Great pitch shots combine proper technique, consistent contact and confidence. Many golfers struggle with pitching because they either fear hitting the ground or try to help the ball into the air. In reality, solid pitch shots come from allowing the club’s bounce and loft to do the work naturally. By improving your setup, controlling distance correctly, and practicing with purpose, you can develop a more reliable short game and create the soft, controlled shots that help lower scores.
1. Have a perfect setup
A proper setup helps ensure the bounce of the club glides through the ground correctly. The great news is that when the club moves properly through impact, there is no reason to fear hitting the ground. When the club constantly digs, golfers often become hesitant to strike the turf, which makes it difficult to hit high, soft pitch shots that stop quickly.
Set up with the club centered in your body so the clubhead sits in the middle of your heels. Keep the end of the grip pointing toward the center of your body to avoid excessive shaft lean and de-lofting the clubface.
2. Allow the club to do the work
Allowing the bottom of the club to interact with the ground naturally lets the loft of the club do the work. This helps the ball make clean contact with the lofted part of the face. Avoid the urge to try to lift or scoop the ball into the air.
One of my favorite drills for this is the “scrape drill.” From your setup position, make no backswing and simply scrape the club along the ground through to the finish. This reinforces the feeling that the club should contact the ground and continue moving through it, helping you avoid scooping or lifting incorrectly.
3. Know how to control distance
Avoid trying to force speed or distance when you need a longer shot. Instead, simply adjust the length of your backswing and allow the club’s speed to change naturally.
A shorter backswing creates less speed and therefore less carry distance. As the backswing becomes longer, the potential speed and distance increase automatically. The more consistent your setup and preparation become, the more reliable your results will be over time.
4. Calibrate your landing spot
I am a big believer in calibrating your short game, especially pitch shots, because landing distance is often critical. In many cases, pitch shots are required to carry over hazards or obstacles, making precise distance control extremely important.
You can improve this skill by calibrating and charting your carry distances in 10-yard increments. Record which club and swing length produce each distance. If you would like to learn how to calibrate your entire short game, I have created a course designed to help you build consistency and lower your scores.
5. Build confidence with perfect lies
To build confidence, it can be helpful to begin practicing pitch shots from slightly longer grass. Longer grass makes it easier to get the ball into the air and provides a bit more margin for error.
I have also used this approach when helping golfers build confidence with fairway woods. Once success is established from longer grass, gradually move to tighter lies and shorter grass, which can be more challenging — especially when learning to use the bounce correctly and strike the ground consistently.
