Pitching Distance Tutorial

Hi,

I was reading though Greg Willis's series of lessons posted on this site (thanks Greg, they're really helping). My swing is now somewhat more stable, straight and consistent. I'm still not hitting the green though.

I've been making more and more use of shorter pitch shots and therefore noticing that I have difficulties with direction and distance.

After reading Greg's lesson on putting http://members.cox.net/gregjwillis/LESSON4.htm, I decided to try and apply the technique to short range pitching shots. Afterall, they are not in contact with the ground so it should be possible to get the distance right every time.

My question is: what are the right distances to practice for this kind of shot? In the putting tutorial Greg used 8 and 16 feet.

A further question, why does my ball sometimes go straight to the right of where it is supposed to (I'm right handed so away from my body)?

While I'm at it, one last point: should I be using hip swing for these shots or is it just a pendulum movement of the arms?

Many thanks for the help in advance,



Richard


By the way, I wasn't sure which thread to use. Is this kind of shot part of the short game or swing?

Pitching, chipping, and putting are all short game.

I'm a firm advocate of the Pelz short game system. It sounds like you're practicing chipping (pendulum swing, no hip). You can use this from any distance you like, with your goal being to land the ball within the first 3' of green, letting the ball roll the rest of the way.

A shot I work on all the time (because of short flight, I can practice in my backyard with a real ball) is the 15 yard 60*wedge pitch shot.

In the Pelz system, there is no coil. The shoulders and the hips turn together and centrifugal force generates distance. Turn back until your left arm (RHG) is at 7:30, then turn through to a 3:00 finish (your club should be pointing straight up). Play the ball in the middle of your stance, weaken your right hand a little, and swing smoothly through the ball. DO NOT decelerate through the ball.

In the Pelz system, the length of your pitch shot is dictated by the length of your backswing. More backswing = more distance.

Many thanks for the anwers.

You are right, I've been practicing the chip shot alot although mostly with a 7 iron from the back of the stance. Again, I'm having problem with distance and judging the speed of the ground. I get the bump and landing bit right but can't controll how far it rolls. Is that a question of backspin somehow or how does that work exactly?

My initial question was directed at the pitch shot where I'm going from a about 30 - 50 yards away and just tring to land it within a couple of feet of the hole with enough loft to stop it in a pitch mark when it lands and give me a half decent chance of putting it in. I guess when my standard shot gets more accurate I'll need this less and more of the chip shot.

I'm using a pitching wedge and 'half' a swing. I have a 64* copper wedge and a sand wedge but only ever use them to get out of trouble because the bases are rounded and I find I jump over the ground rather than taking a divot. Do you recomend using these more lofted clubs for the shot and if so, how do you get rid of the bounce?

How do you know when to go for the chip and roll rather than the pitch and stop? Is that a question of distance?

Thanks again.


Richard

Again, to reference Pelz:

The difference between choosing a bump and run or choosing a pitch has a lot to do with what you're facing, and where you're lying.

As for distance control in your chip, it's all in the club. You'll have to check your own clubs and distances, but it goes roughly like this: Your pitching wedge will roll the same distance it flies. Sand and Lob wedges will roll less after they check, irons will roll more, with the 7 iron rolling 3 times longer than it's flight (so if it flies 2 feet, it'll roll 6, for a total of 8 feet). Again, these are approximate.

The Pelz wedge method works like this: if you look at your swing face on, pretend your lead hand (left hand for a RHG) is the hand of a clock. Address is 6.

Pelz advocates learning the distances hit with each of your wedges for these positions: 7:30, 9 and 10:30. As long as you keep your hands dead quiet, and don't coil (hips and shoulders turn in sync), the swing will produce repeatable distances. Always swing through to a full finish to avoid deceleration through the ball. For me, a 50 yd pitch is a just-less-than-9-o'clock PW... as my full swing PW is ~100 yds.

Again, this system is easy if you buy in (all the details can be found in the book 'Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible). You'll figure out how far away you are, and you'll know what your closest 'time' swing is. Then you swing back a little more (or less), and giggle as your shot gets close.

So to recap; for PITCHING: which wedge, and which backswing will be dictated by how far out you are.

For CHIPPING: The amount of roll is dictated by a) which club you chipped with, and b) how far the shot flew.

For DECIDING WHETHER TO BUMP'n'RUN OR PITCH: There's a million questions. Any obstacles between you and the pin? How's your lie? Is the wind a factor? Is there danger behind the green? How's the slope where you would land your pitch? And finally, for me, the big question is, if it's a clear path to the green on the ground with no wind and the green pretty easy: Do I trust my pitch or my chip more right now?

I hope it helps - by the way, the ball-off-the-back-ankle-chip using a pendulum style stroke is the best way I know. I just always have a problem with standing up.

Hi Rich,

Distances are one of the things you need to practice until you know - no one can tell you a 1/2 pitching wedge goes 50 yrds because each of us is different - my 1/2 PW goes 65 yds. Once you can regularily repeat the same shot over and over, you will then get a good feel of how far each particular club will travel with full, 3/4 and half shots.

As for your LW and SW bouncing on the ground - don't worry about whether they bounce or take a divot. Why I say this is because your club hits the ball before it hits the ground. If you are having problems hitting the ground before the ball, move the ball 1/2" - 1" back in your stance. Remember - the shorter the club, the closer to your body you position the ball. My lob wedge ball position is only about 10" to 12" infront of my right foot.

As for pendulum vs. hips - it's a small combination of both. Definitely pendulum on the backswing, but don't be afraid to let your hips turn a bit on the followthrough - it's much more natural feeling and promotes the proper follow through. MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THROUGH - the one sure thing that will almost always result in a bad chip is to stop the club after contact is made. One thing I always teach while working on the short game is you are not trying to hit the ball, you are trying to swing through it.

LowPost -if you are having troubles keping upright while chipping try getting closer to your ball. Hold your club should be a little more upright than the natural lie of club you use.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Actually Gord, the problem is that I don't stay down when I chip... I tend to stiffen up (and stand up)...

Thanks alot for the great answers. It just shows how good this forum really is.


From the answers, it seems that there are a lot of points to learn and I've missed most of them up to now. I'll end up getting the Pelz book for some tips and practicing a lot. Fortunately, I can practice this one at home with the net on the field by the house.