Virginia Golfer September / October 2014 | Page 31

STAY STEADY

TO GET UP AND DOWN
Eliminate wasted effort on short pitch shots
and lower your scores
by PHIL OWENBY, PGA,
KINLOCH GOLF CLUB
Photography by SCOTT K. BROWN

T

he 30-yard pitch is one of the most delicate
and demanding shots in golf. Many of the best
players in the world have mastered this shot
because executing it properly leads to red numbers,
which is one reason short shots are often referred to
as the scoring game.
One of the common faults I see among amateurs and even some
good players is a lot of excessive movement in their upper and lower
body when playing this shot. Since the best results require precision and
touch, players often try to help the ball in the air or don’t trust the natural
swinging of the golf club to do the work. With too much body motion
comes a relocation of the bottom of the swing arc, leading to shots that
come up short or the screamer that races over the green.
Here’s a sure-fire way to make crisp contact. Position the ball back
in your stance, slightly behind your sternum. Set your feet about six
inches apart, measured from the inside of your feet. Your hands should
be slightly ahead of the ball and sole the club on the turf squarely to
your target. Your weight should be on your lead foot, and should remain
there throughout the swing.

MAINTAIN YOUR MIDDLE
In order to get the most out of this shot, your sternum, belt buckle
and hips should stay aligned during the motion of the swing and
the striking action. All too often, I see players dipping their knees
or dropping their trail shoulder on the shot, which leads to a lot of
inconsistency. Your goal is to stay in alignment and balanced. Allow
the arms and club to swing with your rotation while the club brushes
the grass through the ball.
When practicing this shot (yes, it requires repetition to get it right),
enlist a friend to stand opposite the ball or stick an alignment rod in

Set up for the
short pitch by
ensuring that
buttons on
your shirt and
belt buckle are
centered over
the golf ball.

the ground. Have the individual hold a club vertically in line with the
center of your body or position the rod in the same middle of the chest
position while you take a few swings. You want your mid-chest and belt
buckle to stay in alignment with the rod or club shaft they are holding.
Another helpful technique is to have someone lightly assist and turn
your trail shoulder on the forward swing to ensure that the club and
body are swinging through together.
One of my favorite drills to ingrain the correct motion is to stick a
golf tee in the ground with just a portion of the top of the tee above the
surface. Without hitting a golf ball, take some practice swings. Your goal
is to knock the tee out of the ground while brushing the top of the turf. If
you can’t dislodge it, it’s a safe bet your body is winning the race and the
clubhead is getting stuck behind you. Remember, you want to sweep the
grass as you rotate into the follow through. Be sure to hold your finish
position to internalize the feel of the shot and balance of the motion.
You might be surprised: Adding this shot to your repertoire will
probably improve your ball striking because the sequential movement
and consistency of keeping your sternum and belt buckle in alignment
leads to crisply struck shots.
Author Phil Owenby is the PGA director of club operations at Kinloch Golf
Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va.

In order to hit crisply-struck short shots, notice that my body rotates, but the consistency of my setup position hasn’t changed.
Allow your body and club to rotate together on the through motion.

ABOVE: Ingrain the proper
technique during your practice
sessions by sticking a tee in the
ground. Properly executed, the
club’s natural downward descent
as it sweeps the grass will naturally
remove the tee from the turf.

w w w. v s g a . o r g

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