Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



Short Game

Line Up Over Your Pitches

By Brian Mogg Illustrations by Chris Philpot
February 13, 2013
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The high pitch is the shot a lot of average players fear most. A golfer will hit one fat, then one thin, and before long he's a basket case because he thinks he must be doing multiple things wrong. The reality is, both of those mis-hits likely stem from one source: The swing is bottoming out too early. And that usually results from trying to help the ball up.

The key is to set up correctly and maintain the feeling of that setup throughout the swing. With your weight strongly on your front foot, you want your nose, shirt buttons, navel and hands aligned vertically over the front of the ball (pictured). On the backswing there is little body rotation; the arms swing halfway back while the wrists hinge. At impact, feel that same vertical alignment of your nose, buttons, navel and hands just ahead of the ball. Then continue through the shot with your hips rotating to release the club.