Your turn to pitch

Craig Willis, Pioneer Meadows head pro, shows how to execute the pitch shot.

“Start with a short club — a sand wedge or pitching wedge,” said Willis, demonstrating how to hit a pitch shot — a golf shot played with a lofted club that usually travels about 40 to 60 yards and closer.

“You want a very narrow stance and you want to make sure that when you bring the club back, you have a full wrist cock every time.

“We also want a shoulder turn,” he said of a common mistake by amateur golfers.

“It’s very important not to get to a position where we are pulling the arms down and leave the body behind. Too many amateurs do that. They are all arms and hands and that doesn’t work very well.

“A correct pitch shot will have a short backswing: around waist high or just below — and then turn the body.”

On the downswing, Willis said golfers want to “push” the right knee to the left knee.

“That will bring the club down and help us delay the club so we can contact the ball first. If we do that, we get good solid contact: the body pulls the club through and we can hit the ball first. And if we do that, we can not only control the ball, we’ll also get spin.

“Everybody wants to be able to spin the ball. Basically, it’s done by making a good turn and hitting the ball first, with good, clean grooves.”

To view the video go to edmontonjournal.com/golf