Pitching Your Way To Success

My last two articles in Avid Golfer have been over putting and chipping so the next logical step is pitching. In discussing goals with my junior academy I sometimes receive goals that they would like to average fourteen greens per round. I tell them congratulations they are a better ball striker than Tiger Woods and they should dominate next time they are on the Tour. Knowing that hitting 12 greens per round puts you in the top 30 on the PGA Tour, we can assume that you will need to get the ball up and down on average about 9 times a round. Short game wins tournaments and I am a firm believer in that statement. Let’s recap what we have learned and also how to practice your short game to get better.

Chipping

• Feet are placed one club-head width apart

• Two things forward and one thing back (weight and hands forward and ball off of back toe)

• Keep firm left wrist throughout the shot ( for a right hander)

• 95% of the time you will choose a club that will land the ball on the front of the green and have the ball run to the hole

Pitching

The basic setup for chipping is the same that you will use for pitching however the ball position will change, but the swing will remain relatively the same. We will be using our most lofted club at this point and will setup close to the ball with the ball off of our back big toe. This is the CJ Low. Now move the ball a little forward and a little farther away from you. This is the CJ Medium. Next, move the ball a little more forward and a little farther away. This is the CJ High. The ball should be off of your left instep for a right hander. Next, open the club face but instead of just aiming left you must aim left and move the ball more forward. Assume when you do this you are moving your feet around a clock face from six o’clock to four o’clock. The ball will be forward and the face will be open but the swing is still the same with a firm left wrist through the shot. This is the ultra high shot. You may need to swing a little harder to get the ball to go the correct distance but the swing has the same fundamentals to it. Next, let’s talk about how to practice the low, medium, high, and ultra high pitch shots.

Practice to a relatively close pin position and place three clubs on the ground about one pace apart from each other. Try to have the first club be on the fringe with the last club being about six to ten feet away from the hole. Understand these clubs are not an exact science but represent the principle behind hitting these shots. For a low shot you will need to land the ball on the fringe and let the ball run to the hole where an ultra high shot will fly most of the way and stop relatively quickly on the green. This is a great way to practice because it teaches you to look at more than one option when you are pitching on the course. You will be prepared to loft it over a bunker if need be or run it low under a tree if the situation presents itself. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail is my favorite quote by legendary basketball coach John Wooden. If you practice multiple shots from different situations you will never be unprepared. You now have most of the short game shots you will need in a course of the round, but we still need to learn how course management enters into the chipping and pitching game.

Course Management

Remember with chipping I said that you will land the ball on the front of the green 95% of the time. I lied. The 5% rule actually plays a much bigger role when on the course. While on the course you will encounter one of three situations most of the time. Which is easier? A flat shot, one with a mound in the way, or one with a depression in the way. Most people think a flat shot is the easiest, however a depression is the easiest. Choose the club that lands in the middle of the depression and runs to the hole. If you hit that shot to hard it will hit into the hill and slow it down and if you hit it too soft if will hit on the down slope and kick the ball forward, thus both misses will finish at the same spot as your good shot. Try to use this philosophy when you are around the green. Most times you won’t have a depression but you might have a half depression where the green runs away from you then levels out before the hole. Choose the proper shot whether it’s low, medium, high, or ultra high to land in the flat spot and finish near the hole. If you hit the ball too soft if will catch the down slope and still finish near the hole, thus eliminating the need for perfect golf shots. These tips should teach you to look at chipping and pitching around the greens a completely different way thus improving your short game tremendously.

Once you have mastered the basic chip shot (CJ Low), it will be much easier for you to change ball position and create multiple shots around the greens. Using basic setup information and proper course management will allow you to pick the proper shot needed for pitching and making the game much easier. Remember the next time you head to the practice range that if you expect to hit more than twelve greens a round you will be a very good ball striker. Instead you should head to the chipping area and work on saving those valuable shots that you know you will have at least half the time.

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Reading Greens

One area of the game that is essential to great putting is the ability to read greens correctly. I often have students ask me to teach them to read greens properly and my response is that it is experience. Although green reading is experience related there are a few key elements that are essential to reading greens.

