Pitch shot tips?

Question

Heres a video of a short pitch shot last summer...i have decent control over my pitches but always look to improve. Any tips would be appreciated!

http://www.befeatured.com/play.php?vid=91

Answer 1

On my computer I couldn't really see the trajectory of the ball or how close it got to the hole.  Your method is OK for someone young who plays a lot, but is not something that will hold up over time.  It looks like you sort of scoop the shot moving shoulders, arms, hips, and legs together.  That's a lot of moving parts for a pitch or chip shot.  I like the traditional pitch and run from that position with nothing between you and the hole except fringe and green.  Using a seven to nine iron move ball back off the right heel, open stance, hands in front of ball and use a putting stroke (no wrists) to hit a low running chip that just lands on the surface and rolls to the hole.

Answer 2

Watch past contact. Look at the spot that the ball was in. Meaning, keep your head down. That will make it easy regardless of lie. Seriously though, that was a good pitch.

Answer 3

I used to use the same technique as you in chipping/pitching until a much better player than me gave me some advice.

Like I used to, you do a shorter, softer version of your full swing to pitch and chip. Unfortunately, this isn't the best way to exert the most control over your distance and trajectory.

See, when you do a soft version of a full swing, you can't really accelerate through impact the way you should. When you are decelerating through impact, consistency is difficult to achieve. It's the same principle as putting (and full shots, for that matter, but more apparent in softer shots).

Lately (following the advice of my much better friend) I've been doing 4 things:

First, and foremost, I make sure to have VERY soft hands. Though you are accelerating through impact, you still want your hands loose and out of the stroke.

Second, I concentrate on bringing my hands straight back in a slow, controlled manner.

Third, I transition into my downswing by keeping my hands soft and swinging forward as fast as I can while still keeping well under control. How fast you can move through impact is directly affected by how far back you have moved your hands.

Fourth, I let my hands finish high for a shot with more loft and low for a shot with less loft.

Fifth (and this is really step zero, before the shot) I use a wide variety of clubs, from hybrid up through lob wedge. This helps me keep a more natural stroke and in this way I can control the loft without having to change my stroke too much.

Give it a try around a practice green and see if it doesn't add some control to your short game.

Good luck!!!

Answer 4

Sounded a little heavy. Try not to flick with a SW.

Use a pitching wedge, and bump and run more shots onto greens. It’s an easy shot with more room for error.