The 50-yard pitch shot can cause plenty of problems for amateur golfers, and is considered one of that hardest golf shots to get right. That’s perhaps due to the fact it’s not quite a full shot, and we often confuse ourselves trying to work out our swing length, tempo and club choice.
The main issue stems from doing too much with our hands, creating a lack of flow. When we over-accelerate or decelerate, and fail to match up the lengths of our backswing and follow-through, this will inevitably lead to inconsistency.
In this article, four-time DP World Tour Winner Rafa Cabrera-Bello shares his expert tips to master this tricky technique…
The 50-Yard Pitch Shot: Pizza Box Drill
This is a good thought for anyone who has a floppy, handsy pitching action. I call it the pizza box drill, as you make practice swings like you’re holding a book or a pizza box.
Set up with your palms face up as this gets the shoulder blades in the right position. Many club golfers get very tense over this shot and this encourages the shoulders to stay relaxed, which is key as we want the bigger muscles to control the shot.
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
Some players feel it in their chest and some in their back. We’re all different, but the priority here is to make it feel like the takeaway is all very connected. The hands should not be moving independently – this is something that doesn’t promote a consistent impact and makes it really hard to gauge the right distance.
It also gets the elbows closer together, the back in the right posture and the shoulder blades in the right position. When you take the club back, feel like the big muscles in your back and core initiate the backswing, rather than flipping your hands. You are not doing anything quickly or abruptly – the 50-yard pitch should be an easy, smooth swing.
Let Gravity Take Over
Now with a club in your hands, take it back to halfway or an eight or nine o’clock position, with a straight left arm that would be pointing to the eight or nine on a clock face.
The crucial thing is that, once you get to this position, you’re almost letting gravity do its job coming down and you then just follow through. When doing this, make the follow-through a little longer than your backswing – this way you know you’ve accelerated through the shot.
