Golf - Setting Yourself Up For The Masterful Pitch Shot

Every time I jump into my new EZ GO golf cart (which really stands out form the crowd with its EZ GO lift kit conversion) and head out onto the course I feel like someone special as heads turn from those people in their sabby looking old club golf carts. However, this feeling soon evaporates when I start playing and people see the very poor quality of my pitch shot.

The pitch shot is a superb example of the balance involved in golf as not only a physical but also a mental sport and every pitch shot you make has to be planned very carefully. Before you even address your ball you have to look at the ground you are playing over and take note of the conditions so that you can decide precisely how you are going to to play the shot.

In putting together your plan you need to ask yourself five simple questions:

1. What is the target? As a rule the answer will clearly be the hole, but when the cup has been set in a difficult position, like tucked behind a bunker or cut very close to the side of the green, you might well decide not to aim directly for the hole but to land your ball near the hole leaving you with a fairly easy shot to hole out.

2. How level is the green? While the majority of greens are quite flat some are also a long way from being flat and may have a significant fall from front to back or from on side to the other. The putting surface might also be tiered so that the flag is set on one of several 'steps' in the green. A slope on the green is obviously going to affect your shot as you do not want your ball landing near the hole and then rolling down the slope away from the cup and maybe even clear off the green.

3. How far must the ball fly before it lands? Whether you are aiming straight for the hole or trying to fire your ball onto the front edge of the green and roll it on up to the flag it is essential to know precisely how far you want the ball to fly through the air as this will directly affect you choice of club.

4. What effect will the wind have on my shot? If you are going to play in windy conditions then you must gauge the effect that the wind is going to have on your shot. For instance, you may want to to think about changing your choice of club to account for the wind and to keep the flight of your pitch as low as you can. Alternatively, you might decide to use the wind to your own advantage and aim off, allowing the wind to carry your ball back onto the target line.

5. How quick is the green? The state of the green is exceedingly important and you have to judge this against the holes which you have already played or conditions on the practice ground. Is the green, for instance, dry and hard in which case the ball will bounce and may run quite a considerable distance, or is the putting green soft and wet in which case your ball could well stop dead when it lands.

By carefully thinking about each of these questions you will be able to choose your target, chose your club and make your shot with a clear picture of just the line you must follow in order to achieve the result you are looking for.

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