The most important part of golf is the short game. There are many facets to the short game and in this article I am going to show you how to play the pitch shot. The pitch shot is distinctly different from the chip shot which I will cover in another article.

One of the main problems found in the pitching techniques of many golfers is that they use the same swing with their short game as they do with their long (power) game. In doing so they rely totally on the smaller muscles in their hands, wrists and forearms to control the distance they want to hit the ball. This means that they are at the mercy of the touch or feel that they have in their hands to produce the shot. As you know the touch and feel we have varies from day to day. Plus during game conditions adrenaline (which we have no control over) adds power to our muscles, making it more difficult to control the ball.

In the short game the priority is to be as accurate as possible whilst creating sufficient power to achieve the distance required.

To do this we remove the hands from the equation. We therefore need to perform a synchronized turn of the shoulders and hips, where they turn an equal amount on the back swing and on the forward swing and where there is no creation of coil (as in the long game) or resistance between the upper and lower body. By eliminating all coiling we stop the power being produced by the lower body. If there is no coil, and no lower body drive, the hands, wrists and forearms remain passive (dead). This produces a low power swing which is exactly what is required for consistent, repeatable accurate results needed for a good short game.

To feel the correct body motion, where the hips and shoulders turn together and there is no resistance between the upper and lower parts of the body, try the following:

Assume your address position without the club, and then place your hands on your hips with the thumbs pointing to the front. Squeeze your elbows together behind your back. This will lock your upper and lower body together. Now turn away from what would be the target as in your backswing and then through to the target side as in your forward swing with a full finish with hands and chest facing the target. Repeat this as many times as it takes for you to feel the synchronized body motion.

The preparation and executions of the pitch shot is also different to that of the power (full shot) swing:

Preparation:

Your stance should be narrower than your shoulder width; feet and hips should be aligned square to the target; weight evenly distributed over both feet; your posture with flat back, arms hanging; weight forward and on midsteps to balls of feet; the ball should be centered and the clubface should be square (perpendicular) to the target.

Execution:

To execute the shot your arms, hands and club start and swing back as a unit. Your weight should shift slightly to the rear, wrists cock at hip level. Hips turn to the rear with your back now facing the target. The weight then shifts back to the target side, wrists un-cock at hip level, hips return to square with arms, hands and club extended at contact with ball. On the follow through - the wrists re-cock at hip level as the hips and chest turn to face the target. Finish in a balanced position.

Now that you know how to play the pitch shot you will need to go out and practice it. When doing this do not be concerned it at first it feels uncomfortable, anything new always does in golf, just keep practicing it. With continued practice you will begin to see the benefits of removing the smaller muscles from your short game and your consistency and confidence will benefit.

In my next article I will show you how to use this same swing with three different clubs to get nine different results.