Poor pitching is often the result of either too much wrist hinge in the backswing, where the hands pick the club too abruptly, or too little wrist hinge, where the wrist remain stiff as the club swings back.

It is easy to hit pitch shots on practice ground and be satisfied with a loose grouping in the distance. In reality, however, pitch shots need to be accurate. You should be looking to knock them close to the flag each time: merely hitting the green is not enough.

Although pitch shots are control shots, gradual acceleration is still required in the downswing to produce a proper strike.

When you play a round of golf, you only ever get one attempt at each shot. The pressure of your pitching is perhaps the greatest of all the shots, because you are aiming at the most well-protected area of the course, where all manner of hazards, such as sand or water, guard the green.

If there has ever been a thought that has wrecked golf scores, it’s the idea of finessing the ball to the target. Even short shots must be hit decisively. Rather than finessing the shot, thinking of hitting the ball solidly with a shorter swing.

A good phrase to remember when playing short shots is this: “Down is up and up is down.” To hit the ball in the air, you have to hit it on the downbeat and brush the grass. If you try to lift the ball up with the club head, the ball will stay on the ground. You can’t lift the ball. Any lifting lifts the club off the grass, creating a “topped” shot.

The flop shot.

This is a high, short shot, used to go over a bunker or hit to an elevated green. The best clubs for this are the sand wedge and the lob wedge. You need a fairly good lie if this is going to be played well. Play the ball forward in your stance; open your stance; make a big, slow swing; and keep your arms moving. You should finish the swing facing the target with your weight on your forward foot.

You have to invest plenty of time with the lob to become proficient with it.

In my opinion, learning how to pitch the ball is the most difficult lesson for a golfer. Because you must learn how to hit the ball with an abbreviated or less-than-full swing. You must feel how far to hit the ball, and feel is the most elusive part of golf.

Almost all golfers practice nothing but a full swing. Very few practice the short, 40y pitch shot. A full swing is easier to master, since the golfer is usually repeating the same swing for each club to make the ball go the maximum distance with that particular club. But to hit the ball less than maximum distance with a particular club, you must shorten the swing yet still hit the ball firmly.

Think of the pitch as an underarm toss of the ball.

When watching Tiger set up to play a 40-60y wedge under normal conditions of lie and weather I have noticed that he’s very careful not to position the ball well back in the stance. This is because he knows that such a position promotes a steep backswing action, sharp descending hit, and a shot that spin back. Tiger’s priority is to hit the ball all the way to the hole and have it come down so softly you would think it was attached to a miniature parachute. Therefore, he plays the ball closer to his left heel than to the midpoint of his stance. He sets his hands even with the ball or slightly behind it. Ultimately, Tiger wants to come into impact with the clubface going nicely under the ball, not digging into the turf, so he is careful not to set his hands well ahead of the ball, which takes bounce off the wedge.

The wonderful thing about Tiger’s backswing action is that it’s relaxed, with the wrists hinging freely. It’s very different from his full-power swing in which he has a late wrist set. There is no effort on his part to make one-piece takeaway — that is, with the club straight back along the target line, low to the ground, and directed by the triangle formed by the shoulders and arms. Many high handicappers make this mistake, thinking all shots require this type of one-piece action.

When there isn’t much green to work with, I adapt my technique slightly to produce a higher, softer trajectory with virtually no run on the ball. I also use my 60-degree rather than my 56-degree sand wedge. Maximum loft for maximum height.

The key to succeeding at the flop shot is judging when you can — and when you can’t — pull it off. I don’t even try to hit the flop unless my lie is at least decent. I want to have a bit of cushion underneath the ball for the sand wedge or 60-degree wedge to slide cleanly.

Never try the flop from hardpan or other tight lie. If you hit behind the ball even a fraction, the clubhead will bounce into the ball and skull it over the green.

The pitching wedge: I want to hit down a bit more sharply on the ball with my wedges. Therefore, I play the ball dead in the center of my stance. I have less lateral body movement on my short irons because the swing is shorter, so I don’t want to position the ball forward or center.

One thing we should have in common is more than 1 sand wedge. A single sand wedge just doesn’t cut it anymore. Add a lob wedge (something with about 60 degree of loft) and you’ll save par more often.

Do not allow one part of your body to coil against another part, as you do in a power swing. Your shoulders never coil against your hips, your arms don’t coil against your chest. By eliminating all coiling, you stop power from being produced by your lower body. You don’t want the legs driving, leading, or accelerating the rest of your body into impact.

If there’s no coil, no lower-body drive, and you don’t add any hand, wrist, or arm muscles (keep dead hands), you should be able to produce a low-power swing. And low power is what the finesse swing and the short game are all about.

I divide all finesse swings into 2 types, those for shots that carry over 30y and those for shots that carry less than 30y. The distribution is based on how each swing should finish.

