Golf Driving Tips Blog

Avoid Weight Transfer and What To Do After Impact

A pitch or “Golf Pitch Shot” is a shot played with a highly lofted club (pitching wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge) that is designed to go a short distance with a high flight path. Golf Pitch Shots are usually played into the green, typically from 40-50 yards and closer. It’s easy to picture a pitch shot when it is contrasted with the chip or chip shot. A chip shot is played from much closer to the green and the ball is in the air only a short (1/3) amount of time; the point is to get the ball onto the surface of the green and let it roll (2/3) toward the cup. Most of a chip shot is roll. A pitch shot, on the other hand, is in the air for most (2/3) of its distance, with much less roll (1/3) once it hits the ground.

If your Golf Pitch Shot method is not correct it becomes very difficult to generate enough air time. If you are someone who is sick of topping, grounding and sculling when you pitch, you will really benefit from this information.

Some of the typical issues amateurs have with their Golf Pitch Shots include:

1. Topping the ball – A shot in which the golfer very nearly swings over the ball, with impact between club and ball occurring near the crown of the golf ball.
2. Grounding – A shot in which the clubhead hits the ground to far behind the ball.
3. Sculling – To “skull” the ball, or to hit a “skulled shot,” means to contact the ball with the leading edge of the iron. On a skulled shot, the leading edge hits the ball near the ball’s middle, sending the ball screaming off on a low trajectory with little or no spin.

The primary thing to remember for the Golf Pitch Shot is

A Low Follow-Through = Maximum Airtime

Most amateurs say that they are trying to follow-through high after impact so that their golf pitch shots will go up in the air. However, topping, grounding and sculling are often the result of a high follow through after impact (forcing hitting the ball during the up swing).

Setting up to the golf ball just like you were going to chip will get you half way there.

1. Position the golf ball in the middle of your stance. Keeping the ball in the middle of your stance will provide more consistent impact. Placing the ball too far forward in your stance will have you topping the ball, hitting the ball thin or pulling it to the left. Conversely, having the ball too far back will cause you to top the ball, shank it and push it to the right.
2. For right handed golfers, 75% of your weight should be on your left foot. This makes sure that you are hitting down on the ball as opposed to hitting up. It is important to make sure that you keep your weight on your front foot during the back swing.
3. Grip down on the club to the end of the grip and point the grip end of the club to the middle of your left leg. When you grip down to the end of the grip you will make certain to have more control during impact. To eliminating topping and thin shots, try moving the grip part of the club further across your left leg which provides the necessary downward angle.

The back swing for the golf pitch shot is generally longer than your chip shots. To avoid transferring your weight, keep your weight on your left leg. As the golf club starts to swing down towards the ground, be sure you follow thru low to the ground after impact. You want to feel as though you chopped the back of the ball with the club head.

Golf can be a healthy and rewarding game when you learn some simple and basic techniques. The cause of most golfer’s frustration is the fact that they take the game for granted and think it is easy. They watch a golf tournament on TV and say “I can do that!” They believe that because the ball isn’t moving that it is easy to hit. It’s not until they pick up a club and try it that they realize that not everyone is a natural golfer.

More Golf Tips from J. Cavell

Tags: Perfect Golf Swing, The Golf Swing by J. Cavell
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The Golf Fairway Shot can become your favorite shot once you master it. Once you have driven off the tee box, you will probably be faced with a second shot, hopefully from the fairway. Of course, we hope that you’ve been able to make it to the green, except for par 5 holes, that’s just not realistic for most golfers. The lie of the ball in The Golf Fairway Shot will dictate how you hit your next shot. In some friendly games, your opponents may allow you to put the ball up on some grass. This will emulate, in a way, a tee since you cannot use a tee with a fairway shot. In tournaments or serious money games, you will probably have to play the ball as it lies, so it’s a good idea to know how to hit an effective Golf Fairway Shot.

Many inexperienced golfers are intimidated by the golf fairway shot. They will often baby their swing and not hit the ball fully. This is a huge mistake. Golf clubs are designed to work with a full golf swing and do a specific job, so choose a club that matches your distance from the hole and then take a full swing. Don’t be afraid that you’ll overshoot the hole. If you’ve picked the right club, you’ll get to the green.

Aim your left shoulder (the right one if you’re a southpaw) at your target – the flag. Your hands should be in front of the ball at impact and remember to keep the same swing motions as if you are driving the ball off a tee. To help square your clubface, try to touch your left forearm with your right forearm at impact.

If you are in deep grass, the main idea is to get the ball up in the air. That means you will want a club that has a lot of loft such as an 8 or 9 iron. Just remember that you will most likely not get a lot of distance with these smaller clubs.

When you swing, be sure to follow through after impact. The laws of physics dictate that when you strike the ball, it will be carried through and into the air as your arms bring the club back up.

Your technique on deep grass shots should be geared toward minimizing the contact of the grass. In other words, you want to hit the ball as cleanly as possible. To do that, you need to move the ball back in your stance.

For instance, if on a 5-iron shot from the fairway you position the ball off your left heel, move it back to a spot an inch to the right of your heel for a shot from the rough. This ball position should leave your hands slightly ahead of the clubface at address. From that setup you’ll tend to swing the club up a bit more vertically on the backswing and return it a bit more steeply to the ball. With this steeper attack the clubface will come down on the ball rather than brush through the grass.

For really deep grass, again, the idea is to minimize the contact with the grass and therefore, how it will affect your shot. Once again, play the ball back in your stance, but this time, play it two inches back instead of one, because you’re going to have to go down after the ball.

To further increase the steepness of the swing, open your stance a few degrees so that your feet, knees, hips and shoulders align to the left. Your club head should align square to the target line. It’s the same basic alignment as for a slice, but when playing a short iron from the rough you won’t have to worry about any sideward spin.

Since the grass will grab at your club and close the face, at impact, you’ll want an extra-firm grip in your left hand. Alternatively, you can aim the clubface a bit right of your target at address, thereby allowing the grass to turn the club face into a square position at impact.

The swing should be an aggressive, forceful one. If you get a kick out of swinging hard, this is the place to enjoy yourself. It’s a powerful, steep chop that must go down and through the thick stuff. Be sure to keep the club accelerating through impact; otherwise you may move the ball only a few feet. The faster you can get the club moving through the ball, the faster that ball will climb out of its nest and the farther it will go.

With a good Golf Fairway Shot, eventually, you’ll be close enough to chip.

Golf Driving Tips.

Tags: The Golf Swing by J. Cavell
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This lesson will show you how to set your weight further back to hit longer golf drives. Addressing the ball with more weight on your back foot generates more balance and power.

As I work to improve my overall game, longer golf drives become more and more important to me. Once I learned how to keep the ball straight, my hunger for driving the golf ball longer became greater.

Watch the video here.

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Tags: Golf Driving Tips by J. Cavell
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How to hit a long or even correct drive in golf is based on the outside path in your golf swing. I found this lesson to be very important in learning how to pivot properly to create the perfect golf swing.

You will learn that the outside path in your golf swing is all about swinging down and not away (like a baseball swing). I learned that club speed should be the fastest at impact and not during the downswing and that you need to get the hands to move inward and stay in front of the club head.

There is a brief mention of how to position your feet to create a fade but this part needs further explanation.

Watch the video here.

Tags: Golf Driving Tips, The Golf Swing by J. Cavell
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