Golf Pitching Instruction and Tips

Pitch shots are required out to about 60 yards from the green, where the distance from the ball to the edge of the green is greater than the distance from the edge of the green to the hole.

Pitch shots are required out to about 60 yards from the green, where the distance from the ball to the edge of the green is greater than the distance from the edge of the green to the hole. Pitches differ from chip shots by flying higher and stopping sooner upon landing. In general, pitch shots are executed with the golfer's arsenal of wedges, although a club like an 8 iron might be used in situations where it is necessary to keep the ball low under some branches, and/or achieve a little extra roll after the ball lands on the green.

The pitch shot requires the precision of a chip shot, along with some of the power of a full shot. The grip, stance, and body position are those of a full shot, the only variation being that the stance might be slightly  open. Similar to the putt and chip shot, the distance the pitch shot travels is controlled by the length of the backswing. Golf's technical expert, Dave Pelz has distinguished nicely among the difference backswings for executing the pitch shot. When addressing the ball, Pelz suggests thinking of the arms as hanging straight down at 6 o'clock position. From this position, the arms can swing back to 7:30, 9:00, or 10:30 positions. If a swing with a consistent tempo is made through the ball to a full finish, the ball will travel consistently different distances for each backswing of differing length. It will be necessary to experiment to determine the precise distances that will be produced. The only caveats with the pitch shot are to cock the wrists completely on the backswing, follow through to a full finis, and keep the head still throughout the swing.