To quote many instructors who teach golf for beginners -
- “A pitch is 2/3 air time and then 1/3 roll-out on the green”
- “A chip is 1/3 air time and then 2/3 roll time”.
- So, for a pitch shot, we need to get some height on the ball to achieve the necessary trajectory to land the ball softly and release gently to the hole
To do this, obviously, we need to use a lofted club. The clubs of choice will be sand wedge, pitching wedge, any kind of lob wedge, basically any type of lofted club. The aim is to get the ball in the air and to land it as softly as possible. So,why do we want to play these shots? Well, we’ve all been in at least one of these positions around the green and need to play a high pitch shot to get:
- Over a bunker
- Over a pond
- To a tight pin (edge of green)
- Over a bank or high rough
To get this shot right you need to combine a couple of things – lofted clubs and the right execution. You provide the clubs and this is the execution.
- Ball position – centre of your stance
- Choose a club with enough loft for the height you need to achieve
- Keep your weight on your left foot (this stops your body moving backwards on the downswing)
- Have your left foot slightly behind your right (this opens your hips and allows an easy follow through)
- Make sure to have the grip of the club just inside your left leg, this will ensure you catch the ball on the downswing, which will pop the ball up in the air.
- Make your swing ensuring there is no deceleration on impact
Getting the ball close to the hole with a pitch shot is one of the most difficult shots in golf for beginners. With practice you can master this essential shot and add it to your armoury of short game essentials.