Three Imperative Keys to Pitching Like a Pro

Pitching is without question one of the most challenging areas of the game in which we all love and enjoy. However, let’s be honest in that, when approaching a green in which our approach shot has just missed, the vast majority of us park the cart perpendicular to the pin; grab our putter and short-iron or wedge of choice; and march up to the green without analyzing the upcoming shot beforehand.

Here are three vitally important keys to focus on to effectively improve your pitching and short game altogether.

Ball Spin

The two predominant concepts that consummate chippers master are contact and touch; both of which are dependent on the lie of the golf ball. “Good” lies provide a golfer with more options for his or her shot selection, while “bad” lies narrow their choices to one or maybe two.

The maximum spin that a golfer can produce is restricted by the respective grass length and lie of the golf ball. Also, the force of the descending blow (or what some golfers refer to as “pinch”) obviously affects the rotation of the golf ball.

The next time you go to grab a short-iron or wedge for pitching, comprehensively analyze and consider both your lie and desired ball spin prior to selecting a club.

Backswing Length

In order to master pitching, a golfer must consistently calculate the distance from the fringe to the hole, and then select a club to achieve the desired shot height. In result, the tempo and length of your backswing means everything in executing a great shot.

At times—especially when having very little green to work with and desiring a very high projection—I personally take an atypically long backswing but yet a very “soft” downswing (and, in turn, follow through as well); this increases my feel and enables me to better gauge the distance of my pitches.

Downswing & Follow Through Length

There are often times when I would like to take the break out of a pitch. To accomplish this, I utilize a high-loft club (typically either a sand or lob wedge); narrow my stance; place the ball far back in my stance—just off the inside of my left foot (remember I’m a lefty though!)—and “de-loft” the club by keeping my hands roughly a foot in front of the club head. When striking the ball, I produce a strong descending blow to the golf ball and take a large divot (notice that, when you do this, the club head should stop or stick in the location at which you struck the ball.

This shot is what I like to call the “hop-hop-and-stop”; it pretty much allows a golfer to bypass the break associated with any pitch. Although this type of shot is more suitable for novice golfers, each and every one of you can understand just how impactful the anticipated length of a follow through is on your pitching quality.

In retrospect, master all three of these fundamentals and you will start “pitching like a pro.”

Cheers to your improved chipping in the near future.

Cover Image via Flickr