You’ve got yourself within 50 yards of the green and you think you’ve got a great scoring chance but your pitching isn’t quite up to scratch. Let’s see if we can help. PGA professional Rob Watkins talks you through how to play the 50 yard wedge shot with confidence.
Playing a 50 yard pitch shot: The key points
A pitch shot is much more delicate than a full swing and so how it is performed does vary. To start with your stance will be narrower than with other iron shots. Typically this would be around shoulder width. Some players think that with pitching the ball should be further back in the stance but this isn’t the case, middle of stance is just fine. The weight distribution should be around 55% on front foot. The shaft should lean a fraction forwards but no keep to have them too far forward as this will deloft the club.
A 50 yard shot does not require a long, quick swing. A shorter controlled swing using the shoulders to rotate not just the arms. There isn’t much wrist involvement as you don’t want to get too steep as this could cause too much ground interaction. Generally, to hit the ball 50 yards the swing isn’t much more than waist height going back and this swing length is repeated on the follow-through. Your chest would rotate to face target as you’ve come through impact.
Work on making clean contact with the ball. At first you might not have the perfect ball position set up for you and might need to make some adjustments. You’re not looking for big steep divots but grazing the turf using the bounce on the sole of the wedge.
Playing any pitch shot can be done through either feel or through set pitching positions. Some players can judge how far to take the club back based on repetition and feel. Others prefer mastering a few set swing lengths (pitching positions) that will produce set distances. There is no right or wrong method, each golfer is different. Find what works for you and go with it.
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Play around with club choice. There is no written rule to say, you must hit your most lofted club from 50 yards. If you’re most confident hitting your lob wedge then do continue but for many players lofting down may provide a little extra control. You’re also less likely to have to worry about spin with a less lofted club as the ball will come in slightly lower.
How to practice my pitching?
The first thing to work on when it comes to pitching is your technique. Have you mastered the basics? Can you strike a wedge shot consistently? These are things that you can practice at the local driving range, on the golf course on your own or around a short game area.
Once you’re set on these things there are a few different challenges/games you can do it test and improve your skills.
Set yourself a target number, say 50 feet to start with. You can hit bunker shots, chip or pitch shots to a set target. After you’ve hit one shot you must measure how far away in feet, your ball has finished from the target. Make a note of how far away each shot finishes, adding them together as you go. Once you’ve reached your set limit of say 50ft your game has ended. You can make a note of how many shots you managed in this time. Next time you repeat the challenge the aim is to hit more shots before you run out of footage.
Another is to simply set out a target, we will say a 9ft radius around a flag and the aim is to try and get as many pitch shots in the target as you can. You could limit the amount of shots you get per game and then repeat to try and beat your previous score. If you wanted to practice shorter than 50 yard pitch shots, make the target smaller and if you wanted to practice longer shots alter accordingly.
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If you’re having a casual round with whether it be alone or friends drop a ball at 50 yards each hole and see how close you can get each shot. This one ball, one chance type of practice is very relatable to the pressure that you would feel when you have a scorecard in your hand. Perhaps even see how many you can make up and down from. You can do this from other distances too.
Conclusion
Just because you’re close to the green doesn’t mean a 50 yard pitch shot is easy. It takes time to master it, and figure out how you’re best to play them. Don’t be afraid to explore different ball positions, club choices and swing lengths.
If you’re after more tips and tricks on how to get better around the greens check out some of our other pages below…
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