Paul, did you in the past week include in a tip the thoughts of “hinge during the back swing and lift the heel during the forward rotation”? During my practice session this morning, I found myself saying hinge and heel as a way of get off my back leg as uncoiled. It seemed to help me.
Hi Paul, this is a good exercise because I mostly play picth & putt (a widely used modality in Portugal) in which the holes are between 50 and 110 yardes with many bankers and water, which makes the shots to be very accurate, I will try this drill, because I think it is ideal, thanks
Hi Paul. A few year ago I went to a Dave Pelz short game school.. If the instructors had merely said hinge and turn, the considerable cost of the school would have been worth it. Instead, I spent the pitching portion of the lesson, hitting a good one followed by a skull, followed by a fat one. Total confusion. Your simple directions prevent a cluttered mind which is essential to improving.
Hello Paul. What is the difference from your “feel the heel” tip? And, is this technique not the same as your green side bunker shot, except that having dug yourself deeper in the sand, the club goes under the ball?
When hitting short shots you are not driving your legs and hips hard. Something has to turn your body (axis). In this case turning your belt buckle gets your body moving first in the downswing. So understanding that this belt buckle must start the rotation before the club comes down is vital to stopping fat pitches.
You can do this on greenside bunkers too if you want. I just like people to dig in and do their normal swing aiming to compensate for the open face. Way easier. Hinge/turn works great too.
Paul ,The quality of this video lesson was terrible ,the sound stops and starts again.It doesn’t prevent to understand what to do and not do though .
As in any golf swing ,you have to move forwards during the downswing .
The only catch is when you pitch from a bad lie ,with a thick rough with the ball embedded in the tall grass ,lying low .
I put my weight more on the front leg when this occurs ,to help hit downwards on the ball .
I love this it works really well. But the question I have is, after the full picth swing with the pitching wedge do you consider jumping to the nine iron sling now is it no longer moving with the belt buckle first but insead firing the lower body at a faster stronger pace.
Paul,
(1. will it be the same sensatation as “the blades of a helicopter” instead of dippping the shoulder when pitching a golf ball.
(2). will the hands be allowed to follow the body rotation, meaning the hands are moved closer to the body in a circular motion rather than along the target line and allow it to move naturally inside nearer to the body.
It is not about dipping the shoulder. It is about too much weight on the back foot at contact causing you to get too low so the arc won’t fit thus hitting the ground behind the ball.
Your body is moving your hands and arms. So as the body turns your arms immediately follow.
Hey Paul, I have been pitching the ball successfully with this technique for the last couple of months. My occasional miss is usually a thin shot or a bladed shot. Is this also caused by the same reasons as you stated above? Thanks Brad You’re the best in the business!
You might be just trying to see it before you’ve done it. It’s exciting to hit close pitch shots. Just stay focus on the ball a little longer and relax the arms a little more. I can’t see you hanging back too much if you have been pitching it well.
Paul,
In the takeaway of a medium pitch shot is the concept for the takeaway the same as a full shot? I take the club back until the club is parallel to the ground and I point the club handle to the ground
The full pitch shot yes. Medium and short no because you need to set the hinge right away to the desired length. You need to be thinking of the butt of the club and set the hinge. Then you turn.
Hi Paul….could you please address how much, if any weight shift should be occuring in the short, medium, and long pitch shots. I understand the narrower stance will likely reduce weight shift but do you suggest keeping most of your weight on the left side as you go into the backswing (either short or medium backswings) and pivoting around that left leg axis vs shifting to the right leg and then turning.
Thought I had it but got confused today at the practice range and felt I wasn’t getting back to the ball because my weight had shifted somewhat to the back leg. Results: lots of fat shots (and chopped up turf). Thanks
I am not even thinking of this on pitch shots. This is an abbreviated swing you are making. So you are doing your real swing with some modifications. You are hinging and turning. Those are the thoughts you should be thinking. If you do a 3/4 back swing you would move your head less and load less and so on. You would NOT be keeping the weight on the forward foot unless you are doing a punch or knock down shot.
Hi Paul,
Since I learned your pitching technique, I have had no problems. I may miss either fat or thin once in a dozen times, if that. What I am noticing is half the time the ball goes right of the target. sometimes a little and sometimes a bit more. What am I doing wrong?
thanks,
ter
PS: Your chipping technique has also made me very good around the greens. Both shots are very easy to learn and replicate.
You are coming out of it trying to see the amazing shot you think you are going to hit. Watch the ball until you hit it. Before the shot you can do a few roll over drills to loosen your wrists. Then think TURN when you hit the shot.
