Quickie Pitching Video - Golf Pitch Shot Technique

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by iacas

I'll film some in full speed later today if I can.

Thanks, I imagine after the hinge, the pivot must produce speed because the bounce is engaging turf before ball - I found that a feel of separation (that Mike and you discuss in other threads) produces needed shallowness and speed in conjunction with the pivot.

[jclark]

Good stuff!! This is VERY repeatable

[dkling8]

Originally Posted by iacas

The problem with that method is largely about speed. You're relying on your big muscles for touch and feel and not your fingers, hands, and wrists.

The radius is exactly the same in both methods at the golf ball - it's your shoulder down your arm and the shaft into the clubhead.

People who dead hand their pitches will often not create the same amount of speed (it's nearly impossible, unless you make MUCH larger swings) and will often succumb to poor distance control because anything that gets in the way of the clubhead will slow it down quite a bit. The actual rotational rate of the clubhead is much higher with a "hinge" backswing than with a "dead hands" takeaway even though the radius of the entire apparatus is the same at impact.

Who saw Geoff Ogilvy's pitch shot from behind the 16th green yesterday? He used a method like I'm describing, and you can see it here in this video from 2011:

Ok, that makes more sense now. I do find that if I'm trying to pitch dead handed I can't fly the ball very far at all. I guess it's about having less moving parts overall, with a pitching motion that's useful all the way up to a full swing with your wedge.

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Still, I was inconsistent - some beauties with  nice floating height of 6-8 feet, and then some with 3 feet of height - ouch -  although softening the arms and hesitating when the hinge was done before coming down to the ball, was a typical answer, but still... I will try a little more forearm rotation while hinging.

Yeah, these are the same types of misses I've been having. I can feel what I'm supposed to be doing when 50% of my shots pop up nice and easy... it's just the inconsistency of the other 50% my pitches. I guess I just need more practice.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by dkling8

Yeah, these are the same types of misses I've been having. I can feel what I'm supposed to be doing when 50% of my shots pop up nice and easy... it's just the inconsistency of the other 50% my pitches. I guess I just need more practice.

Keep your weight on your front foot. I'll hit pitches with my right foot just sitting on its big toe to help with that. Very little pressure in the right foot... almost none.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by mvmac

To do this, the feeling it that you rotate your left forearm as you keep some cup in your left wrist.  Like I'm doing in this video http://thesandtrap.com/t/65064/new-school-pitching/18#post_813263

Just wanted to show a dtl to illustrate this feeling I'm describing above.  I hit two 20 yard pitches, then a short 10 yard pitch then a 45-50 yard one.  Really got a lot of weight left here, tight sandy lies on the range.

[Mr. Desmond]

Thanks for the videos, Mike. It was 80 deg in Dallas today, so more time punching drivers, using the squishy ball, and hitting these pitches.

I'm learning, but once you're set up on the front foot with soft arms, and cupped wrist and rotating, it seems the pivot is everything. If I get armsy, it's blade city. But once I think pivot, hesitate, and pivot around with the arms, with the pivot supplying gradual speed (and a little arm speed), bounce engages and the ball pops up. If I want to pop it up more, it's a faster pivot. But it's so different than the regular swing with the arms staying with the body and around, it will take practice.

[iacas]

A quick pitching vs. chipping for TST video. Note that even in the video my long-range chips have hinging (tough not to on chips this long). Note that the chips come off lower and with less spin and are thus tougher to control from any kind of rough, and because they're hit with less speed the mat doesn't move forward nearly as far. Any error in contact is magnified by the slow speed.

Oh and I was being sarcastic about how "tough" it is to send pitches short distances... as you'll see by the shot immediately following that comment. I'd brain farted on hitting a shot five yards. Not sure why I said five when I wanted ten. The five-yard shots are in the other video.

(Video may take awhile to upload.)

Apologies for the audio levels. And for my daughter's outfit and hairdo.

[dkling8]

Cool, two videos in one day!

Mike, I was just looking through your YouTube channel last night for some good DTL pitches of different lengths. You read my mind.

