How to Master the 40 Yard Pitch Shot With 2 Simple Tips

Picture this:  You just hit a great drive, and are left with a nice 40 yard pitch shot in the middle of the fairway.  Now is your chance to capitalize.  You pull out your wedge, take a swing, and...chunk.  The ball goes about 10 yards, and you just missed your opportunity.

Same thing happens later in your round, so you start overthinking that nasty chunked pitch shot.  You try not to get under the ball too much, set up, take a swing...blade.  Your ball comes out hot, leaving you on the other side of the green.

Both scenarios can happen way too often to the average amateur golfer.  But using just 2 simple swing tips, you can be hitting those midrange pitch shots in no time!  But first...

Why Do I struggle with Pitch Shots?

Midrange pitch shots are a tough for many amateur golfers, partly because the shot does not require a full swing.  Therefore, many golfers struggle with the feel and the motion of the shot.

The second issue deals with the bounce of the wedge, which is on the sole of the club.  Bounce should be your friend, and can help you get through the turf without skulling or chunking your shot.

Often golfers either do not know what bounce is, or do not know how to utilize it.  Instead, we find ourselves making one of these all too common swing mistakes, leaving us with undesirable results.

Mistake #1: Too Much Hinge in the Swing

Now, you can make a good golf shot with hinge in your swing motion.  Unfortunately, most golfers will take the club back super steeply, resulting in way too much hinge.  What usually happens next is a stabbing motion at the club, driving your wedge into the turf and chunking the shot.

The Fix

Instead, we want to feel a lower takeaway, with the club head and the club handle working back in unison.  This helps promote a nice, low arc on the swing, taking out most of that unnecessary hinge.  

A good analogy for your downswing would be a plane landing.  You don't want to come in steep, but rather nice and shallow, for a smooth, easy landing.

Mistake #2:  Keeping Your Head Still

This is one of those common prevailing myths in golf.  Another way of saying it would be keeping your head down, which is also a mistake golfers make in their full swings as well.

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Usually, keeping your head down or still limits your body's natural rotation through the swing, and takes the focus off the task at hand.  If your head is still, your body will not be able to open and finish at the target, hindering your chances to make good, solid contact.

Why does that hurt contact?  Usually when a golfer keeps their head down, the body tends to work behind the ball, moving your low point back.  The result is a club that skids into the ball at impact, giving you that nasty skulled shot that skips over the green.

The Fix

Instead, feel like your head is almost leading your chest and body towards the target.  This movement helps you swing through contact, giving you more ability to rotate and finish with your body towards your target.

The other thing that happens is it keeps the body moving forward, allowing the low point to move forward in the swing.  This will help you hit the ball before the turf, making more solid contact and a better ball flight.

If you follow these two simple steps, you will start hitting that nice, low trajectory pitch shot that finishes closer to the hole!