Instruction

The No-Flip Pitch

By Butch Harmon Photos by J.D. Cuban
December 23, 2009
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On pitch shots, average golfers take their most lofted club and try to flip the ball way up in the air. Better players keep the ball down. They know it's easier to control distance on a low shot than on a high one.

Here's a good swing thought for pitching: Return the clubface at impact with the same loft it had at address. No trying to add loft by scooping with the right hand (inset, left).

Play the ball middle to slightly back, let your wrists hinge on the backswing, and make sure your hands lead the clubhead through impact. Remember, the loft you set down at address is the loft you keep -- backswing, impact, finish.

Do that, and you'll pitch with more consistency.

Butch Harmon is based at Rio Secco, Henderson, Nev.