1. Develop a System
Learn the yardages of the full swing with all your wedges. Practice a three quarter and half swing with each of your wedges. Once you instill confidence in your distance control with the different length swings on all your wedges you will have eliminated some of the guesswork from your short game.

2. Take a Divot
The club should always be in the downward part of its arc when it strikes the ball. Do not try to scoop or lift the ball, let the loft of the club take care of the height of the shot. Consistent pitch shots come from consistently hitting down on the ball.

3. Accelerate through Impact
Keep the backswing compact so you can accelerate the club down through the ball and to the target. Slowing down or decelerating the downswing leads to fat and thin shots and poor distance control. Proper acceleration on pitch shots means the follow through should always be longer than the take away.

4. Groove your Tempo
Poor tempo is one of the biggest obstacles to a solid short game. Just because a pitch swing is shorter than a full swing does not mean it should be quicker. At least half of each pitch shot practice session should be devoted to finding the tempo that works best for you and learning how to use it every time.

5. Try a Lob Wedge
High soft shots and pitch shots with lots of spin take time and energy to master. With a 60 or 62 degree wedge you can make your normal pitch swing and get increased loft and spin because of the design of the club. There are times when the right tool can make you a better carpenter.

Until next time.