# Pitch shot... low, few bounces, then checks



## goalieman24 (Feb 26, 2008)

What is the technique used to play one of these shots?
Its got a lower trajectory, takes a few bounces, then bites and stops. 
I'm looking for info like where the ball is in the stance, arm/wrist movement, club used, and anything else.

Thanks for the help


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## TGOH (Aug 20, 2007)

Well, trajectory is going to depend on you wedge as much as anything. I can play a pretty low pitch shot that checks quickly with my gap wedge (50*). I play the ball back in my stance, accelerate through impact, and keep my wrists quiet. And make sure your grooves are sharp and clean, or else it'll be tough to make the ball check.


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## mkoreiwo (Jan 8, 2007)

If you want to get the ball to check, you've _got_ to be sure you're hitting the ball first. Its all about that moment of contact - and yes - if your grooves are worn, it will be tough to do!


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

Equipment is very important in this case, b/c you have to be able to generate spin with a short stroke. Like said above, make sure your grooves are very sharp, and very clean. It helps to have a high quality wedge, like a Vokey spin milled, Taylor Made RAC TP, or Cleveland Zip Groove. Because you are going to be using the spin on the ball to stop it instead of the height on the ball, you NEED to make sure you practice this shot a lot before you use it on the course. It's tougher to control, but can also get you out of some sticky situations.

This exact technique is in my book by the way, cleaned up and with pictures of course.

Set up with your highest degree loft wedge with the ball just a tad back of the middle of your stance. Don't set your hands too far forward because to get a lot of spin on the ball, you'll want to make sure the ball has a chance to hit as many grooves as it can. Make sure your weight is forward so you will get the best contact possible.

Contrary to what some might think, with this shot you are not going to be "hitting down" very much at all. You are going to be focusing more on a shallow angle of approach to the ball. This is so you can hit a lot of grooves while still getting a good "pinch" on the ball. Because this is so precise, you need to practice it a lot. You'll still be taking a small divot, but your goal is going to be to hit as many grooves as you can while still keeping your velocity through the ball.

There are two keys to this shot. The first is contact. The second is acceleration.

Like said above, make sure you are hitting the ball, and then the ground. This will keep your grooves free of debris and will ensure that your club is accelerating through impact.

Make sure your clubhead is accelerating through impact as well. If you are just stabbing at the ball, you're not going to get much spin. The way you get spin on the ball is by maximizing the time its on the face. You do this by accelerating through impact.

Because of this I find that it is a good idea to use quite a bit of wrist action in this shot coming into the ball. Keep the stroke short so you can accelerate without hitting the ball too far. With wrist action you are almost sure to accelerate, but you need to practice it because it is a lot more difficult to control a wrists shot than an arms shot.

This is not to say you can't generate spin without wrist action, but in this case, using your wrists is the best and most effective way.

Make sure you are not rolling your hands over on the way through the ball. Keep your hands forward so the ball pops off the face with a lot of spin. If you release too much you are going to get less spin. Most of your wrist action is going to be coming into the ball, then will stop shortly thereafter. The follow through should be pretty abbreviated.

As you can tell, this isn't the easiest shot in the world and that is why you don't see more people doing it. It's a shot that has to be practiced and honed. It's great to have, so if you want to do it, get yourself a quality wedge and practice it.

I realize this is a bit scattered so ask questions if you need to. I typed this quickly.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

the ball you use is also important, one of the low spin balls won't check like a high spin ball


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## BrianMcG (Apr 7, 2007)

stevel1017 said:


> the ball you use is also important, one of the low spin balls won't check like a high spin ball


That is for sure. I was playing golf with a guy once who was playing with Top-Flite x-outs. He asked me how I got my ball to do that. I said "do what". He said " to stop like that." I gave hime a few Titleist Tour Balatas (pre ProV1 and Professional) to try out for the rest of the round. He couldn't believe how much that improved his chipping or iron play. Now when he hit the green the ball stayed there instead of bouncing off the back. 

I think it is a big myth that higher handicap players should be playing with harder "distance" balls. They should be playing with the ball that gives them the most spin and control.


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