Pitch Like a Pro: The Fundamentals of a Great Pitch Shot

When you practice your golf game, which parts of the game get most of your attention?

For most golfers, it is the ‘extremes’ that are given the most time, while everything else is pushed off to the side. By ‘extremes’, we mean the longest and shortest shots on the course. Many golfers spend lots of practice time with the driver and putter, and limited time with every other club in the set. That’s a shame, and it leads to disappointing results.

One of the shots that is commonly overlooked in golf practice is the pitch. A pitch shot is longer than a chip, but not long enough to be classified as a full swing.

These kinds of shots are incredibly important on the course, as they come up in a number of different situations. Yet, most golfers never practice them, leading to wasted strokes round after round. With this article, we’d like to set you on the right path to solve your pitching woes once and for all.

When Are Pitch Shots Encountered?

For some golfers, working on pitch shots is a problem of motivation. As a golfer, you know you are going to use your driver and your putter regularly in each round, so it makes sense to practice shots with those clubs.

But do you really hit pitch shots very often? You do, but it might not seem like it. Consider the following situations where a pitch may be called for:

#1 Trouble on a Par Four

If you encounter some kind of trouble on a par four hole, you might find yourself needing to hit a pitch for your third shot. For instance, maybe you hit your tee shot into the trees and you had to lay up short of the green as a result. You might be left with 30 – 50 yards to hopefully get up and down for your par. Knowing how to hit solid pitch shots can come in handy in this kind of situation.

#2 Close on a Par Five

On a happier note, you also might need to hit a pitch if you wind up slightly short of the green on a par five after two shots. In this case, a good pitch could set you up with a makeable birdie putt.

#3 Difficult Weather Conditions

Days where the wind is blowing, or the rain is coming down make it all the more likely that you’ll find yourself facing some important pitch shots. Players who are strong in this category of the game tend to fare better when the conditions are challenging, as they are able to grind out some tough pars to keep their round on track.

Think of the Pitch Shot as a Mini Swing

One good way to think about pitch shots is as a miniature version of your full swing. You aren’t going to do everything you do in a full swing in a pitch shot, of course, but this is a good starting point.

You’ll use a similar stance and takeaway, and you will even make a small shoulder turn to position the club nicely for the forward swing. As you get started working on your pitching technique, thinking about making a mini swing might help get your mind in the right place.

Keep a Firm Lead Wrist

It would be too simple to say that the entire key to hitting good pitch shots comes down to keeping your lead wrist firm – but that certainly is a big part of the equation.

At impact, you need to have a firm left wrist (assuming you are a right-handed golfer) in order to make clean contact with a slightly downward blow. If you let your left wrist soften up through impact and move into a cupped position, the club head is going to move away from the turf and you might hit the shot thin.

To practice this position, try making some practice pitch swings while using only your left arm. This will help you feel the right way to come into impact with your left wrist solid and ready for a good strike.

Strive for a Completely Steady Head

This is another vital fundamental. As you hit your pitch shots, make it a point to keep your head as still as possible. Since you aren’t making as big of a swing as you do when hitting a full shot, you should be able to keep your head in a steadier position.

By not allowing your head to move much – if at all – while hitting a pitch, you’ll make it more likely that you will achieve solid contact at impact. Making solid contact will help you produce spin and control the distance of the shot, so maintaining that steady head position is something that should be near the top of your priority list.

Have a Clear Plan

One piece of the pitching puzzle that is easy to overlook is the need for a plan. Before you walk up to the ball to make your swing, you need to first assess the situation and decide where you want the ball to land. Choosing a landing point is crucial because it will give you something specific to aim for when making a swing. Without this point in mind, your swing might lack purpose, and your technique could suffer in the end.

Picking a good landing spot for your pitch shots is a matter of practice. You need to consider many variables, including the firmness of the greens, the lie of the ball, the distance of the shot, the slope of the green, and on and on. In time, you’ll get better at this skill and will be able to select the right landing spot more consistently.

Find a Good Practice Spot

Finally, we want to highlight the need to find a good spot to practice these types of shots. Not every golf facility has a good place to hit pitch shots, so sometimes you’ll just have to do it on the range.

Ideally, you’ll find a short game practice area with enough room for you to back up and hit some pitches into the green. Once you find this kind of spot, visit it regularly to take your pitching performance to a higher level.

Cover Photo by Lo Sarno on Unsplash