proper golf stance

Planning Pitch Shot Strategy

Mastering your short game is critical to reducing your golf handicap. Hitting a good pitch shot can cut one to two strokes off your score, enabling you to achieve par instead bogey or double bogey. It’s a point that can’t be emphasized enough. But to master your short game, you must plan your chips and pitches before hitting them and a point I make whenever I give golf lessons on the short game.

Hitting a good pitch shot requires precise planning. Unfortunately, many players when faced with a critical pitch shot do little or no planning. Smart golfers, however, consider the situation at hand before picking their target lines and their landing targets before hitting pitch shots. Below are several questions to ask before hitting a pitch shot.

1. Should the hole be your target?
It’s not unusual to find a hole protected by a bunker or bunkers. So the first question you need to ask your self is whether or not the hole should be your target. Often, the middle of the green is a better and more realistic target the hole. If you miss your landing target, you won’t end up in trouble, adding strokes to your score.

2. How far do you need the ball to fly?
Another question to ask yourself before hitting a pitch shot is how far you need the ball to fly before landing. This question often determines club selection. To decide on ball flight, survey the obstacles in the way, the wind, and the desired ball trajectory. All are key factors.

3. What is the green’s tilt?
Is the green titled away from the hole or towards it? If it’s tilted away from the hole and your shot lands in the wrong place, it could easily run right off the green, even though you hit your landing target. Take this factor into consideration and adjust accordingly before hitting your shot.

4. Is the green hard or soft?
Some greens are hard. Some are soft. It’s hard to tell sometimes, but it’s imperative you know. With hard greens the ball tends to hit and bounce off. With soft greens, a ball tends to hit and stick or hit and roll a little before stopping. Knowing if a green is hard or soft is critical to hitting a good pitch.

5. How strong is the wind?
How windy is it? What type of wind is it? Are you facing a strong headwind or a weak tail wind? These factors can dramatically affect your ball trajectory and club selection. So decide on what they are before hitting away.

6. What kind of lie do you have?
Do you have a good lie or bad lie? Is the ball in a divot or on hardpan? Remember to swing accordingly. If the ball is in a divot, for example, you need to go down a little to get it.

7. Where do you stand on the hole or in the match?
Are you in a position that needs a bold stroke? Or, are you in a position that requires you to take a more conservative approach? Sometimes, you may have to shoot for a tight pin. Other times, you may have to lay-up. Knowing where you stand in the match helps you make that decision.

You must consider all these options before hitting a pitch shot. Once you decide on the shot, commit to it. Also, pick out a specific target and aim for it. Be as precise as possible. It may be a ridge on the green or the fringe. Whatever it is, visualize hitting that exact spot.

Planning a pitch shot helps you execute the right shot and cut strokes from your scores and your golf handicap. It’s imperative, as I tell people who take my golf instructions sessions, to mastering the short game. Mastering the short game is among the fastest ways of improving your golf handicap.

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