ABC GOLF INSTRUCTION

Written by Mark Officer - Australian AAA PGA Member
REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION © Copyright 2006
PERFECTSTROKE Mark Officer Version 1.2

TRAINING PROGRAM

1. The Grip
2. Alignment
3. Set Up
4. Power Sources
5. The Full Swing
6. Shaping Shots
7. Ball Flight Laws
8. Putting
9. Chipping
10. Pitching
11. Bunker Shots
12. Video Analysis
    Analysis & Performance

Section 10 - Pitching

Pitch shots should be considered to be almost a small version of the full swing or a larger version of the break and block style chipping action. 

Again, feel for distance is one of the most important things in developing consistent pitching so it is recommended that you learn different length swings in order to get the ball to travel different distances in the air. 

Ball position and weight distribution changes can be made to change the trajectory of the shot but generally for pitch shots the ball should be a little more back in the stance and the weight a little more forward.  

The club should still travel along the target line with a good path and on a good plane, which will encourage a good angle of approach.

When combining these five different back swing lengths with different wedges, perhaps three different wedges, we should be able to produce differing trajectories and different landing distances for any shot.  Imagination and lots of practice is what is required to become a good pitcher of the golf ball.

You need to be able to hit a variety of shots, not just play the same shot because situations will demand that you be able to play high soft landing shots or low advancing shots that skip up the green or even land short of the green.  Gripping down lower on the club, making longer and slower swings, altering the ball position or getting more weight on the left side are all things that can be experimented with to help give you this variety of shots.  Not all shots around the green have to played in text book style as feel is far more important than perfect technique.