So I understand the pitching technique, are the arms powerless here too and the clubhead speed (and distance) is being controlled by the speed of the belt buckle rotation?
Yes, arms are not hitting or helping the shot unless you are blowing it right. Then you would manually roll the wrists to get the wrists unlocked then you go back to powering it with the belt buckle.
This is a great technique. However, I notice that when I play in fairway’s in the Northeast with very tight mowed/tight lies its much more challenging then a lie with the ball sitting up on grass we typically see out west. Is there any change to the pitch technique when in much tighter lies?
Hi Paul,
I was wondering can you bring back the feature on this website where we could save the tips we wanted? That was a great feature and I miss it. Sometimes it is hard to find the exact tip that made an impression on me.
thanks,
terr
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30 Responses to “How To Cure Fat Pitch Shots”
April 17, 2016
PETERMCMULLENPaul, did you in the past week include in a tip the thoughts of “hinge during the back swing and lift the heel during the forward rotation”? During my practice session this morning, I found myself saying hinge and heel as a way of get off my back leg as uncoiled. It seemed to help me.
April 19, 2016
Paul WilsonPeter,
I did a tip on why Jordan Spieth blew up. This showed the lifting of the heel. This is very important in curing fat shots.
This may help you too:
Impact Back Heel Off Ground: https://ignitiongolf.com/impact-back-foot/
April 17, 2016
JOSE CORREIA RUIVOHi Paul, this is a good exercise because I mostly play picth & putt (a widely used modality in Portugal) in which the holes are between 50 and 110 yardes with many bankers and water, which makes the shots to be very accurate, I will try this drill, because I think it is ideal, thanks
April 19, 2016
Paul WilsonJose,
We have a few of those courses here. They can be fun.
Definitely important you know how to stop fat shots if you are hitting a lot of pitches. Give it a try.
April 18, 2016
RonCalabreseHi Paul. A few year ago I went to a Dave Pelz short game school.. If the instructors had merely said hinge and turn, the considerable cost of the school would have been worth it. Instead, I spent the pitching portion of the lesson, hitting a good one followed by a skull, followed by a fat one. Total confusion. Your simple directions prevent a cluttered mind which is essential to improving.
I hanks, Ron.
April 19, 2016
Paul WilsonRon,
I know all about it. Too bad. Everyone’s trying to make it complicated.
April 18, 2016
DavidWeinsteinHello Paul. What is the difference from your “feel the heel” tip? And, is this technique not the same as your green side bunker shot, except that having dug yourself deeper in the sand, the club goes under the ball?
April 19, 2016
Paul WilsonDavid,
When hitting short shots you are not driving your legs and hips hard. Something has to turn your body (axis). In this case turning your belt buckle gets your body moving first in the downswing. So understanding that this belt buckle must start the rotation before the club comes down is vital to stopping fat pitches.
You can do this on greenside bunkers too if you want. I just like people to dig in and do their normal swing aiming to compensate for the open face. Way easier. Hinge/turn works great too.
April 18, 2016
RaymondCHASTELPaul ,The quality of this video lesson was terrible ,the sound stops and starts again.It doesn’t prevent to understand what to do and not do though .
As in any golf swing ,you have to move forwards during the downswing .
The only catch is when you pitch from a bad lie ,with a thick rough with the ball embedded in the tall grass ,lying low .
I put my weight more on the front leg when this occurs ,to help hit downwards on the ball .
April 19, 2016
Paul WilsonRaymond,
Nothing is wrong with the video. You are the only person saying this so it is your connection.
In this deep grass situation you would play the ball back. Here’s a tip on it. I think it has bad audio but you’ll get the picture:
One Way To Hit From Long Rough – Pop Shot: https://ignitiongolf.com/chipping-pop-shot/
April 19, 2016
BruceJespersenI love this it works really well. But the question I have is, after the full picth swing with the pitching wedge do you consider jumping to the nine iron sling now is it no longer moving with the belt buckle first but insead firing the lower body at a faster stronger pace.
April 20, 2016
Paul WilsonBruce,
You can use the belt buckle as you downswing trigger if you want with all clubs. I use the right instep. Totally up to you.
Triggers:
right instep
lock lead leg
turn hips
turn belt buckle
drive back knee ahead of ball
As the clubs get longer you need to fire the lower harder.
July 16, 2017
farinfarina100Paul,
(1. will it be the same sensatation as “the blades of a helicopter” instead of dippping the shoulder when pitching a golf ball.
(2). will the hands be allowed to follow the body rotation, meaning the hands are moved closer to the body in a circular motion rather than along the target line and allow it to move naturally inside nearer to the body.
