The CSGA Links Volume 2 Issue 3 May, 2014 | Page 10
Links Lessons
By George Connor, PGA
H
aving the ability to hit high soft pitch shots can
be a stroke saver. Hitting these 10 to 40 yards
shots will allow you to get the ball close to
save par or make birdies on par 5’s. We all marvel when
Phil Mickelson takes a giant swing and hits a super high
shot from 20 or 30 yards off the green. Before you feel
the need to get fancy, remember that the longer you hit
a pitch shot with a sand or lob wedge, the higher the
ball will go. From 30 or 40 yards, this “built in” high
trajectory is normally sufficient to get the ball to stop
quickly on the green.
There are also two ways to get a ball to stop quickly. One is trajectory. The higher we hit it,
the faster it will stop. The other option would be to hit a shot that has a significant amount
of backspin. It is important to remember that as you add trajectory to a shot you reduce
backspin. Vice versa, by hitting a shot with more backspin, the ball will fly lower.
We can do this without making a giant swing, or for that matter, learning a new technique!
The basic pitch shot technique that I like to use is as follows:
• With a sand or lob wedge set up with your weight favoring the target side. Not all of your
weight but maybe 60-65% is on your front foot. The ball is positioned in the middle of your
stance.
• The backswing is in many ways the beginning of a full swing. There is some torso rotation
and arm swing. It is important that we allow a little bit of wrist hinge during the backswing.
The amounts of both will depend on how long of a shot we want to hit. During the
backswing there is no weight shifting into the trail side.
• The forward swing is commenced with the upper body turning towards the target. Through
the impact interval there is very little wrist unhinging so the handle of the golf club and
the hands are to be in front of the ball at impact. We want the golf club to travel through
the ball on a relatively shallow descending angle. There should not be a significant divot.
Ideally the bottom of the club lays the grass down rather than digging. If you find yourself
digging on these shots you most likely need to focus more on turning to the finish rather
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