Golf Lesson #5 – Pitching and Chipping – Two-Minute Clinic

Pitching and Chipping are variations of the same shot.

Any club from a 7-Iron to a Wedge can be used for pitching and chipping depending upon how far you need to carry the ball in the air and how much loft you would like on your shot (e.g., For pitch shots which tend to be longer, I like to use my 56 degree wedge and for chip shots, I like to use my 7-Iron.

For a pitch shot:

1. Start in athletic position with feet slightly closer together than for an iron shot, but not as close together as a chip shot.

2. Play the ball in the middle of your stance.

3. While there should be little to no wrist cock in a chip shot, a little wrist cocking is OK with a pitch shot.

4. Bring the club back to about knee to waist high using primarily your shoulders and very little wrist cock as mentioned previously.

5. Keep wrists in locked position through ball contact. Club should strike directly behind the ball with club head lagging your hands (i.e., your hands should be ahead of the club face upon ball contact.

6. Follow-though on your shot down and through the ball and back up to at least waist high towards your target.

Note: Do not try to scoop the ball. Hitting down through the ball will cause the ball to elevate.

For a chip shot:

Play the ball like a chip shot, except start with feet closer together and play the ball further back in your stance.