Get the ball up and down to save par with Butch Harmon!

Written by Mel Sole on November 5, 2016. Posted in Golf Instruction

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Getting the ball up and down from around the green takes practice. But how do you know what to practice? Butch Harmon gives you his expert advice on how to do it. Thanks to Golf Digest for sharing!

Little Pitch Shots.

Little pitch shots, like the one below, drive golfers nuts. First off, they use too much loft. The more loft you have, the bigger swing you need. And more swing means more things can go wrong. So unless you have no green to work with, keep your lob wedge in the bag.

Second issue: Most golfers don’t trust the loft they have, so they try to add more at impact. They flick their wrists, dip down, rock onto the back foot … I think you see where I’m going here.

Let’s give you a simple plan for hitting the basic pitch. Take a narrow stance, with the ball about middle, and favor your front foot (1). Lean the shaft a touch toward the target, and keep your grip pressure light.

Swing straight back, and let your wrists hinge with the momentum (2). Don’t add hinge, and don’t let the club sweep inside—both lead to fat shots.