Ross Fisher: Simplify your pitching

Strike pitch shots more crisply, more regularly..

People have different ways of defining what a pitch shot is. I tend to look at it that chips are hit with a short swing, with the clubhead staying below the hands both going back and in the through-swing.

There is minimal wrist hinge. On a pitch, though, the clubhead goes above your hands on the backswing and there is some wrist hinge, which is the shot to use when you the ground doesn’t let you chip and run it, yet there isn’t a hazard in the way that necessitates a high-flying lob.

Adopt a narrow stance with the ball slightly favouring your back foot. Keep your spine fairly straight. ‘Feeling’ like the ball is in line with your left cheek is a good way to check this.

The clubhead should start moving first, followed by the left wrist hinging as the club swings upward to create the speed that goes into a pitch shot, as opposed to a chip.

BONUS TIP

If you only swing back to a couple of positions, it adds consistency to the swing, feel & strike. To alter the distance the ball travels, simply change clubs – using three different clubs gives six different distances.