Being able to hit long straight drives is very important if you want to play good golf. But it is not much good if once you get within 100 yards of the green you are unable to consistently get the ball up in the air and land it softly on the putting surface close enough to the hole so that you can make your putt. This is when pitching becomes a very important weapon in the search for lower scores.

The pitch shot is defined as a shot that spends the majority of the time in the air, and once it lands, rolls a very short distance.  It is used when you are too close to the green to play a full shot and too far away to chip the ball.

The set up for the pitch is very similar to that of the chip shot. The feet are fairly close together with the ball positioned one club head inside the front foot. Weight is distributed so that there is more on the lead foot than the trail foot, so as to encourage a downward swing on the ball and thus increase the opportunity for a ball first contact. Club selection should be based on the height and length of shot you need – higher and shorter then play more loft like the sand wedge, lower and longer then consider the pitching wedge.

The length of the shot you wish to play determines the swing length. This is the best way to consistently control distance with your pitch shots, rather than having the same length swing and changing swing speed. When you go to the range to practice this shot, start with a 9 o’clock back swing to a 3 o’clock follow through and build your shorter and longer distances from this swing.

The swing itself can be challenging as it opposes our natural instincts on how to play this shot. Our mind would have us believe that the way to get the ball up in the air is to lift or scoop the ball. But if you try this, chances are that the leading edge of the club will contact the ball and send it flying over your intended target. We then think that, “I didn’t get under it enough”, and try to lift the ball even more on the next swing, producing the same shot.

The reality is that the loft on the wedges, as with all the clubs, is what gets the ball in the air. So if you can allow the club to fall to the ball, with the club hitting the ball first and then the ground, the loft of the club will easily get the ball in air. Next time you are on the range, take a few balls and your sand wedge and practice hitting some pitch shots. With a 9 o’clock back swing, allow the club and the arms to fall to the ball and you might be surprised at how easily the ball will get up in the air.

A great drill to help get the correct feeling at impact for pitching is to place a tee in the ground about one inch on the target side of the ball. From you’re normal pitching set up, swing the club, trying to hit the ball first and then take the tee out of the ground. This will encourage you to hit down through the ball, making ball first contact and giving you a nice high flight and good spin to stop the ball on the green.

A good short game can help you recover from some poor longer shots and also give you the opportunity to make a birdie or two. But only if you can pitch a ball with control can you hope to get the ball close enough to the hole to make those putts. So be sure to allocate some of your practice time to work on your pitching and it will save you a few strokes the next time you play.