The pitch shot—that delicate, half-swing shot from 10 to 50 yards—is arguably the biggest stroke-saver in amateur golf. Yet, most golfers struggle with inconsistency, alternating between the dreaded ‘chunk’ (hitting the ground behind the ball) and the ‘thin’ (skimming the ball across the green).
If you’re tired of leaving your pitch shots short of the green or hitting them over the back, our video, “What Nobody Tells You About Pitching Onto The Green”, reveals the crucial piece of information most instructors overlook. It’s a simple secret used by every pro to guarantee crisp contact and predictable distance.
The Hidden Pitching Problem
Most amateur instruction focuses on keeping the lead wrist firm or simply ‘hitting down’ on the ball. While these elements are important, they don’t address the core issue of inconsistent contact.
The Problem: Amateurs often try to use their wrists and hands to control the distance and trajectory. This causes the clubhead to pass the hands prematurely (casting or flipping), resulting in an inconsistent low point and the common chunk or thin shot.
The Secret: The club is designed to use the bounce on the sole to glide through the turf. To access that bounce consistently, you need to stabilize the lower half of your swing.
The PGA Tour Secret: Quiet Lower Body & Stable Lead Wrist
The ‘secret’ that top players understand is that the pitch shot is an arm and torso swing, not a wrist shot. The goal is to control the bottom of the swing arc by limiting unnecessary movement.
1. Quiet Lower Body
For pitch shots, the powerful hip rotation used in a full swing is your enemy. Too much lower body movement shifts the swing’s low point, making consistent contact impossible.
- The Fix: Focus on keeping your lower body relatively quiet and stable throughout the swing. The movement should be dominated by the rotation of your chest and shoulders, with the hips following passively.
2. Stable Lead Wrist (The Lock)
The position of your lead wrist (left wrist for right-handers) through impact is what determines the attack angle and clubface angle.
- The Fix: You must maintain a stable or slightly bowed lead wrist through impact. Think of ‘locking’ the club in place. This prevents the wrist from flipping, ensures the hands lead the clubhead, and utilizes the club’s bounce, which stops the leading edge from digging into the turf. This is the number one guarantee of crisp contact.
Your New Pitching Setup
To implement this secret, make these simple setup changes:
- Ball Position: Play the ball slightly back of center to encourage a slight descending blow.
- Weight Distribution: Keep 60-70% of your weight on your lead foot (front foot) throughout the swing. This anchors the low point of your arc in front of the ball.
- Narrow Stance: A narrower stance helps limit excessive hip turn and promotes stability.
By mastering the stable lead wrist and quiet lower body, you effectively move the control of the swing from your unpredictable hands to your larger, more repeatable torso muscles. This is What Nobody Tells You About Pitching Onto The Green, and it’s the key to turning three shots into two around the green.
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