Week Four: Pitching

Students will be able to:

Watch the videos below and complete the homework for extra practice! Also watch the pitching portion of the video from Week 3.

Pitching: Notes

Pitching is probably the most important swing in golf. Pitching is a half-swing. Unlike putting and chipping, in pitching, you want the ball to go in the air (it has loft). This is because we pitch to get OVER an obstacle, like the sand. So…how do you create loft?
1 - we use a different club, called a wedge. A wedge has more loft than an iron.
2 - we add the letter L to our swing. Therefore, in pitching, we still have the letter Y, but we also hinge our wrists to create an L. Our ball position is in the center of our stance. We must break our wrists through impact, creating an L in the backswing and follow-through. Remember this: thumbs up to thumbs up. Your thumbs should be pointing up at the tops of your backswing and your follow-through.
3 - we must turn the clubface through impact. We open the clubface in the backswing, square it at impact, and close it through follow-through. Remember this: knuckles to knuckles. You should see opposite sides of your knuckles on either side of your swing.
4 - you must hit DOWN and THROUGH. This means you have to make contact with the ground at impact, in order to get the ball in the air. But that’s not it. You need to continue swinging through impact after striking the ground.
When do you pitch? You pitch when you want to hit the ball over some obstacle, such as a bunker, water, a hill, or rough. The ball will fly 2/3 of the distance and roll the remaining 1/3 of the distance.