Short Game Issues!

[saevel25]

I went to practice my short game today and things just felt all awkward. I couldn't feel comfortable over the ball. My distance control or how the ball comes off the clubface is completely inconsistent. 

Short pitches (5-10 yards): I either hit duffy pitches, slight low pulls or shots that just fly too far when I try not to hit a duff. 
Medium Pitches (15-50 yards): Inconsistent ball flight similar to Short Pitches. Also I have no consistent ball flight height. 
Long Pitches (55-70 yards): I am hitting the ball too steep. Some shots are just 10-15 ft high pull cuts (not really thin shots). 
Bunkers: Everything is about 2 inches too heavy. 

I think I am pulling my hands low and left through impact instead of pivoting correctly. It was a struggle tonight. Anybody know what would cause these issues? 

[Jakester23]

Without video Ill just give you my check list when I miss hit one.

1: Make sure I have the dealing cards feel in my backswing.

2: Make sure I didn't try and HIT the shot. I just let the pivot do the work.

3: Make sure I have the feel of soft  elbows on the follow through. 

4: Weight stays 60/40 until after impact.

Number 2 is the one that typically causes me to hit a bad shot.  Once and a while I won't commit to the shot and kind of decelerate but I still get an acceptable result when I do that.

[Golfingdad]

9 minutes ago, Jakester23 said:

...Make sure I have the dealing cards feel in my backswing...

...I just let the pivot do the work...

Every single time I've had pitching trouble in the last couple of years, it's been because I failed to do one of those two things.  Was too steep or wasn't pivoting, and I bet 8/10 times it was the latter.

Repeat after me:  pivot with speed, pivot with speed, pivot with speed ... :P

[billchao]

24 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Repeat after me:  pivot with speed, pivot with speed, pivot with speed ... :P

Hinge and hold, hinge and hold, hinge and hold...

J/K. That's my swing feel 

[saevel25]

35 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Repeat after me:  pivot with speed, pivot with speed, pivot with speed ... :P

Do you mumble that as you hit your shot 

[Golfingdad]

14 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Do you mumble that as you hit your shot 

No, but joking aside, it might do me some good!  I may give that a shot.

[Hardspoon]

Maybe it's just a mental thing... 

[iacas]

Make sure your right shoulder is relatively high.

This isn't directed to you because I have super insight into what you were doing. Just saying.

Always go back to right-hand only shots when you get in a short game funk.

[mvmac]

4 hours ago, iacas said:

Always go back to right-hand only shots when you get in a short game funk.

Great advice here. I've been incorporating this drill more and more, even when I'm just warming up. Gives me a lot of the proper feels to work with.

[Mike Boatright]

Short game shots often mimic full swings it's something to consider. For instance say your weight displacement is off you shoulders are to closed and you have to much weight on your back foot. From here your in an awkward position it's all hands the face is pointing to far right and you manipulate it often chunking it or pulling it left. Instead on pitches and chips get as level as you can in unison with your stance or slightly open as desired. Make sure the face is pointing towards your target and you should be good. Make that hinge and hold move the angle of attack should be slight descending and crisp with tha ball position as desired but not to far back. It's a fundamental that will serve for passable chips even when your feel and touch isn't great,get it right and when you feel like your on fire it will further aid you in chipping them in.

Edited March 30, 2016 by Mike Boatright

[Mike Boatright]

I do this all the time great tip here man check this out.

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, Jakester23 said:

Without video Ill just give you my check list when I miss hit one.

1: Make sure I have the dealing cards feel in my backswing.

2: Make sure I didn't try and HIT the shot. I just let the pivot do the work.

3: Make sure I have the feel of soft  elbows on the follow through. 

4: Weight stays 60/40 until after impact.

Number 2 is the one that typically causes me to hit a bad shot.  Once and a while I won't commit to the shot and kind of decelerate but I still get an acceptable result when I do that.

 

12 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Every single time I've had pitching trouble in the last couple of years, it's been because I failed to do one of those two things.  Was too steep or wasn't pivoting, and I bet 8/10 times it was the latter.

Repeat after me:  pivot with speed, pivot with speed, pivot with speed ... :P

These two. For me, it's because my hands/arms get too active. I focus on letting the pivot and gravity move the club head on the downswing. Also, on the follow through, let my left arm fold around me and my right palm point upward.

[JetFan1983]

6 hours ago, mvmac said:

Great advice here. I've been incorporating this drill more and more, even when I'm just warming up. Gives me a lot of the proper feels to work with.

Yea, I was given this info recently myself. It's good. Matches the sequence well. 

And I know a lot of guys here are saying "pivot!" but you can over-do that with short game too. Need to speed up arms relative to the pivot sometimes too. I'm just talking in generalities here. Right arm only short game practice though is good at matching arms and pivot in general, and getting you back on plane. 

[Dave325]

The pitch technique is new to me, since I've only been doing this the right way since February (in a lesson from Erik).  I have to work on this regularly to get the feel. And, resist the tendency to swing down and allow the club to fall while pivoting through. The sweeping takeaway from the ball is another great key for me to making a good pitch.

Question on something mentioned about the pitch shot mimicking the full swing. Forgive my ignorance... But how exactly is there a sameness here? I always thought of this shot to be completely different. I'm a bit confused on this one.

[JetFan1983]

8 minutes ago, JetFan1983 said:

Yea, I was given this info recently myself. It's good. Matches the sequence well. 

And I know a lot of guys here are saying "pivot!" but you can over-do that with short game too. Need to speed up arms relative to the pivot sometimes too. I'm just talking in generalities here. Right arm only short game practice though is good at matching arms and pivot in general, and getting you back on plane. 

Jeez, the internet is so annoying sometimes. Why is it when I re-read this sentence do I found myself sounding like a know-it-all ass?? Haha. Sorry, I just needed to add that. 

Obviously, I haven't seen Matt swing at all recently, so again, I'm talking pure generalities. But I just know with me, when I get into the longer pitches, I have a tendency to pivot too much sometimes. I think it comes from "too much of a good thing." 

Again, just talking in pure generalities. Not specific to Matt necessarily (haven't seen him swing). 

[Ernest Jones]

8 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

Question on something mentioned about the pitch shot mimicking the full swing. Forgive my ignorance... But how exactly is there a sameness here? I always thought of this shot to be completely different. I'm a bit confused on this one.

I think the poster was talking about chipping, which is similar to a full swing: leading edge, shaft lean etc. 

A true pitch shot is nothing like a full swing. In fact, if you were to do the exact opposite of everything you do in a full swing, you'd have a pretty good foundation for hitting great pitches.

This is of course, assuming you have a halfway decent swing. If your swing is crap, doing the exact opposite might just give you a great full swing. 

[iacas]

15 hours ago, Mike Boatright said:

Short game shots often mimic full swings it's something to consider.

Actually, the pitch shot we teach is almost the opposite of the full swing in many ways.

[Dave2512]

21 hours ago, iacas said:

Make sure your right shoulder is relatively high.

This isn't directed to you because I have super insight into what you were doing. Just saying.

Always go back to right-hand only shots when you get in a short game funk.

Can you briefly explain how these work together please. I suffered the same issues last time out but assumed some of it was winter rust and layoff from being injured. Typically I am a strong iron player all over the course.