Golf Tips For Pitching

Posted on November 9th, 2010 by

Pitching is one of the great things we watch professionals do on television. The way they spin the ball back perfectly beside the hole; or they way the ball looks to be hurdling past the hole, and it just takes one bounce and stops dead. The way they do that is with years of practice, and constantly playing the same shots until the get them right. To the majority of golfers, this is but a dream. That however, does not mean pitching for amateur is going to be impossible, it is in fact the complete opposite, a pitch for the amateur golfer can be a shot that can help you get the low rounds.

Before even taking a pitch shot on, you have to be aware of a few things. Firstly, how hard the ground is, and particularly how hard the greens are. This makes a difference as to where the ball needs to be pitched, in correspondance with the flag. You need to be aware of the wind because on pitch shots, the wind can make a huge difference. This can largely be because you are aiming for the flag as oppose to a wide fairway or just aiming for the green. With a pitch shot you want to be able to leave yourself in with a make able putt or an easy two putt at worst. You need to decide how lofted you want the shot to go by adjusting your stance. Although you can punch shots like this into the green, you ideally want to pitch it up in the air and land softly with a slow release to the hole. Club selection is also very important, because a pitch can be played with any wedge. You do not want to be hitting it too hard, you want a controlled shot, and often pitches can be hit with ½ or ¾ swings. This is because you are aiming for the hole so to gain maximum control you will be better of going down and iron and hitting a ¾ shot, than trying to hit a full swing pitch which can leave more room for disaster.

Once you have taken everything into account, you are ready to play a pitch shot. Remember, the ball is likely to release forward at amateur level, so be sure not to pitch it pin high unless the greens are very soft as it is likely to go running past. Try and pitch it to release to the hole. The best way for you to practice pitch shots, its going to a driving range, and hit shots and the flags or targets, and keep repeating a smooth, controlled swing.