Golfing Tips - Setting Yourself Up For The Masterful Pitch Shot

The pitched shot is a very good example of the balance needed in golf as not only a physical but also a mental sport and each pitch shot you make must be planned very carefully. Before you even begin to address your ball you need to look at the area you are going to play over and take careful note of the conditions in order to decide exactly how you are going to to play your shot.

In putting together your plan of action you will need to ask yourself five questions:

1. What is the target? In most cases the answer will clearly be the hole, but if the cup has been set in a difficult position, like tucked in behind a bunker or cut close to the side of the putting green, you might decide not to shoot directly for the hole but to land your ball near the hole leaving you with a fairly simple shot to hole out.

2. How flat is the green? While a lot of greens are flat a lot are also a long way from being flat and have a significant fall from one side to the other or from front to back. The putting green might also be tiered so that the flag is situated on one of a number of 'steps' in the green. A slope on the green will understandably affect your shot because you do not want your ball to land near the hole and then rolling back down the slope away from the cup and possibly even right off the putting green.

3. How far does the ball have to fly before it lands? Whether you are aiming directly for the cup or attempting to fire your ball onto the front of the green and roll it up to the cup it is essential to know exactly how far you require the ball to fly through the air as this will directly affect you choice of club.

4. What effect will the wind have on my shot? When you are going to play in windy conditions then you will have to estimate the effect that the wind is going to have on your shot. For example, you may wish to to think about changing your choice of club to account for the wind and keep the flight of your pitch as low as possible. Alternatively, you may decide that you should use the wind to your advantage and aim off target so that the wind carries the ball back onto the target line.

5. How fast is the putting surface? The state of the green is extremely important and you must evaluate this against holes that you have already played or conditions on the practice ground. For instance, is the green dry and hard in which case the ball is going to bounce and may run quite a considerable distance, or is the putting green soft and wet in which case your ball might stop dead when it lands.

By considering each of these five questions carefully you will find that you can choose your target, pick your club and make your shot with a definite picture of just the line you have to follow in order to get the result you wish for.