What is the pitch?
The pitch is a shot of about 30 to 50 meters approximately, in which the ball stays almost all the time in the air and lands on the Green.
The pitch is usually done with golf clubs called wedges, clubs with a lot of angle on the face, to lift the ball and control the rolling on the green.
The distance of flight and roll will be decisive in knowing the portion of swing that we need and the choice of the correct golf club.
The pitch is a precision stroke that requires a lot of training to achieve regularity and success.
Pitch technique
Being a rather short and precise shot, it does not require an athletic stance with the feet separated to shoulder width; in this case we will have the feet a little closer together and also closer to the ball than usual.
The correct impact of the pitch is with the ball on the ground, a downward angle of attack and the divot (dislodged clump of turf) will be in front of the ball.
To achieve this, we must make sure that our sternum is placed in front of the ball. The typical recommendation of having more weight on the front leg does not ensure an ideal placement, as you can have the weight on the front leg and the sternum behind the ball, which would lead to an incorrect contact.
The ball is usually placed centred in front of us. By placing ourselves closer to the ball and using clubs with a somewhat shorter length, the shot will naturally be much more vertical than with long clubs, where a player is much further away from the ball and therefore creates a more horizontal curve.
The wrist movement is fundamental with this stroke. Finally, don´t forget to turn legs, abdomen and chest towards the objective following through the impact, generating the correct speed. This is a shot of great precision and requires much training to have regularity and success in its execution.
