Pitching – Pinpoint Distance Control - by Steven Orr - CGA Qualified Coach

One area of the game that is extremely important in terms of scoring, yet is rarely practiced by amateur golfers, is pitching. And to define exactly the shot I am talking about, it is in the region of 30 – 90 yards, where the swing that is taken is less than a full one. Many golfers see this as one of the games most troublesome shots, yet with a little understanding, and some time spent practicing, you can develop the ability to turn 3 or 4 shots into 2.

Firstly, it’s worth noting that an interesting change takes place when we make less than full swings. If we are hitting full shots on the golf course, generally speaking, the error is greater in terms of direction rather than distance. This makes sense as we have hit many shots with say a 7 iron and know how much power we can apply to the ball, the biggest challenge being hitting it straight. This holds true for professionals also. When we start hitting shots that are less than full with our shortest club, ie SW, the opposite happens. All of a sudden the error is greater long and short than left or right. So controlling distance is the number 1 factor in getting better at improving your pitching!

So why does this occur? Basically, our brain doesn’t have as many stored references for these shots as it does for full shots. Think for a moment how many times you have practiced hitting shots 150 yards, probably with a 6 or 7 iron. Now think how many times you have practiced hitting 46 yard shots! I would imagine not many. So the key to getting better at pitching is build as many of these quality stored references into our brain so that the next time we find ourselves 60 yards from the pin, our subconscious mind will select the correct length of swing for us to propel the ball the correct distance.

So how do we do this? Well it starts with changing the way we practice and there are three critical elements to good pitching practice, which , when applied will only take your pitching forward.

Pace off a clearly defined distance. Your brain needs to know what it’s learning! How many times do you just drop balls from anywhere and just start hitting? That is next to useless! Make sure before you start practicing that you know exactly how far the distance is that you are trying to land the ball, this is very important for improved pitching.

What actually happened? Again, our brain needs clear and continuous feedback as to what actually took place. If it is your intention to land the ball 50 yards you must observe where it actually did land, was it 45 or 56! So watch the ball until it lands and even say out loud how far it actually landed. This feedback allows the brain to make minor adjustments and learn far quicker. Arguably the best wedge player of all time, Tom Kite from the United States, used to employ this technique all the time, where he would actually have his caddy calling out the landing distance to him after every shot.

Finally, vary the distance on every shot! How many times do you hit the exact same distance of pitch twice in a row on the course. Almost never! So why would we do that on the practice area. Remember we are practing to get better on the golf course, so we must practice exactly as if we are on the golf course. So have several groups of ball spread out on the range, say at 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 yards and change station after every shot. Very quickly you will become very sensitive to the minor changes in distance that these shots require.

To some of you these may seem quite different ways of practicing, and perhaps a little more time consuming. Remember, one practice shot hit properly is worth 100 hit carelessly, so add this change in routine to your practice. And watch your distance control improve quickly.