Thank you
July 17, 2017
Paul WilsonFarin,
It is not about dipping the shoulder. It is about too much weight on the back foot at contact causing you to get too low so the arc won’t fit thus hitting the ground behind the ball.
Your body is moving your hands and arms. So as the body turns your arms immediately follow.
July 17, 2017
farinfarina100Thank you Paul. The second reply is very helpful indeed
June 23, 2018
BradleyDanylukHey Paul, I have been pitching the ball successfully with this technique for the last couple of months. My occasional miss is usually a thin shot or a bladed shot. Is this also caused by the same reasons as you stated above? Thanks Brad You’re the best in the business!
June 25, 2018
Paul WilsonBrad,
Thanks. I appreciate it.
You might be just trying to see it before you’ve done it. It’s exciting to hit close pitch shots. Just stay focus on the ball a little longer and relax the arms a little more. I can’t see you hanging back too much if you have been pitching it well.
August 21, 2018
PeterSauterPaul,
In the takeaway of a medium pitch shot is the concept for the takeaway the same as a full shot? I take the club back until the club is parallel to the ground and I point the club handle to the ground
The hips move 1/2 the rotation of the shoulders.
Peter
August 22, 2018
Paul WilsonPeter,
The full pitch shot yes. Medium and short no because you need to set the hinge right away to the desired length. You need to be thinking of the butt of the club and set the hinge. Then you turn.
Short Game – Medium Pitch Shot: https://ignitiongolf.com/medium-pitch/
Short Game – Short Pitch Shot: https://ignitiongolf.com/short-pitch/
I am not even thinking shoulders or hips although they do move.
September 14, 2018
wkalaidjianHi Paul….could you please address how much, if any weight shift should be occuring in the short, medium, and long pitch shots. I understand the narrower stance will likely reduce weight shift but do you suggest keeping most of your weight on the left side as you go into the backswing (either short or medium backswings) and pivoting around that left leg axis vs shifting to the right leg and then turning.
Thought I had it but got confused today at the practice range and felt I wasn’t getting back to the ball because my weight had shifted somewhat to the back leg. Results: lots of fat shots (and chopped up turf). Thanks
September 16, 2018
Paul WilsonWK,
I am not even thinking of this on pitch shots. This is an abbreviated swing you are making. So you are doing your real swing with some modifications. You are hinging and turning. Those are the thoughts you should be thinking. If you do a 3/4 back swing you would move your head less and load less and so on. You would NOT be keeping the weight on the forward foot unless you are doing a punch or knock down shot.
Fat shots are easy to fix when pitching. Watch:
How To Cure Fat Pitch Shots: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-fat-pitch-shots/
Meltdown at the 12th: https://ignitiongolf.com/meltdown-at-the-12th/
August 17, 2019
terrybadgerHi Paul,
Since I learned your pitching technique, I have had no problems. I may miss either fat or thin once in a dozen times, if that. What I am noticing is half the time the ball goes right of the target. sometimes a little and sometimes a bit more. What am I doing wrong?
thanks,
ter
PS: Your chipping technique has also made me very good around the greens. Both shots are very easy to learn and replicate.
August 22, 2019
Paul WilsonTerry,
You are coming out of it trying to see the amazing shot you think you are going to hit. Watch the ball until you hit it. Before the shot you can do a few roll over drills to loosen your wrists. Then think TURN when you hit the shot.
August 17, 2019
joelweistPaul—are you releasing the club on all the pitch shots or holding it off?
Thanks
August 22, 2019
Paul WilsonJoel,
I just shot this tip. We will be posting it in the near future. You release your pitch shots. Stay tuned for the tip.
December 30, 2019
MichaelBarrettPaul,
So I understand the pitching technique, are the arms powerless here too and the clubhead speed (and distance) is being controlled by the speed of the belt buckle rotation?
Thanks
Mike
January 2, 2020
Paul WilsonMike,
Yes, arms are not hitting or helping the shot unless you are blowing it right. Then you would manually roll the wrists to get the wrists unlocked then you go back to powering it with the belt buckle.
July 21, 2020
BryanSandersThis is a great technique. However, I notice that when I play in fairway’s in the Northeast with very tight mowed/tight lies its much more challenging then a lie with the ball sitting up on grass we typically see out west. Is there any change to the pitch technique when in much tighter lies?
July 21, 2020
Paul WilsonYou can try this shot for those tighter lies:
Knock Down Shot: https://ignitiongolf.com/shot-knock-down/
July 21, 2020
terrybadgerHi Paul,
I was wondering can you bring back the feature on this website where we could save the tips we wanted? That was a great feature and I miss it. Sometimes it is hard to find the exact tip that made an impression on me.
thanks,
terr