FAULT NO.55 Pitching - inconsistent distance control

It's impossible to over state the importance of pitching in terms of the scoring equation. Good pitchers of the ball will make more birdies on short par-4's and par-5's, and usually save their par when their long approach play lets them down.

But even good players can, on occasion, find these mini-shots troublesome. Whenever a situation calls for anything less than a full swing, judging distance is an obvious problem. While it's difficult to be too far out with your direction from, say, 50 or 60 yards, it is always possible to hit the ball too far, or leave it short.

The most common cause of poor distance control can be traced to the arms and body moving independently of one another. Generally speaking, the tendency is for the swing to be either (a) too long, in which case the club tends to decelerate through impact, or (b) too short, and the clubhead is jerked through. Either way, such poor technique will inevitably cost a player many expensive strokes.

FIX NO.55
Work on the body-controlled method

By now you ought to appreciate that the essence of my teaching method is that your body controls the motion of the club (or, as I term it, the dog wags the tail). I introduced you to that concept in Part 1 - The Full Swing, and the same applies here in the short game. The turning motion of your body is responsible for the way in which you release the club through impact; increasing or decreasing the rotational speed of your trunk is the key to varying the distance of these precision shots.

To get a feel for this, practice short pitches with a towel tucked between your upper arms and chest. Adopt the proper set up, choke down on the grip for extra control and make compact swings, keeping the towel firmly in place. Vary the speed of your body turn, and see how that affects the distance you hit the ball. Think, on a 20-yard shot, of moving your body at 20 mph back and through; 30 yards needing 30 mph, and so on. As you do this, keep your weight mainly on your left foot throughout the swing. Although you want to encourage body rotation, there is no need to introduce unnecessary wasted motion in the form of a significant weight transfer.

Remember, the longer the shot, the faster you must move your body- the added momentum you generate will naturally increase the length of your swing and the amount of clubhead speed. Constantly vary the length of your shots when you practice, so that you instinctively learn how fast to move your body in order to hit the ball the desired distance.