For the longer finesse shots — those between 30y and just short of your power-swing distance with the same club — make a full, complete finish, transferring all your weight onto your forward foot.

Do not allow your body to slide toward or your left knee to flex laterally toward the target during the down- and through-swing. As you make a synchronized turn through impact your left knee should be almost straight-but not rigid.

It’s vital for you to realize that this system of controlling the length of your shots with the length of your backswing works only if you always swing at the same rhythm (your rhythm) and always follow through to a full, complete finish. If you do, the velocity of the clubhead at impact is simply a function of the length of the backswing. The farther back you take it, the faster the clubhead is traveling when it reaches the ball.

You’ll never have an accomplished pitching game if you can’t land your shots consistently on the spot you want. You must be able to do this with every wedge in your bag.

A key to pitching success is practicing with each of your wedges. Each club will produce a different trajectory, different height, different backspin characteristics, and different bounce and roll behavior on the greens. While this may seem overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. I’m not suggesting you practice, master, and memorize every possible pitch-shot situation. But you do need to practice enough to learn which combinations work best for you and are easiest for you to visualize and produce. You must practice enough to develop a favorite shot, while knowing which shots to avoid. The favorites will become the shots you go to when the pressure is on because you can execute them with confidence and reliability.

The man who can pitch doesn’t need to putt.

Not holding the finish. When you don’t hold your follow-through and finish position on a chip, pitch, sand, or distance-wedge shot, you lose the feedback of what your effort produced, so you don’t learn anything from the results. I evaluate practice sessions based on what I think the student learned.

To execute an effortless flop shot, open your clubface at address while positioning the ball forward in your stance, and ensure a wide, smooth, and aggressive swing. Remember to maintain a relaxed grip, hinge your wrists quickly during the backswing, and accelerate through impact to create the necessary loft and soft landing.

Since wedges are shorter, you also have to bend over a little more. The more you bend, the more vertical your plane gets. For even though the club is short, it still has to brush the tee and the correct amount of turf. When hitting wedges, many beginners and novices have difficulty maintaining their spine angle from P1 to P2 and through the downswing. They aren’t used to bending over that far at address, so when they bring the club back, they subconsciously return to the body tilt they use when hitting, for instance, a 7i.

Once beginners and novices more from the practice tee to the course, they are caught off guard by how often they find themselves 20-80y from the green. Such shots aren’t the type they normally practice, so sometimes they panic.

There are 2 types of golf swings: the full swing and the chip shot. The full swing entails bringing the club all the way back and executing a full follow-through; a chip shot is what you hit from just off the green to bump-and-run the ball to the hole. Some players confuse pitch shots with chip shots. But pitch shots fundamentally are just like hitting a full iron shot except you don’t take the backswing all the way to the top.

If you start to feel sleepish about taking more time to hit pitch shots, just watch a tour event. Tour player often take 6 or 7 more practice swings before a pitch shot than before any other kind of shot.

Recreational golfers try to hit wedge shots a lot farther than they actually can. Great players never max out with their swing speed. They always remain at roughly 80%. Why? At this speed it is easier to keep everything sequenced — arms, wrists, shoulders, body, and most important, the club.

If you’re not spending 70% of your practice time on shots from 120y in, you’re not trying to become the best golfer you can be.

The short shots around the green save pars. The longer wedge shots, from 40-120y, make birdies. Players can’t practice them too much.

Even the best players try to avoid pitch shots. They’re “in-between” shots. You can’t just make your normal, everyday, following. You’re stuck making a half-type swing — which is never easy, especially when you’re under pressure.

Pitch from a tight lie to a tucked pin:

Mistakes:

  • Hitting straight at the pin.
  • Using a club with too much bounce off a tight lie.
  • Hitting off the back leg, trying to scoop the ball into the air.

Setup:

  • Weaken your grip.
  • Narrow and open your stance slightly and stand to the handle.
  • Position the ball just forward of center.
  • Distribute weight evenly.

Pre-swing thoughts:

  • Be reasonable when choosing your target.
  • Think about tossing a ball underhanded.
  • Take the “less is more” approach.

Swing:

  • Adjust your backswing to the distance of the shot.
  • Swing the club on plane toward the ball, keeping the club in front of the body.
  • Keep the loft of the clubface through impact, sliding the club under the ball.
  • Finish the shot with your weight on your left side.

A few things to remind yourself before pulling out a flop shot:

  • The lie permits the shot. You need enough of a grass cushion beneath the ball for the club to slide under; however, too much cushion and the club will slip under the ball without making contact.
  • Set the clubface open with the handle behind the ball, then center your body to the handle.
  • When you stand to the handle the ball should be forward in your stance.
  • Center your weight.
  • Narrow and open your stance slightly.
  • Take a full swing. This may scare you because it’s such a short distance to the pin, but the clubhead must move swiftly under the ball.
  • Keep the lower body quiet in the backswing.
  • Keep the clubface open and sliding under the ball.
  • Keep the club in front of the body in the downswing and finish on the left side.

