Simple Pitching Golf Tips Any Golfer Can Use

When we talk about pitching we are referring to a short shot of roughly 20-60 yards in which the ball travels most of the distance in the air and then rolls a short distance after landing. This is one shot that many people have difficulty with and it is definitely easy to post a big score if you have trouble hitting these feel shots especially over ponds or bunkers. It seems then that a good tip for pitching could really help golfers score better and enjoy the game more.

Well the first thing to remember is that when approaching the green from shorter distances it is a good idea to try to keep the ball as close to the ground as possible. So, whenever possible it is a good idea to chip the ball as it is a lower risk shot than a pitch shot. Of course there will be times when you need to get the ball in the air such as when there is a pond or bunker between you and your target.

Sometimes people take the term pitching literally and assume that they should use their pitching wedge. This is not the case. You should almost always use the most lofted club in your bag; usually a sand wedge or lob wedge. The goal with these shots is to it the ball high so it lands soft and does not roll a lot.

So assuming you have selected your most lofted club what then is the best way to pull off this shot? As you would expect there are different approaches but the basic golf swing approach for pitch shots is as follows:

1 – address the ball with an open stance,
2 – position the ball slightly forward of center,
3 – open the clubface slightly, and
4 – transfer approximately 60% of your weight to your left side (assuming you golf right-handed)

Once you are aware of these basics one of the most valuable golf pitching tips is not to flip at the ball. A good way to ensure this is to think of your hands and arms as “staying connected” with your body.

1 – To start you want to ensure that both your golf backswing and follow-through are roughly the same length. This does two things; first it encourages a rhythmic swing where there is no sudden acceleration or deceleration of the club and second it forces you to think about how long your swing needs to be to hit the ball the required distance. This is where the term “dialling in your distance” is used.

2 – Then all you need to do is make sure that you rotate your body all the way through the shot until your belt buckle face the target. This will help ensure that you don’t flip at the ball and look like you are chopping wood! A great drill to ingrain what this should feel like is to place a golf glove under your left armpit and then hit some pitches. The goal is to make sure the glove does not come loose. This forces you to keep your body rotating all the way to the finish of your follow-through if you hope to generate the swing speed needed to execute the shot.

Pitching requires a lot of practice but the reality is that very few people spend enough time doing so. If you commit to spending at least as much time working on your short game as hitting full shots you will soon be posting lower scores.