Controlling distance on pitch shots

Any shot that is too long to be a chip shot (which should be a low, running shot with minimal wrist action) and too short to be a full swing, is classified as a pitch shot. The pitch shot is a short version of the full swing; in other words, we are doing the same things we would do for a full swing, but on a smaller scale.

Most weekend golfers do not practice their pitch shots enough, and as a result they don't have a feel for distance when faced with this shot during a round. This uncertainty leads to poor shots that land well before or well after the pin (or green). Frustration may boil over into the next shot, then the next tee, and so on. It can be extremely defeating to hit a pure drive down the middle, leaving only a little pitch shot into the green, and proceed to hit a bad approach shot that doesn't land anywhere close to the intended target.

First of all, job one is always making sure the face of the club is contacting the ball first (before the clubhead hits the ground, and on the downswing), contacts the ball on the sweet spot of the club, and is kept on a good upright plane. If these things don't happen, then it really doesn't matter how big of a swing is taken because the golfer will have hit the ball fat, thin, off the toe, or off the heel.

Finding a point of reference

Providing the golfer is making good contact on the ball, they should then find a 'point of reference' to help judge distance on pitch shots. I suggest paying particular attention to how big of a backswing you take for a 50 yard pitch shot. Since most courses have 'fifty yard markers' this is a good distance to get used to when practicing. For me, a 50 yard shot requires about a three quarter swing with a 56 degree sand wedge. So, I know that when I'm 50 yards away from the green, I bring the club back enough so that the end of the grip 'points' at the ball, then I know it's time to bring the club back down.

Having this 'point of reference' for a 50 yard shot is good because I know that from 60 yards, my swing should be just a little longer with just a little more shoulder turn and leg action. If I have a 40 yard shot my swing should be a little less than three quarter and I bring my hands back to about waist level rather than up higher where the grip would point at the ball (along with a little less shoulder turn and lower body action).

So, find your own point of reference for a mid-range pitch shot from a particular yardage so that you have a 'go-to' shot from that distance. This will make it easier to know how big of a swing to take from any yardage as you'll know when to lay off or crank it up a bit.