Everyday golfers aren’t the only ones who find shots with less than a full swing difficult to execute. When you’re trying to hit the ball a short distance, you have to remember that you control the length of the shot with the length of your backswing and follow-through. No matter what, you have to accelerate that club through the impact area.

Ask most golfer so hit a high pitch, and they flip the club upward through impact. Yes, this is one way to add loft, but few golfers can make this move without hitting chunks or skulls. The fact is, you rarely need more loft than what a square hit sand wedge provides. To hit it high, focus on swinging the clubhead long and low along the line on the follow-through.

The shots that separates good players from the field are those from 100y in, what is often termed the “scoring zone.” Good players know how to score, and knowing how to score means knowing how to size up the shots that lead to low scores. Better players check not just the distance and the lie but also the pin position and the contour of the green. They consider what’s between the ball and the intended landing area, the softness or firmness of the landing area, and the wind when determining what type of shot will produce the best chance of getting the ball close to the hole.

The pitch shot taken from an uphill lie doesn’t require extra loft in club select. Because your ball is resting on an uphill slope you will naturally gain loft. You won’t have to open the clubface to increase trajectory.

It’s not uncommon to misalign the body and clubhead. When playing shots with an open or closed stance, it is sometimes difficult to keep the clubface square to the target. Often, when you open your stance you unconsciously aim the clubface to the left. The key to overcoming this is to aim the clubface at the target and then step into your setup.

Uphill pitch to an elevated green:

Mistakes:

  • Misaligning the body and clubhead. Aim the clubhead first, then step into your setup.
  • Allowing your hands to move too far forward at address, creating too much forward press.

Setup:

  • Set the clubface square to the target.
  • Set the handle of the club even with the ball.
  • Stand to the handle with a narrow and slightly open stance.
  • Position ball opposite instead of front foot.
  • Grip down on the club.
  • Lean slightly into slope, keeping the weight just over the front leg.

Pre-swing thoughts:

  • No extra loft is needed — simply hit the shot leading with the front edge of the wedge.
  • Carry shot the targeted landing area; do not allow for significant roll.

Swing:

  • Accelerate through at impact, striking the ball crisply.
  • Stay on the forward leg through impact.

Stopping the ball quickly from greenside rough is never an easy shot, but I often play it just as I do a blast from sand: Clubface open at address, abrupt or steep backswing arc, contact about an inch behind the ball while keeping my right hand well “under” my left. Properly played, the ball will rise quickly and drop softly. But again, don’t try it without practice.

When you have heavy rough surrounding the golf ball and you only want to hit the ball a short distance, you need 2 main ingredients: (1) a steep angle of descent and (2) a lot of loft. In order for the club not to get stuck in the grass before impact, the club must come down on a steep angle. In order for the ball to be lifted out of the grass, the club must strike the ball with enough loft.

Practice swings, or rehearsal swings, can help when executing a difficult shot or a shot that requires a heightened sense of feel. Most tour pros make a few practice swings when preparing to hit a pitch or chip. These rehearsals serve to relieve tension, help the player to visualize the ball flight of shot, and reinforce in the mind’s eye the pace and length of the swing.

Less-than-full wedge shot:

Mistakes:

  • Too much club, too wide of a stance, too big of a backswing.
  • Deceleration during the forward swing.
  • Not enough knowledge of club distance.
  • Not enough practice to learn distances.

Setup:

  • Grip down 0.5 inch for every quarter you shorten the swing.
  • Narrow your stance to match your backswing length (1/2 backswing = 1/2 stance).
  • Play the ball in the center.

Pre-swing thoughts:

  • Shorten the backswing enough to be able to smoothly accelerate through the ball.
  • After you have made your choice, commit to the shot.

Swing:

  • Coil and uncoil despite the length of shot.
  • Smooth acceleration through impact.
  • Finish on forward leg facing target.

If I want a lot of height on a fullish pitch shot, I break or cock my wrists quickly on the backswing, then use them very actively to “throw” the club under — not down on — the ball. Properly executed, this flips the ball high.

Super lob to a tight pin on an elevated green:

Mistakes:

  • Trying to lift or scoop the ball into the air.
  • Bouncing the sole of the club off turf behind ball.
  • Move laterally, sliding ahead of the ball.
  • Pulling back, hitting off the back leg.

Setup:

  • Narrow stance and position ball slightly forward of middle.
  • Set club behind ball and pull handle one inch behind the ball.
  • Weaken grip.
  • Stand to the handle.
  • Set hands slightly behind ball.

Pre-swing thoughts:

  • Sliding the club underneath ball.
  • Use shot when close to pin, 5-20y distance, and when less risky alternative shots leave little chance for getting up and down in 2 strokes.

Swing:

  • Take club back along stance line.
  • Break wrists early.
  • Create a steep backswing.