full swing.

The ability to pitch the ball safely on to the green first time will help you avoid dropping shots needlessly. Many strokes are wasted from within 7p yards of the flag because the golfer cannot land the ball on the green from this distance.

Instead he or she leaves the ball short and then has to rely on another chip to get the ball close to the hole. A controlled, measured pitch can take you on to the green, regardless of the obstacles in your way.