Golfing Tips - Preparing For That Masterful Pitch Shot

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Each time I jump into my new EZ GO golf cart (which really stands out form the crowd with its EZ GO lift kit conversion) and head out onto the course I feel like someone special as heads turn from those people in their sabby looking old club golf carts. However, this feeling soon evaporates when I start playing and people see the very poor quality of my pitch shot.

The pitch shot is a very good example of the balance involved in golf as both a physical and mental sport and each pitch shot you make needs to be planned carefully. Before you even address your ball you must examine the area you are going to play over and take note of the conditions in order to decide exactly how you are going to to make your shot.

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

1. What is the target? In most cases the answer will clearly be the hole, but when the cup has been set in a difficult position, such as tucked behind a bunker or cut close to the edge of the green, you may well decide not to aim directly for the hole but to land your ball close to the hole leaving you a relative simple shot to putt out.

2. How flat is the putting green? Although a lot of greens are flat some are also a long way from being flat and have a large fall from front to back or from on side to the other. The green might also be tiered with the flag placed on one of several 'steps' in the green. A slope on the green is understandably going to affect your shot because you do not want your ball to land close to the hole and then rolling 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 trying to fire your ball onto the front of the green and roll it up to the flag it is essential to know just how far you require the ball to travel through the air as this is going to directly affect which club you choose.

4. Is the wind going to affect my shot? If you are playing in windy conditions then you will need to gauge the effect that the wind will have on your shot. You might, for instance, wish to change your choice of club to account for the wind and to keep the flight of your pitch as low as you can. As an alternative, you might decide to use the wind to your advantage and aim off target so that the wind carries your ball back onto your target line.

5. How fast is the putting green? The condition of the green is very important and you have to gauge this against holes that you have already played or conditions on the practice ground. For instance, is the putting green hard and dry in which case your ball will bounce and could run quite a distance, or is the green wet and soft in which case the ball may stop dead where it lands.

By thinking about each of these 5 questions carefully you will find that you can select your target, pick your club and make your shot with a clear picture of precisely the line to follow to get the result you wish for.