Quickie Pitching Video - Golf Pitch Shot Technique

[NeedAJoker]

This thread was absolute nails for me.  Had Men's League last night, read this whole thread yesterday, spent a few minutes brushing the carpet in my office, then 25 minutes on the chipping green before my round, and used it on 5 of the 9 holes leaving nothing further than 8ft.  Obviously I have a lot to do to dial it in but thanks to everyone for this thread.  

Kevin

[Brian W]

Okay, I would like to ask about this as I have been watching this thread for years haha

I recently switched out a 48, 54 and 60 cleveland wedges for the Gap wedge from my set and brand new 55 and 60 Edel wedges.  I am seriously struggling with shanks with half shots and was thinking about using this pitching method more.  My question would be should I seriously consider grabbing another Edel 50 degree wedge?  I am struggling with 60 yard shanks.  I hit my PW about 130, GW about 120 and 55 about 105.  I never make a full swing with my 60 but at the range it goes about 80 or so based on the lie.  Because I can grip down a bit on the GW or the 55 to drop 5-10 yards I feel like my distances inside my PW are covered.  If I have to start hitting my 60 full to hit a 80 yard shot, I will work on that.

My second question is should I be able to use this pitch technique to hit something 60 yards?  If I did get a 50 degree wedge, would that be a good strategy?  Anyone else struggled with this?

[iacas]

On August 3, 2016 at 9:57 AM, Brian W said:

I recently switched out a 48, 54 and 60 cleveland wedges for the Gap wedge from my set and brand new 55 and 60 Edel wedges.  I am seriously struggling with shanks with half shots and was thinking about using this pitching method more.  My question would be should I seriously consider grabbing another Edel 50 degree wedge?  I am struggling with 60 yard shanks.  I hit my PW about 130, GW about 120 and 55 about 105.  I never make a full swing with my 60 but at the range it goes about 80 or so based on the lie.  Because I can grip down a bit on the GW or the 55 to drop 5-10 yards I feel like my distances inside my PW are covered.  If I have to start hitting my 60 full to hit a 80 yard shot, I will work on that.

My second question is should I be able to use this pitch technique to hit something 60 yards?  If I did get a 50 degree wedge, would that be a good strategy?  Anyone else struggled with this?

Everything is on a continuum, or a spectrum. Whether you put the endpoints at a full swing or a chip, and the other endpoint at a full 100% pitch, nearly every shot is somewhere in the middle.

I use "more pitch type shots" out to about 60 yards or so, yeah. It depends on the club and so on. But it can be done, sure.

As for whether you should get a 50° club, I have three Edel wedges: 48°, 54°, and 60°. I like the 14° bounce in my pitching wedge (I also like that my pitching wedge looks just like my other "scoring" clubs).

[Golfingdad]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

(I also like that my pitching wedge looks just like my other "scoring" clubs).

I'm pretty happy with everything in my golf set right now - nothing has changed since I finally got a driver I was really happy with last October - but this is always one thing that I think I'd like to change.  My gap wedge (50*) matches my irons and I think I'd rather have it match my wedges for the same reason.

[Brian W]

6 hours ago, iacas said:

Everything is on a continuum, or a spectrum. Whether you put the endpoints at a full swing or a chip, and the other endpoint at a full 100% pitch, nearly every shot is somewhere in the middle.

I use "more pitch type shots" out to about 60 yards or so, yeah. It depends on the club and so on. But it can be done, sure.

As for whether you should get a 50° club, I have three Edel wedges: 48°, 54°, and 60°. I like the 14° bounce in my pitching wedge (I also like that my pitching wedge looks just like my other "scoring" clubs).

I am thinking I should go that route but I do not want to get OT here.  I am just really struggling with the "S Word" at the moment and it all starts with these 50 percent shots.  Does a half or 3/4 swing mentally mean how hard to swing or how far back to go?  Is this going to make a difference in the pitching technique as well?  I feel like with the pitching technique that I use from the videos in this thread, if I want it to go further, I dont really bring the club back any more but apply more momentum to the brush feeling

[Jakester23]

2 hours ago, Brian W said:

I am thinking I should go that route but I do not want to get OT here.  I am just really struggling with the "S Word" at the moment and it all starts with these 50 percent shots.  Does a half or 3/4 swing mentally mean how hard to swing or how far back to go?  Is this going to make a difference in the pitching technique as well?  I feel like with the pitching technique that I use from the videos in this thread, if I want it to go further, I dont really bring the club back any more but apply more momentum to the brush feeling

Just in case you aren't already working on it make sure you can hit your pitches with your right hand only  (assuming your right handed that is). Once I understood and worked on hitting pitches with my right hand only I made huge improvements. I had to take the hitting instinct out of this shot. I will even take practice swings with one hand on the course if I start struggling hitting pitches.  You have to commit to this shot to execute it properly IMO. Keep at it I guarantee it will help you in the long run.

