Golfing Advice - Preparing For That Faultless Pitching Shot

 

Whenever I step into my new EZ GO golf cart (which really stands out form the crowd with its EZ GO lift kit conversion) and head out onto the course I feel like someone special as heads turn from those people in their sabby looking old club golf carts. However, this feeling soon evaporates when I start playing and people see the very poor quality of my pitch shot.

The pitched shot is an excellent example of the balance necessary in golf as both a physical and mental sport and each pitch shot you take needs to be planned carefully. Before you even start to address your ball you need to look at the ground you are going to play over and take note of the conditions so that you can decide precisely how you intend to make your shot.

When deciding upon your plan you need to ask yourself 5 questions:

1. What am I aiming at? Normally the answer to this will clearly be the hole, but when the cup has been set in a difficult location, like tucked in behind a bunker or cut very close to the edge of the putting green, you may well decide not to shoot directly for the hole but to land your ball near the hole leaving you a reasonably simple shot to hole out.

2. How level is the surface of the green? While the majority of greens are fairly flat some are also a long way from being flat and may have a substantial fall from one side to the other or from front to back. The green may also be tiered with the flag situated on one of several 'steps' in the green. Any slope on the putting surface is clearly going to affect your shot because you do not want your ball to land near the hole and then rolling down the slope away from the cup and possibly even right off the green.

3. How far will the ball fly before landing? Whether you are aiming straight for the hole or attempting to fire your ball onto the front edge of the green and roll it on up to the cup it is critical to know precisely how far you need the ball to travel through the air as this will directly affect you choice of club.

4. Is the wind going to affect my shot? When you are playing in windy conditions then you will need to gauge the effect that the wind will have on your shot. You may, for example, wish to to think about changing your choice of club to accommodate the wind and to keep the flight of your ball as low as you can. Alternatively, you could decide to use the wind to your own advantage and aim off, allowing the wind to carry the ball back onto your target line.

5. How fast is the green? The condition of the green is extremely important and you will have to gauge this against the holes that you have already played or conditions on the practice ground. For instance, is the putting green hard and dry in which case the ball will bounce and may run quite a distance, or is it soft and wet in which case the ball could simply stop dead when it lands.

By considering each of these five questions carefully you will find that you can pick your target, pick your club and take your shot with a definite picture of exactly the line to follow in order to achieve the result you want.