Try the 7-8-9 Pitching Method.

Try the 7-8-9 Pitching Method.

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC.  We conduct 1, 2 and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993.  We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

Golf Tip by Mel Sole Golf School.

Most of the amateurs I play with hit the ball well from tee to green, but they get within 50 yds. of the green, they seem to struggle. "I don't have time to practice these shots," they tell me. "The pros have all the time in the world to stand and work on these shots, so they develop "feel."

Here is a method that requires a little practice initially, but once you have established your distances, you will rely on it in the future.

The Technique.

Imagine as you address the ball that you have a large clock in front of you. Learn to swing your left arm (right arm for left-handers) to the various "hours" of the clock. For example, this is the 7-o'clock position:

Notice there is a slight wrist cock. This is important as you need to cock the wrist to help deliver a slightly downward blow through the shot. Practice hitting shots like this until you can consistently hit shots a certain distance. This will become your 7-o'clock shot.

This is the 8-o'clock position:

Practice hitting shots swinging your left arm to 8-o'clock and note your distances. This will become your 8-o'clock shot.

This is the 9-o'clock position:

Practice the same as the first two shots while swinging your arm to 9-o'clock.

Finish off swinging the arm to 10-o'clock, and you will now have four specific distances that you can consistently pitch the ball.

Distances will vary from player to player as in full shots, but you have a tried and true method to rely on once you have them established. For example, when you find yourself 40 yds. from the flag on the course, you can say to yourself, "OK, this is my X-o'clock shot." and you know for sure that if you swing your arm to that position, the ball is going to go about 40yds.

Important Points for the Pitch Shot

Three things are essential in the pitch shot.

1. Notice that most of my weight is on my front foot at the address position. This is important to help you keep your body steady during the swing and help you impart the downward blow that is important in creating the backspin you want on this shot. Looking at the other positions during the backswing, you will also notice that my weight does not shift to the back foot at any time. This is because I keep my weight on the front foot, even at the top of my backswing. (This is only for the pitch shot - not for full shots.)

2. the pace of the swing must be consistent throughout. It is no good swinging slowly through one shot and quickly through the next. You'll get very inconsistent results. Try to imagine a pendulum and the way it moves backward and forwards at the same pace. Try to feel this in all of your pitch shots.

3. Lastly, as you see here:

It is important to have a consistent follow-through. Do not stop your follow-through on this shot, or you will constantly come up short. The follow-through should finish at about 3 o'clock.

And Finally.

In picture #6, make sure that the follow-through is directly at the target and not around your body.  The hands should finish in about the middle of your chest.

With just a little practice to establish your distances and pace, you will find playing these shots a lot more fun. You'll also get a lot of comments from your playing partners like, "Where did you learn to pitch all of a sudden?"

Thanks for reading - Try the 7-8-9 Pitching Method.

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