[Brian W]

Just now, Jakester23 said:

Just in case you aren't already working on it make sure you can hit your pitches with your right hand only  (assuming your right handed that is). Once I understood and worked on hitting pitches with my right hand only I made huge improvements. I had to take the hitting instinct out of this shot. I will even take practice swings with one hand on the course if I start struggling hitting pitches.  You have to commit to this shot to execute it properly IMO. Keep at it I guarantee it will help you in the long run.

Yes I have done it but for me the feel isn't so much of the one hand.  The biggest "click" for me on this method was the word paintbrush.  I think it helps me keep my lower body out of it and becomes about the wrists.  I didn't get it until I put it in the back of my stance and put my feet closer together.  Then I would hit the shot from time to time correctly but one day I watched the video and went into the backyard to practice and when I thought through the brush stroke, it clicked.  Hitting with my right hand only is doable for me but I don't have any sort of accuracy with it (not that it matters because I don't do it on the course)

[DownAndOut]

I can use 3 methods to chip/pitch and one of them is this one (which is exactly what Hogan used and seems to match the technique suggested in this thread).

The safest most consistent method (with better feel)  for me seems to be regular chip shot that Leadbetter describes in his old short game video. Its the only golf shot where I tend to use an active pivot vs a reactive pivot and my chest and hips rotate at about the same rate.

The other method I use is Shawn Clements but only up to about 40 yards as I cannot retain that lower case y (arms and club unit) too far in the backswing. This is a great video and sort of sums up his swing philosophy.

 I also tried the Count Yogi method of chipping but it was very difficult controlling the distance using a fixed pivot flippy wrist method.

Here is me attempting all of them (poor video as it was just really for my benefit ) and shows that there is more than 1 way to 'skin a chip'.

 

Edited October 16, 2016 by DownAndOut
correcting sentence

[DownAndOut]

On reflection , I should have added this to another thread for chipping but the techniques also look like short pitches. So apologies if my post doesn't fit this thread.

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, DownAndOut said:

On reflection , I should have added this to another thread for chipping but the techniques also look like short pitches. So apologies if my post doesn't fit this thread.

It doesn't, really. I appreciate the videos, but we believe strongly in what we teach, and try to keep instructional threads (and other threads, too, TBH) pretty clean. These videos deal more with what we call "chipping" here rather than pitching. I'll leave them here for now. Thanks.

[DownAndOut]

9 hours ago, iacas said:

It doesn't, really. I appreciate the videos, but we believe strongly in what we teach, and try to keep instructional threads (and other threads, too, TBH) pretty clean. These videos deal more with what we call "chipping" here rather than pitching. I'll leave them here for now. Thanks.

Yes , I should have posted this on 'Swing Thoughts'  or 'My Swing'. Just getting used to the structure of your website.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, DownAndOut said:

Yes , I should have posted this on 'Swing Thoughts'  or 'My Swing'. Just getting used to the structure of your website.

Actually, neither of those are appropriate.  You can't start topics in one and the other is for your swing.

A thread on chipping, not pitching, would have worked.

[DownAndOut]

Tried this quickie pitching method at the range today and got some great results. Its a bit scary to be honest and you have do this with very relaxed wrists/arms and let the club fall. If you get a bit jerky or lead slightly forward of the ball with your hands, it can be quite easy to shank it. For a longer pitch , I still have to pivot a bit but can get really high trajectory without too much effort.

[DownAndOut]

Rather than me having to scroll through all the thread pages , is there mention or close ups showing how the wrists hinge/cock using this method?

[iacas]

1 hour ago, DownAndOut said:

Rather than me having to scroll through all the thread pages , is there mention or close ups showing how the wrists hinge/cock using this method?

Just watch the video on the first page.

And…

and…

and…

(There's a video in that last post too.)

[DownAndOut]

Many thanks Iacas

[natureboy]

I just saw this video posted in a thread on wedges and bounce:

 

The description says 'gravity' is what returns the shaft to vertical through impact vs. 'throwing out'.

But your right arm looks to be in significant flexion on the backswing and looks nearly fully extended through impact.

Is there no activation of the right shoulder / triceps muscles involved? The right arm is just keeping up with or being dragged to the extended position by the clubhead that is releasing due to gravity and centrifugal force (centripetal reaction force)?

Edited November 9, 2016 by natureboy

[iacas]

6 minutes ago, natureboy said:

But your right arm looks to be in significant flexion on the backswing and looks nearly fully extended through impact.

Is there no activation of the right shoulder / triceps muscles involved? The right arm is just keeping up with or being dragged to the extended position by the clubhead that is releasing due to gravity and centrifugal force (centripetal reaction force)?

Nope. I can do the same thing with my right hand barely holding the club, with my right hand off the club, with my right hand on the club with two fingers… with my left hand off the club, etc.