The Pitch Shot

Pitch Shots: A shorter version of the full swing..

By: Bruce Munch

Head Professional, White River Golf Club, Rochester, Vt.

The pitch shot is an important tool in your game but it is one of the more difficult shots to master. If you watched this years U.S. Open, you probably noticed that whenever possible, the players chose the safer chip shot, with lofted irons, mid irons and even fairway woods rather than pitching to the lightning fast, domed greens of Pinehurst #2. There are, however, certain situations that do not allow the use of the chip shot. For example, if you have a bunker between you and the green and not much green to work with. This situation requires the use of the pitch shot because it creates a more lofted shot with more backspin than the safer chip. The reason it is more difficult is that we must use the wrist to execute the pitch. The wrist, being an articulating joint, is capable of moving in many directions, only some of them helpful in the golf swing. For this reason we remove the wrist completely from the putting and chipping strokes. One of the difficulties of mastering the pitch shot result from the fact that we normally spend most of our time practicing the full swing. Most people don’t want to buy a bucket of balls at the range and then hit 30 to 50 yard pitch shots. We want to hit the big clubs and watch them fly, and unlike the chip shot, which can be practiced in the backyard, most backyards won’t comfortably accommodate pitching practice.

The pitch shot is nothing more than a shortened version of the full swing. To accomplish this, we shorten the backswing but allow the forward swing to be completed. The most common error in pitching occurs when we take a long backswing and decelerate into impact. A shorter backswing combined with an accelerating strike and long follow through, will produce the desired results of a high spinning shot. The difficulty of the pitch comes from the fact that once we are inside of full swing distance with our most lofted club, we must hit a partial shot. How many people know what a ¾ swing is and how far it goes? How about a ¼ swing or a ½ swing? There are an infinite number of partial swings that all go different distances. Start out learning two distances, say a 25 yard shot and a 50 yard shot. Then as you play more, try to fill in the gaps.

Pitch shots are actually good practice for the full swing because many people over swing and their idea of a ¾ swing should be their full swing. A shorter more compact swing is easier to repeat and allows for a more aggressive strike.

Since the pitch shot is more difficult than the full swing or chip shot, lets try to improve our course management to decrease the number of times we must pitch. Here is how: Go to the range and learn how far you hit your pitching wedge or sand wedge using a full swing. This will become your "Go To" distance. Practice this shot a lot. You now know that any yardage inside of your full swing and say 10 yards from the green, a good chip or bump and run distance, should be avoided. Now, how do we go about avoiding these shots. Before you hit your second shot on a par five, or after a bad tee shot, think about what chance you have to get the shot close enough to the green to allow a chip shot. Going for it may leave you a shot you don’t like, effectively playing into a weakness in your game. If you do not feel confident that you can reach a safe chipping distance, lay up to your "Go To" distance which will allow a full swing into the green. In order to do this you must know the yardage to the green. The pros always know this. Most of our local courses provide yardage on sprinkler heads and usually marking sticks or bushes at 100, 150 and 200 yards. Once you have determined the yardage, subtract your "Go To" distance and select the club that will get you that distance. Better to lay up and make bogie than to go for it, leave an uncomfortable shot to the green and make a big number. Try to keep track of how many pitch shots you leave yourself in a round of golf. If you are like most players, the fewer pitch shots you have to use, the lower your score will be. Play to the strength in your game and you will have more fun.

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