Always Look Uphill.

Some players like to look at the putt from behind the ball or from behind the hole or both and sometimes even the side of the putt. Although more information is better when it comes to reading greens make sure it does not promote paralysis by analysis. I sometimes like to read my putts from different directions but I sometimes see different breaks than what I did from the other side of the putt. When this happens I know that from vision research that the best read of a green is looking uphill. In other words when you are faced with a downhill putt, your best and most accurate read will be from behind the hole and looking uphill towards your ball. An uphill putt will be most accurately read from behind the ball looking towards the hole. Remember, to always read your putt uphill and that may simplify your green reading experience and give you your best opportunity to make the putt.

Play More Break

There is a reason why the high side of the hole is called the pro side and the low side of a hole on a breaking putt is called the amateur side. Amateur golfers tend to under read the amount of break on a putt. When a ball is breaking, lets say from right to left a ball that is on the high side of the hole will have a tendency or a chance to fall in the hole where a putt on the low side will have no chance. Next time you putt try to play a little more break on your putts and your putting will improve.

Grain

The grain on the greens does not mean much if you play on bent grass, which is typically found in cooler climates like the north. If you play in the south you will encounter Bermuda greens, which has a predominant grain effect on putting. In other words the blades of grass are so thick that they affect the ball while it is rolling on the ground. The key to reading grain is to look for the shiny and dull side of the grass. To learn how to read grain go to the middle of your green and look in both directions. One way will look shiny and the other will look darker. The shinier the grass the more down grain the putt will be. If you are putting down grain the speed will be faster and thus you will have to hit the putt softer, which will cause the ball to curve more. The slower the putt, the more aggressive you can be and thus hit the ball harder and the ball won’t break as much. Learn to recognize what the grain of the grass is doing and that will help with speed as well as left to right and right to left putts.

The key to reading greens relies a lot on experience and practice. In order to learn that experience make sure you recognize how to effectively read a putt, the grain of the grass, and learn to play more break than normal. Keep me informed on your progress and make sure you send your questions to our blog.

Keep em Long and Straight,

CJ

Happy New Year

Who is ready for day with CJ Geocks a Top 20 instructor in Texas? That’s right, you will be invited to the prestigious TPC Craig Ranch for a Personal Lesson, Round of Golf, Custom Driver Fitting & Customized Practice Plan for 2010. This package is $1000 value for FREE. Heck you can’t even step foot on the course unless you pay the $60,000 initiation fee!

CJ will choose 3 members of the PerformaxGolf community and (YES) you are apart of the community.

Here are the requirements:

You will need to submit the top reasons you think you are the best candidate for a day with CJ. What are your goals and aspirations in golf. What are you looking to accomplishment in 2010? What are your best achievements in golf? It could be simply be that last year you cut your handicap by 3 shots or you improved your putting by an avg of 3 putts per round in 2009. It could be that you have struggled for past several years, but you have never stopped trying to improve and you just need a good instructor. It could be anything! CJ is looking for 3 “Passion filled” golfers that are looking to improve and take their games to another level next year.

He can only take 3 golfers due to the exclusivity of TPC Craig Ranch, so you must make your best case in a blog post below. Simply enter your comments in the box below, along with name and email, then click the “submit comments button” We will announce the 3 winners on January 10th am and we hope you are chosen for this elite experience.

Here is a link to TPC Craig Ranch if you want to check it out.

http://www.tpcatcraigranch.com

Talk soon,

The best courses you’ve played on

Here is what I want to do:

Get your feedback on some of the best courses you’ve played on.

Compile a list of the top 50 courses.

And create a reference guide for when people are traveling and looking for something a little bit different.

And yes, when the reference guide is complete, I will send it to you.

So please cast your vote for best course using the comment section below. It could be because of the challenge, the beautiful scenery or because a stripper ran across the green on the 8th hole. (Don’t ask!)

Leave your comment today because only the Top 3 entries will win a free copy of Power Secrets.