Erik, your video was helpful too. It looks like the very beginning of your takeaway is still kind of "one piece" and fairly low.  Then the wrists hinge up pretty fast so the hands don't have to get too far from the body. My problem was that I was almost picking the club up to keep my hands close, instead of starting the swing with my body turning back. Would you say that you feel the beginning of your takeaway being "low", or do you not really think about it too much?

[iacas]

Originally Posted by dkling8

Erik, your video was helpful too. It looks like the very beginning of your takeaway is still kind of "one piece" and fairly low.  Then the wrists hinge up pretty fast so the hands don't have to get too far from the body. My problem was that I was almost picking the club up to keep my hands close, instead of starting the swing with my body turning back. Would you say that you feel the beginning of your takeaway being "low", or do you not really think about it too much?

No I think you should be careful.

The earlier shots in mine were more like longer chips. That has less hinging, the face goes more "up the plane," and so on. The photo below is from when I switch to pitching - very little hands movement, much more clubhead movement. Please look at the whole thread.

Pitching from the video just above:

That's not a one-piece takeaway. Nor does my body turn much in these pitch shots (on the backswing).

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by iacas

That's not a one-piece takeaway. Nor does my body turn much in these pitch shots (on the backswing).

I discovered this yesterday - with this setup and hinging, you're not going to be turning much on the BS. If you do, results ... poor.

[anthony]

I'd like to add this video to the thread. Some stills of it were shown earlier on. In particular, I'd like to highlight what he says about the sensation of the knuckles on the back of your right hand brushing along the turf. For me, this was sort of the missing puzzle piece to pitching. When I started emulating this feeling, the errant shots dropped dramatically.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by anthony

I'd like to add this video to the thread.

I don't like that video. ;) There's a reason I started running... Heh heh.

It's a good video too. Thanks for adding it.

[mvmac]

lol Totally forgot about that video

[Mac62]

Just wanted to offer my thanks to Erik for this tip.  I've been chipping "dead handed" (mimicking the putting stroke) and had problems with consistency and distance control.  Took this technique out to the practice range today and already noticed a big difference in my accuracy, consistency and distance.  Thanks!

[cipher]

Yep, big thanks Erik and Mike on this!

[migueldds]

Erik and Mike,

Thanks for these posts !

I think you've really helped my short game now . Until I used this method ( about 2 weeks ago ) I'd always used Dave Pelz dead hands , multi lofted wedge techniques to good effect.

But in recent months , my 80 to 20 yd wedges have produced MANY shanks ( sorry , I hate to use that word ). Now thanks to you guys , I've gotten great results , and NO hits off the hosel !

Why do you think my Pelz style efforts were so subject to the dreaded S's ? I just can't figure it out .

No matter , I LOVE my new short game .

And again , thanks for presenting it so clearly ,

Michael

[iacas]

This is a bit of a mutual pat on the back.

Golfingdad and Mr. Desmond both attended the 5SK class on Friday. On Sunday and Monday I was able to play with both of them (sorry, I'd include Tristan, but I didn't get the chance to play with him).

I think their pitching was incredible. I think they'll both tell you they didn't have those shots prior to Friday. I think it's a testament to how well Mike and I teach pitching, and how GD and MD were able to take what they'd learned and put it into play immediately, and with some awesome results.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by iacas

This is a bit of a mutual pat on the back.

Golfingdad and Mr. Desmond both attended the 5SK class on Friday. On Sunday and Monday I was able to play with both of them (sorry, I'd include Tristan, but I didn't get the chance to play with him).

I think their pitching was incredible. I think they'll both tell you they didn't have those shots prior to Friday. I think it's a testament to how well Mike and I teach pitching, and how GD and MD were able to take what they'd learned and put it into play immediately, and with some awesome results.

Erik and Mike offered excellent instruction on pitching as well as 5SK. Although the pitching technique is new and a work in progress, I was able to hole out from 50 feet on Saturday using the pitching technique taught on Friday, and used it numerous times yesterday with success. It was my "go to" shot, and I had a lot of them.

The one difference I found with Erik and Mike is that you can take what they teach you and you will see immediate results. I've had numerous instructors over the years, and I can't say the same for any of them.

But Mike and Erik get 5 thumbs up ... if I had 5 thumbs.