Mike White’s Golf Tips

Mike White’s Golf Tips

Now that the season has started and you have played a few rounds, you may be noticing that you need more practice. The area where the majority of players struggle the most is not usually around the greens, but the shots from 30 to 100 yards from the hole, or the pitch shot. Pitching the ball is when the ball flies further in the air, then rolls along the ground, the opposite of a chip shot - made with less than a full swing - in which the ball rolls further than it flies.

Before you consider pitching the ball, you should think about course management. If less than full swings are a blaring weakness in your game, try to never leave yourself between 30 and 100 yards from the hole. If you cannot get to a par four in two shots, don’t hit two woods and leave yourself an uncomfortable 40 yards from the green. Instead, try hitting a six or seven iron for your second and leave yourself a comfortable full wedge for your third.

If you have to pitch the ball, remember that distance control is usually much harder in the short game, but much more important than directional control. Distance is mainly controlled by two different elements in the swing: centeredness of contact and the speed the club is moving at impact. Centeredness of contact is obtained through practice. For this article we will assume you hit every pitch shot solid, so we will focus on speed.

When you hit a pitch shot, try using the same club most of the time, whether it is a pitching, sand or lob wedge. The easiest way to control speed is by using pendulum-like motion. Pretend that your body is the face of a clock with your head being at 12 o’clock and your feet being at six. When you swing the club back, your arms need to stay soft and relaxed so when they move forward, they fall with no effort or force and should stop naturally at the opposite position on the through swing. If you swing your arms to a nine o’clock position on the back swing, they should run out of momentum at three o’clock on the through swing, ten o’clock to two o’clock, eight to four. This will consistently control the speed the club is moving at impact.

Learn the distance you fly the ball in the air using all three of these different arm swings. Then, when you play golf, you can control distance much easier. If on these less-than-full swings, the club ends at a complete finish position, you have to create force and effort to swing the club further on the through swing than on the back swing, which destroys your ability to consistently control speed.

Remember, controlling the speed the club is moving at impact is controlling the distance the ball will fly in the air. Practice enough so you can consistently land five balls out of seven within two or three yards of each other. You will start pitching the ball much closer to the hole and begin to have a lot more fun playing golf. Isn’t that why everyone starts to play this crazy game - to have fun?

Mike White is currently PGA Director of Instruction at Caplan Golf, a practice facility and driving range in Beaverton, Oregon. He was elected to PGA membership in 1992 and has been a full-time golf instructor since 1999. White has worked at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and Forest Hills Golf Course as an Assistant Golf Professional, and as a Staff Instructor for the Nicklaus/Flick Faults and Cures Golf School. To contact White, call 503-626-2244.