By Bobby Eldridge Head Professional,
PurePoint Golf Reprinted with permission
Golf Pitching Backswing – Arms Only
It is time for the golf club to swing back. Your body is in the perfect set-up for the club, hands, and arms to move away from the golf ball.
As the golf club begins to move away from the golf ball the clubhead must swing back on a slight arc away from the golf ball.If the clubhead swings too much inside the backswing the right shoulder will turn too much in the backswing. If the clubhead swings too much outside in the backswing the right shoulder will tilt up too much. By swinging the clubhead back on the correct arc, the right shoulder will have the correct amount of tilt in the backswing which will enable the golf club to swing up. At the top of the backswing if the clubhead has swung up on the correct arc this will enable the clubhead to swing back down on the correct angle.
Golf Pitching Backswing - Steep Angle
The angle is what allows the leading edge of the clubhead to make contact with the bottom of the golf ball and the ground at the same time. This contact is what creates the impact that makes the golf ball go up in the air with the correct amount of loft and backspin.
Golf Pitching Backswing - The Weight
When the backswing begins you have 70% of your weight on your left leg and during the backswing it is profoundly important that 70% of your weight remains on your left leg and that it NEVER EVER moves back towards the right side.
If the weight slides back in the backswing the clubhead will never swing UP.
The sliding motion makes the clubhead stay low to the ground in the back swing. Remember what does not go up won't come down. If the clubhead does not swing up it will not swing down and during the downswing the clubhead will travel too level to the ground. If the clubhead travels too level to the ground the leading edge will not be able to find the bottom of the golf ball. The impact will resemble more of a putting swing, the leading edge will strike the middle of the golf ball and the ball will not go up in the air.
Golf Pitching Backswing - Length
When you chip a golf ball you have one golf swing and three different clubs to control the distance you want the golf ball to travel.
When you pitch a golf ball you have three different backswings that control the different distances you want your pitching clubs to travel.
Most sets of golf clubs come with a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. In the past 20 years the game of golf has been blessed to have the arrival of a couple of very important new clubs. The first one to arrive on the scene was the invention of the LOB wedge. The LOB wedge is a loftier version of the sand wedge with not quite so much bounce on sole of the club. Bounce is the very bottom of the golf club and it is the part that stops the leading edge from digging into soft turf.
The next invention was the GAP wedge. The GAP wedge is a club that has more loft than your pitching wedge and not as much loft as your sand wedge.
Nowadays many golfers carry all four wedges. They come in handy more than you might think.
If you have three different length backswings and four wedges you now have 12 very different pitch shots. I know some of you are saying I just want one or two short shots I can trust. Well guess what, you will have a wonderful short game arsenal when you are finished with this program.
Once you get the method down you can easily apply it to all of your wedges. If you want to improve your short game you have to have more than one or two pitch shots in your bag. The golf courses today are more demanding around the green and you have to have pitch shots that run as well as pitch shots that have more loft and less roll.
Now let's talk about the three different length backswings. 8 o'clock/9 o'clock/11 o'clock.
For the shortest of your pitch shots you only have to take the club back to the 8 o'clock position. The 8 o'clock position is when the shaft has not reached a parallel position to the ground. This length of backswing is good for all of those tiny pitches where the hole is tucked close to the fringe. Sometimes you will find yourself in the back of a steep green and you have to make a delicate pitch shot down the hill to the hole. Both of these examples would be a perfect time for an 8 o'clock length backswing.
The 9 o'clock backswing is when the shaft has swung back parallel to the ground. This length backswing will add more distance, loft and backspin compared to an 8 o'clock backswing.
When you are faced with the short pitch shots around the green where you need more distance or height, you will have to swing the golf club back a bit further to the 9 o'clock position. If you have to fly the ball over a bunker, steep slope or rough this is when this backswing comes in handy.
Lastly, if you have to pitch the ball further and with maximum height and backswing this is when you have to use the 11 o'clock backswing.
No more grey area around the green. If you want to improve and become the best pitcher of the golf ball and give yourself a chance every time of getting the golf ball on the green safely and next to the hole, you have to learn all three length backswings.
