Play The Perfect Golf Pitch Shot

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In golf the pitch shot is a cracking shot to get the hang of. It lets you to come into the green from 120 yards away and land your ball on the green as close to the flag as possible.
Among the secrets to a good score card at the finish of your round is to be capable of playing a good pitch shot. The difference between the weekend amateurs and the pro’s is the way they can recover from a bad shot, scrambling is a good skill to get..

If you tee off wide of the fairway, can you be confident in getting the ball on the green? Every pro golfer passes time perfecting the pitch shot for they acknowledge the value of it.

Every one of us has faced the third shot on to the green on a par four because we missed the green in two so if you are able to apply your pitching wedge well you will be able to cut the risks of having to two or even three putt therefore reducing the number of strokes.

The set up;

The golf pitch shot is a shorter swing than with most irons but you do have to swing with conviction. Although short the swing must accelerate through the ball or you will end up duffing it or worse, blading it across the green into the hazard at the back

The stance for the pitch shot is what is called ‘open’, that is your front foot will be pulled back slightly from square. Your shoulders ,waist and hips however should still be parallel to the target line. This will allow you to swing through fully.

The stance is narrower for a pitch shot and you will probably choke down on the club, leaving about an inch of the grip protruding above your hands.

Weight distribution is determined by the distance you are trying to hit the ball, the shorter the shot the more weight you put on the front foot, so for a 50 yard shot your weight should be about 60% on the front foot.

The ball will be about central in your stance but slightly adjusting the position will affect the height of the pitch, this is an area where practice will pay you back ten fold!

The Swing;

The swing is a compact version of your normal golf swing. There is very little movement of the legs and the hands should be firm, do not try to help the ball into the air by scooping, the loft of the club is all you need.

A standard pitch shot will only have about a three quarter swing, back and forward, but this is where ‘feel’ comes into play. The length of shot is determined by the length of back swing, just like putting.

If you practice the shot you can gain an appreciation of how far you need to swing to get the desired length.Keep tabs on it by imagining a clock face, twenty five to’ goes  thirty yards, twenty to goes seventy yards etc.

Timing or ‘tempo’ is the quality ingredient in a golf pitch shot and this will help you to be consistent so find a little mantra that you can repeat to yourself as you practice to get the timing perfect